~ Reflection on Intentions ~
"Each decision we make, each action we take, is born
out of an intention."
- Sharon Salzberg
The New Year is a great time to review our intentions in life, and perhaps set some new ones. For me, this is a bit different from making New Year's resolutions or setting goals for the year. Rather, it is about sensing into the currents of my life and orienting myself in a direction consistent with them. How do I intend to live my life? What qualities do I want to develop? What habits or patterns do I want to renounce? What is calling for my attention? In this way, my intentions, especially long term ones, are about visions and aspirations. They are like stars - they set a course for my life so I can steer my daily life by them, while taking account of the weather of my immediate conditions and circumstances. Intentions provide a direction and a guide, so I can let go of when or even if I reach any particular destination. Intentions are about the journey and less about arriving anywhere in particular.
Another point about long term intentions is that they arise from within. Intentions are not something we impose on ourselves or tell ourselves we are going to do. Instead, they arise from the deepest parts of ourselves. As Quaker educator Parker Palmer says "“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.” So listening is an essential element of setting long term intentions.
I find the Buddhist approach to intentions very helpful. It identifies three types or levels of intention:
- The first is called samma sankappa in the Pali language of early Buddhists – this is the largest or deepest form of intention. It’s about who we want to be as human beings. In other words, it’s about our values and ideals.
- The second is called aditana. This is an intermediate level of intention and it’s about the resolve, determination and persistence we need to work with our deepest intentions.
- The third is called chetana. This is the finest level and it is the type of intention that inspires us to speak or act in particular ways in everyday life. It’s the urge to say or do something, and it’s what propels us forward moment by moment.
So what does this look like in practice?
Once a deep, long term intention has arisen in my mind, I try to remember it as often as I can (writing it down helps). After all, what's the point of having an intention if you don't remember it? This desire to remember is the second level of intention - there is an intention to recall our deepest intentions.
Then in daily life, I try to notice my moment-by-moment intentions - the third level of intention. Are they self-centered or altruistic? Are they about wanting to look good? Are they about wanting to achieve particular goals? Are they about trying to avoid something unpleasant?
Then I reflect on whether these fine intentions (chetana) are consistent with my deepest intentions (samma sankappa) or not. I try to do this without judgement or blame, but with a gentle and kind curiosity. Often, I find that there is an inconsistency. Indeed, the gap between my deepest intentions and my moment-by-moment intentions can be a chasm. But I can use this recognition to adjust my moment-by-moment intentions to bring them more into line with my deepest ones. And in doing so, my values and ideals are more likely to inform my decisions and my actions because as Sharon Salzberg says "Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention."
Thank you.
Another point about long term intentions is that they arise from within. Intentions are not something we impose on ourselves or tell ourselves we are going to do. Instead, they arise from the deepest parts of ourselves. As Quaker educator Parker Palmer says "“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.” So listening is an essential element of setting long term intentions.
I find the Buddhist approach to intentions very helpful. It identifies three types or levels of intention:
- The first is called samma sankappa in the Pali language of early Buddhists – this is the largest or deepest form of intention. It’s about who we want to be as human beings. In other words, it’s about our values and ideals.
- The second is called aditana. This is an intermediate level of intention and it’s about the resolve, determination and persistence we need to work with our deepest intentions.
- The third is called chetana. This is the finest level and it is the type of intention that inspires us to speak or act in particular ways in everyday life. It’s the urge to say or do something, and it’s what propels us forward moment by moment.
So what does this look like in practice?
Once a deep, long term intention has arisen in my mind, I try to remember it as often as I can (writing it down helps). After all, what's the point of having an intention if you don't remember it? This desire to remember is the second level of intention - there is an intention to recall our deepest intentions.
Then in daily life, I try to notice my moment-by-moment intentions - the third level of intention. Are they self-centered or altruistic? Are they about wanting to look good? Are they about wanting to achieve particular goals? Are they about trying to avoid something unpleasant?
Then I reflect on whether these fine intentions (chetana) are consistent with my deepest intentions (samma sankappa) or not. I try to do this without judgement or blame, but with a gentle and kind curiosity. Often, I find that there is an inconsistency. Indeed, the gap between my deepest intentions and my moment-by-moment intentions can be a chasm. But I can use this recognition to adjust my moment-by-moment intentions to bring them more into line with my deepest ones. And in doing so, my values and ideals are more likely to inform my decisions and my actions because as Sharon Salzberg says "Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention."
Thank you.