156. Proximity To Intentions

Intentions are a central part of life. I notice a leaky pipe and I set an intention to repair it. I want to swim on the weekend, so I set an intention to go to the community pool. I remember there is a penalty for filing a form late and I set an intention to avoid the penalty. I hear that a friend has received an award for excellence, and I set an intention to congratulate them. I discover an interesting book, and I set an intention to read it.

To live without intentions would be impossible. I am always setting new intentions because I am always reflecting on my past experience and planning my future actions accordingly. This is part of what it is to be human — a living being endowed with reflective consciousness.

But I must also recognize that intentions can be dangerous. When I become attached to an intention, I begin to identify with its object. I see its fulfillment as necessary for my own happiness. I then narrowly focus on achieving that specific goal, which means there is no opportunity for me to see what is most needed and necessary. And this means there is no opportunity for compassion and no opportunity for joy.

I must allow my intentions to exist as they are, while also not allowing myself to be so close to them that they consume my whole life. I must hold them at a distance, where I can carefully observe them and the ways I respond to them. When I have adequate space from my intentions, they are unable to directly control my attention or manipulate my actions.

With my intentions at a distance, I am open to change, to new information, to the world itself and all that is other. I am also open to my intentions themselves changing when I become aware of something new. It is this openness, this looseness, this freedom, that keeps me from suffering when my intentions go unfulfilled, when things go wrong, or when I am wrong. And when I am more free from suffering, I am then better able to see what is needed to create joy for myself and others.