Justly Compelled

I'm reading a book about enlightened living. Get over your surprise on that one. I usually keep 2 books on the go - one upstairs and one downstairs. It's something to do when I'm infusing.

I try to live an enlightened life. I'm not talking about zen-meditation. To me, it's about accepting the challenges you face and overcoming them by facing them. It's deeper than that, but respecting the power of challenges is a cornerstone.

The author states the more enlightened you are in life, the more compulsive you are. My first thought was Wow! I know some incredibly enlightened people! The more I considered it, the more I believe that the author's statement is incorrect.

An enlightened life is about acceptance, not control; sustaining a ubiquitous higher level of awareness; reacting with solutions. Believe in the good, see the good, do the good, be the good. Not good versus evil, but goodness. Decency.

Compulsions are acts that are beyond one's control; but one does not necessarily accept them. In fact, a good compulsion should be deniable. For instance, I did not notice that this posting, so far, contains every letter of the alphabet save the letter 'x'.

So, I have to disagree with Shambhala. I believe that as one achieves enlightenment, he would more easily recognize compulsive behavior. Once identified, he would modify his response to the compulsion. I suppose then, it's possible to eliminate the acquired reflex altogether.

Whew! That feels better. Setting this straight has satisfied my neurotic need for accuracy.

Warning: Reviewing the post, looking for the usage of 'x' is compulsive behavior.

Tags: [O C D] [Buddhist Wisdom]