INTRODUCTION
1. Words will mean little from now on.
²We will use them only as guides, no longer placing so much dependence on them.
³For now we seek only direct experience of the truth.I
⁴The remaining lessons are but introductions to the times in which we leave the world of pain behind and enter into Peace.
⁵We now begin to reach the goal this Course has set, and find the purpose to which our practice has been directed.II
2. Now we aim for the exercises to serve merely as a prelude.
²For we wait in quiet expectation for our God and Father.
³He has promised that He Himself will take the final step.
⁴And we are certain that His Promises are fulfilled.
⁵We have come a long way on the path, and now we wait for Him.
3. We will continue to spend time with God in the morning and at night, as long as it brings us joy.
²We will no longer measure the time we give to Him.
³We will give as much time as we need to reach the outcome we are seeking.
⁴We will continue to remember each hour the idea of the day, and turn to our Father whenever we need Him, or feel tempted to forget our goal.
4. In the days to come, we will continue using a central thought.
²And we will recall it before each rest period, and to quiet our mind if needed.
³But we will no longer be content with practicing only in the holy instants that remain in this year we have devoted to God.
⁴From now on we will speak a few simple words of welcome, and wait for our Father to reveal Himself to us, just as He promised.III
⁵We have called upon Him, and He has promised that His Son will not be left unanswered whenever he calls upon His Name.
5. Now we go to God, with only His Word in our minds and hearts, and we wait for Him to come to us in response to our invitation, just as He assured us through His Voice.
²God has not abandoned His Son in his madness, nor betrayed His trust in him.
³Does His faithfulness not deserve the invitation He awaits, that He may fill us with joy?
⁴We will offer it to Him, and He will accept it.
⁵And thus will pass from now on the time we spend with Him.
⁶We speak the words of invitation the Holy Spirit suggests to us, and then we wait for Him to come to us.
6. Now is the time of fulfillment.
²Now is the time when all ancient promises are honored and fully kept.
³There is no step remaining, and no time that separates us from their fulfillment.
⁴For now we cannot fail.
⁵Sit in silence, and wait for your Father.
⁶He has promised to come to you when you recognize that it is your will.
⁷And you could never have come this far if you had not seen, at least dimly, that it truly is your will.
⁸I am so close to you, we cannot fail.
7. Father,
we offer You these holy instants in gratitude to Him Who taught us how to exchange the world of sorrow for the one You gave.
²Now we do not look back.IV
³We look ahead and fix our gaze upon the journey’s end.
⁴Accept our humble thanks as we behold, through the vision of Christ, a world beyond the one we made, and which we choose to let replace it wholly.
⁵And now we wait in silence, unafraid and certain of Your coming.
⁶We have sought to find our way by following the Guide You sent to us.
⁷We did not know the way, but You did not forget us.
⁸And we know that You will not forget us now.
⁹We ask only that Your ancient promises be fulfilled, for that is Your Will.
¹⁰In asking this, we desire only what You desire.
¹¹The Father and the Son, Whose holy Will created all that is,
cannot fail in anything.
¹²With this certainty we undertake these final steps to You, and rest in confidence upon Your Love, Which will not fail the Son who calls to You.
8. And so we begin the final part of this holy year we have spent together, seeking the Truth and God, Who is its only Source.V
²We have found the path He chose for us, and we have made the choice to follow it as He would have us do.VI
³His Hand has held us up.
⁴His Thoughts have lit the darkness of our minds.
⁵His Love has called to us unceasingly since time began.
9. We wanted to deprive God of the Son He created for Himself.
²We wanted God to change and be what we made of Him.
³And we believed our mad desires were the truth.
⁴Now we rejoice that all of this is undone, and we no longer believe illusions are the truth.
⁵The memory of God begins to shine across the wide horizons of our minds.
⁶One moment more and it will rise again.
⁷One moment more and we, who are the Son of God, will find ourselves at home, where He would have us be.VII
10. The need for practice is now almost over.
²For in this final stage we will understand that to call upon God is all we need, and all temptation disappears.
³Instead of words, we need only feel His Love.
⁴Instead of prayers, we need only call upon His Name.
⁵Instead of judging, we need only be still and let all things be healed.VIII
⁶We will accept the way God’s plan will end, just as we received the way it began.
⁷Now it is complete.
⁸This year has brought us to eternity.
