Teaching #34: Wholesome Desire
Even a wholesome desire can lead to unskillful acts and all manner of suffering if it becomes an obsession or if you start to rationalize or justify it in your mind. A wholesome desire becomes an unwholesome one if it brings about restlessness and worry because of craving or brings ill will toward those who you perceive to be thwarting the desire or if it leads to a confused state of mind.
Chapter 9, Pg 85
For your reflection: Begin a daily tally of how many times you experience a wholesome desire deteriorating into an unwholesome craving. As you become skilled in catching this, be curious about how it occurs in your mind: Do you rationalize it? Do you ordinarily fail to notice the grasping? Describe to a friend what you’ve learned about how you fall into clinging to a wholesome desire.