Chapter VII - Physiology
187:3
As mortals do not comprehend even mortal existence,
As mortals do not comprehend even mortal existence,
how ignorant must they be of the all-knowing Mind and
of His creations.
187:6
Here you may see how so-called material sense creates
Here you may see how so-called material sense creates
its own forms of thought, gives them material names, and
then worships and fears them. With pagan blindness,
it attributes to some material god or medicine an ability
beyond itself. The beliefs of the human mind rob and
enslave it, and then impute this result to another illusive
personification, named Satan.
Action of mortal mind
187:13
The valves of the heart, opening and closing for the pas-
The valves of the heart, opening and closing for the pas-
sage of the blood, obey the mandate of mor-
tal mind as directly as does the hand, ad-
mittedly moved by the will. Anatomy allows the mental
cause of the latter action, but not of the former.
187:18
We say, "My hand hath done it." What is this my but
We say, "My hand hath done it." What is this my but
mortal mind, the cause of all materialistic action? All
voluntary, as well as miscalled involuntary, action of the
mortal body is governed by this so-called mind, not by
matter. There is no involuntary action. The divine Mind
includes all action and volition, and man in Science is gov-
erned by this Mind. The human mind tries to classify
action as voluntary and involuntary, and suffers from the
attempt.
Death and the body
187:27
If you take away this erring mind, the mortal material
If you take away this erring mind, the mortal material
body loses all appearance of life or action, and this so‑
called mind then calls itself dead; but the hu-
man mind still holds in belief a body, through
which it acts and which appears to the human mind to
live, – a body like the one it had before death. This body
188:1
is put off only as the mortal, erring mind yields to God,
is put off only as the mortal, erring mind yields to God,
immortal Mind, and man is found in His image.
Embryonic sinful thoughts
188:3
What is termed disease does not exist. It is neither
What is termed disease does not exist. It is neither
mind nor matter. The belief of sin, which has grown
terrible in strength and influence, is an uncon-
scious error in the beginning, – an embryonic
thought without motive; but afterwards it
governs the so-called man. Passion, depraved appetites,
dishonesty, envy, hatred, revenge ripen into action, only to
pass from shame and woe to their final punishment.
Disease a dream
188:11
Mortal existence is a dream of pain and pleasure in
Mortal existence is a dream of pain and pleasure in
matter, a dream of sin, sickness, and death; and it is like
the dream we have in sleep, in which every one
recognizes his condition to be wholly a state of
mind. In both the waking, and the sleeping dream, the
dreamer thinks that his body is material and the suffering
is in that body.
188:18
The smile of the sleeper indicates the sensation pro-
The smile of the sleeper indicates the sensation pro-
duced physically by the pleasure of a dream. In the
same way pain and pleasure, sickness and care, are
traced upon mortals by unmistakable signs.
188:22
Sickness is a growth of error, springing from mortal
Sickness is a growth of error, springing from mortal
ignorance or fear. Error rehearses error. What causes
disease cannot cure it. The soil of disease is mortal
mind, and you have an abundant or scanty crop of disease,
according to the seedlings of fear. Sin and the fear of
disease must be uprooted and cast out.
Sense yields to understanding
188:28
When darkness comes over the earth, the physical
When darkness comes over the earth, the physical
senses have no immediate evidence of a sun.
The human eye knows not where the orb of
day is, nor if it exists. Astronomy gives the
desired information regarding the sun. The human or