11. We will still use words for a while.
²From time to time, teachings on a topic of special relevance will be inserted among our daily lessons and the periods of deep, wordless experience that should follow.
³These special thoughts should be reviewed each day and kept in mind until the next one is given to you.IX
⁴Read them slowly, and think about them for a while before entering the holy, blessed instants of quiet each day.
⁵Here is the first of these topics.
I This second part of theWorkbook opens with a shift in tone: the practice becomes more inward, more contemplative, more stripped of form. Now it is no longer about doing anything, but about allowing something to happen—to let the memory of God reach you, to let peace enfold you, to let silence teach you.
The emphasis is no longer on repeating ideas, but on resting in them, allowing them to transform you. It is not about understanding or analyzing, but about receiving. The mind ceases to play the leading role and learns to listen. “I am not a body, I am free…” becomes the anchor of every practice: a declaration as radical as it is liberating. It does not seek to console you, but to awaken you.The peace of God is not an improvement of your emotional state. It is not the result of an organized schedule or of having made peace with your wounds. It is a condition that precedes all form, beyond body, thought, and time. It is a peace that cannot be attained or built—it can only be remembered. It is the echo of a home that was never lost, though you may have forgotten it a thousand times.
And in that remembering, every false identity collapses. In that “I am not a body,” there is no evasion, but clarity. For only when the body is released as an identity can peace be present without conditions—not as a truce, but as your natural state.
The second part of the Workbook teaches no new techniques; it teaches an attitude. The attitude of one who at last surrenders to the Love that sustains him. Not from exhaustion, but from recognition: “This already is. I need only allow it.” That is true surrender—not the renunciation of the world, but the renunciation of the illusion that there is anything beyond Love.
II This introduction marks a turning point: the time of effort is over, and the time of trust begins. It is no longer about doing, but about letting be; no longer about learning new concepts, but about remembering what was never lost. All prior training has prepared the mind for this moment—the moment it yields to the direct experience of Love. Jesus no longer asks for discipline, but for honesty; no longer for the will to control, but for the willingness to listen. It is a radically passive practice, yet not inert: it is the highest expression of lucid surrender.
From this point on, the Course becomes a silent prayer—and prayer becomes the natural way of life for one who has begun to awaken.
III All the Lessons that comprise this second part of theWorkbook share a similar structure, except for the final five, which together form a single Lesson. Each Lesson consists of three sections. It begins with a main idea—usually an affirmation, the expression of a longing, or a question. This is followed, generally, by a brief paragraph developing that idea, and it concludes with a prayer. Sometimes, however, the order is reversed.
The content of these Lessons reflects a dialogue that Jesus holds both with Himself as if He were you, and with God the Father. At times, however, He addresses you directly, for He is always at your side—beyond time and illusion—yet perfectly aware of all your struggles. He is your elder brother, who has already completed the journey to the threshold of the Father’s House and returns to encourage you to walk with Him, think with Him, and speak to your Father as He does. And when all of us have reached that understanding, we will enter together into the Heart of Love we have never left.
IV Genesis 19:24 “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. But Lot’s wife, who was behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Luke 9:62 “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.’”
V Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow tired or weary; His understanding is unfathomable.”
VI Isaiah 40:3 “A voice cries out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
Isaiah 62:10 “Pass through, pass through the gates; prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; raise a banner for the nations.”
Matthew 7:13–14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many go that way. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to Life, and few find it.”
Mark 1:3 “A voice of one calling in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
VII This passage closely mirrors the closing line of the Text: “For we have reached the place where all are one, and we have finally ARRIVED at our home, where You would have us be” (T-31.X.3:9).
VIII These three lines perfectly summarize this new phase of learning—a journey that began by questioning and undoing the thought system the world had taught you. Then came the presentation of your new way of thinking: how to navigate the perceptual world and how to fix your mind on real and meaningful concepts. Now, with the mind trained and ready, we confidently turn toward our Father, claiming our rightful inheritance.
Remember: the hallmark of God’s teachers is trust. Trust, open your mind, and love. You will not need to do much—just a little will suffice. Your trust will do the rest. Infinite Love is right there for you to claim, for it is yours—because it is what you are. Do not doubt. Love.
