No More Suffering

I read last night that Buddha taught that enlightenment means "no more suffering". This caught my attention.

Then today I read a devotional that talked about the struggle of life. And how we know we're on the right path for us when the struggle or challenges invigorate instead of wear us down. They may tire us out but they keep us true to ourselves. And being true to our "authentic" self is where we will find our happiness. The quote associated with the devotional:

For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me...
—Colossians 1:29

Our lives should inspire our soul and who gives the soul the power to live to begin with. The Alpha, the Omega... the center of all energy.

Doesn't most of our suffering come from struggling against what is presented on our path? I know for me... this was the case. I struggled with my disorder, denying it, trying to control it, and finally giving into it and acknowledging that I needed help. And help I got. Wow! The struggle still exists but it's nothing like it was, I'm no longer spinning my wheels. The struggle now is working toward my goals and being the best person I can be. And with each small step I take, I will get there. Each time I walk into a classroom I am one step closer. And I am enjoying the process along the way. I struggled against my relationship of 8 years breaking apart instead of letting a new life birth itself in a natural way... I let the labor pains be prolonged.

Sure, I know I'm going to make other mistakes as well... everyone does but that is part of the beauty of the struggle. As Maria Shriver said "I think that that's one of the things that I learned from [my mother] was, like, go out. Make a mistake. Have the guts to fail and talk about it. There's nothing wrong with that." I wouldn't know much of what I do now if it hadn't been for many of the mistakes in my past.

Anyway, I think these factors are the road to what the Buddha was talking about. That enlightenment is "no more suffering". And we will no longer suffer (in the spiritual/mental sense) if we learn to basically go with the flow and learn to let our mistakes help guide us instead of knocking us down. Our lives will inspire ourselves and, maybe, you never know... someone else too. I know I'd rather help someone before my time comes... how about you?