Neurological, Contemplative, and Practical Perspective
Right Intention
Introduction
Of course, the first question regarding intention is: for what? All the great wisdom traditions of the world and all the great moral philosophers have grappled with this question. What should we…?
There are many ways to approach this question. Some try to answer it in terms of discerning the will or desires of their sense of a Divine influence, of God. Others try through resorting to certain ideals or abstractions. And still others try through reliance on some kind of authority, such as a priestly class or a scripture.
In the case of the Buddha – and some moral philosophers – he approached this question pragmatically, in terms of what leads to more or less suffering, to more or less benefit or harm to oneself and others. Intentions are good if they lead to good results, and bad if they lead to bad results.
This approach has numerous advantages. It is down to earth. It draws upon our own observation of what happens, rather than relying upon the viewpoints of others. It provides a ready test for the worth of an intention: what did it lead to, what actually happened? And it keeps turning us back to ourselves, toward how we can be ever more skillful.
The best available record of the actual teachings of the Buddha – what is called the Pali Canon after the language in which it was first written – is chock full of encouragement and practical guidance for many kinds of intentions leading to good results.