IX This part also presents fourteen themes in the form of questions. They serve as a kind of glossary, clarifying essential concepts in the cosmology of theCourse. These themes appear every ten Lessons and are meant to be kept in mind throughout those ten days. It is not necessary to reread them daily during that period, but they are to be remembered and reflected upon each day. They are the foundational pillars of the new thought system that thisCourse proposes.
After the dictation of the Course was completed, Helen and Bill requested further clarification of certain ideas, which resulted in the final dictated section that complements the curriculum. Traditionally, this last section has been called the Clarification of Terms. In this edition, it is titled Glossary—an expansion of the themes presented in this second part. The concepts of “forgiveness,” “ego,” “Christ,” and “miracle” are revisited there from a broader perspective.
One last thing: from this point on, you may find many ideas that are already familiar to you from the Text and previous Lessons—and, surely, you will also notice many repetitions in the accompanying notes. And you are right: they are repetitive. But remember this—those insistent reiterations are invitations to change your way of thinking. So, ask yourself: have you changed it?
Thus, each time you encounter in the Lessons or notes ideas you’ve heard before, instead of saying, “Good heavens, this again!”, ask yourself honestly whether it is, in fact, something you still need to learn and integrate into your new thought system.
1. What is forgiveness?
1. Forgiveness recognizes that what you thought your brother did to you has, in truth, never happened.I
²Forgiveness does not pardon sins and make them real.
³It merely sees that there was no sin.II
⁴And by adopting this perspective, all your sins are forgiven.
⁵What is sin but a false idea about the Son of God?
⁶Forgiveness simply sees its falsity and therefore lets it go.
⁷And in this way, the Will of God can take its rightful place.
2. An unforgiving thought is one that passes judgment without question, even though it is false.
²The mind closes in on itself and cannot be released.
³This thought protects projection, tightening its chains so that distortions remain hidden and grow darker.III
⁴Thus it becomes harder to question illusions, and reason is kept away from them.
⁵What, now, can prevent this determined projection from being directed toward the goal it has been given?
3. An unforgiving thought does many things.
²It chases its goal with frenzied urgency, distorting and undoing everything that stands in its way.
³Its purpose is distortion, as are the means by which it seeks to achieve it.
⁴It hurls itself at reality with vicious intent, caring nothing for anything that contradicts its vision.
4. Forgiveness, by contrast, is quiet and still, and simply does not react.
²It does not offend any aspect of reality, nor does it seek to reshape it into forms it wants.
³It merely watches, waits, and does not judge.
⁴He who does not wish to forgive must judge, for he must justify his unwillingness to forgive.
⁵But he who would forgive himself must learn to welcome truth exactly as it is.
5. Do nothing, then, and let forgiveness show you what to do through Him Who is your Guide, your Savior, and your Defender.
²The Holy Spirit overflows with hope and is certain you will finally succeed.
³He has already forgiven you, for that is the function God assigned to Him.
⁴Now you must share His function and forgive the one He has saved, sees as innocent, and honors as the Son of God.
I This is aCourse in Miracles—aCourse on forgiveness, healing, Atonement, and, above all, aCourse in mind training for the exercise of your true will. That is to say, this is aCourse about matters that, in Reality, are of no importance whatsoever, because all those concepts are entirely illusory and do not exist.
Miracles—or forgiveness as you understand it—are completely unreal and utterly unknown in Heaven. Yet you, who believe you live in this world, need them desperately, for without them the life you think you live would be a disaster—though that “personal life” you so value is itself an illusion. If you can resolve this paradox, you will have been saved, and before your eyes the real world will unfold: a happy dream that serves as the antechamber to true awakening.
If you believe you have something to forgive, you are not forgiving at all, for the very notion of sin is itself a form of condemnation. Yet that is precisely what you must do now. Do you see the paradox?
To perceive is to dream, and dreaming is nothing more than the symptom of a sick mind. The sane mind does not dream—it creates. God created you perfect so that you might create perfectly, as He does. That is your unchangeable and eternal condition. That is reality—and everything else is illusion, and nothing but illusion.
This Course, in truth, makes no sense, because it deals with matters that make no sense. This Course is unbelievable, for it speaks of things that are not true. The world does not exist, and your personal life is a fantasy. And since you seem to relate only to imaginary appearances, you need to be told fantastic stories in order to heal your sick mind. Yet understand this well: your mind is not sick. That is impossible. Do you see, again, the paradox?
Do not despair, and do not be afraid. Instead, discipline your mind and trust. You will awaken from the dream—and of this you can be absolutely certain, for the simple reason that it has already happened. It is perfectly natural that this seems incomprehensible to you, because the condition you believe you are in is equally incomprehensible. The realm of the impossible is made up of impossibilities—which is to say, of nothing.
You are dreaming. You strike at windmills, though you do not know it. You believe that all of it is real and frightening, and that belief exerts a powerful pull on your clouded mind. As you see yourself, and as you behold everything, your best protection against madness is forgiveness. Let illusions pass. Let everything you see outside yourself pass—but also, and above all, let your own thoughts pass, even those you consider kind, holy, or exalted. The ego is perfectly capable of using any mental construct you conceive for its own purposes.
You are now beginning a phase of mind training that is purely transpersonal. Your task now is to step aside and place yourself directly in God’s Hands. Now, free of burdens and attachments, and with empty hands, you go to your Father.
II Forgiveness is not an emotional response to a real injury, but a perceptual correction to a mistaken interpretation. When theCourse says that “what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred,” it is not denying that something happened in the realm of form—it denies its ontological reality.
Forgiveness does not say, “I forgive you because you have done wrong, but I am better than you and will grant you my generosity.” That perpetuates the error. The forgiveness of the Course is an act of lucidity that recognizes that perception itself was mistaken. That is why it frees—because it neither punishes nor corrects anyone; it merely relinquishes an illusion. The mind that forgives is the mind that ceases to project guilt, because it has recognized its own innocence. And to that very extent, it remembers God.
III Whatever the mind wishes to behold, it projects and sees outside itself. Sin reinforces and justifies that desire, and not only grants it the appearance of reality but makes it prominent and significant upon the stage of the mind.
LESSON 221
Let my mind be at peace, and let all my thoughts be still.
1. Father,
today I come to You in search of the Peace that only You can give.
²I come in silence.
³And in the stillness of my heart,
in the deepest place within my mind,
I wait to hear Your Voice.
⁴My Father,
speak to me today.I
⁵I come with certainty and love to hear Your Voice in silence,
sure that You will hear my call and answer me.II
2. Now we wait in silence.
²God is here because we wait together.
³I am certain He will speak to you, and you will hear Him.
⁴Accept my confidence, for it is your own.
⁵Our minds are joined.
⁶We wait with one intent: to hear our Father’s answer to our call, to let our thoughts be still, and to find His Peace, that we may hear Him speak of what we are, and let Him reveal Himself to His Son.
I This lesson clearly expresses the spirit of the entire second part of theWorkbook. It is no longer about understanding, analyzing, or seeking answers with the intellect. It is simply about becoming willing to receive. Jesus invites us to be still and let the Father speak to us. This is no longer an active practice, but a receptive one: the training has prepared the mind so that it can now rest in the direct experience of Being.
Peace is not a concept, nor an emotional state; it is a preexistent condition that can only be remembered. And that remembrance does not come as an intellectual conclusion, but as a living response to an honest prayer. That is why this lesson is also a prayer—and one of the most beautiful in the Course. Its structure reflects the purpose of this entire stage: to learn to wait in silence, trusting that God will speak to us.
This is the essence of authentic spiritual experience: when you stop seeking theories, when you form from your heart a real question, and—without knowing how—the answer comes. Each person receives it in his or her own way, according to their psychological makeup, their history, their sensitivity. Yet all true seekers have shared this experience, and it has always begun the same way: with a sincere prayer born of the desire to understand.
This lesson marks that threshold. If you practice it with humility, you will see that there is nothing more to do. It is no longer about building, but about releasing. No longer about speaking, but about listening.
II John 11:41 “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’”
This Lesson presents what is to be our entire “work” in this Second Part of the Workbook. Our task is simply to call upon our Father at Jesus’ side and to delight in His Answer—nothing more. But is there really anything else?
We now begin to assume our true role in Creation: to create—to feel the Love of God within us and to manifest it by extending the pure joy of Being. To exist is to Be, and that entails the extension of existence itself, which is all existence that exists. And that is God. And that is you. And that is the absolute fullness and infinite joy of Being.
Seek neither words nor solutions in God’s Answer, for His Answer is experience—the experience of Being. His Answer is you.
May my mind be at peace and all my thoughts be still.
In Your silence, Father,
I hear Your Voice and find the peace that only You can give.