If we want to practice Right Intention, we’re going to have to change the pegs. The Buddha said if we want to replace unwholesome thoughts with wholesome ones, we act like a carpenter who hammers in a good peg for a rotten one. One by one,…
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches four practices for right intention that can offer us clarity as we close out our month of practice. Ask yourself, “Are you sure?” Hanh suggests that we place this question somewhere we can see it regularly. It reminds us that false perception…
Don’t act with a twist. That’s one of the fifty-nine slogans called lojong or mind training. The purpose of these slogans is to keep us on the path, and offer us clarity. I find myself thinking a lot about this particular lojong slogan this month while…
What’s blocking your Right Intention? What seems to block you from intending goodwill and loving-kindness to others? Chances are it’s one of the three unwholesome roots: delusion, greed, and aversion. Delusion is the inability to see things clearly. That’s what we’re trying to get away from…
One thing I’m learning as I attempt to practice Right Intention: there is joy in staying in your lane. As you might imagine, it feels a little overwhelming to try to be mindful of every intention throughout the day. It’s a big undertaking just to notice…
Firefighters, Bodhisattvas, and compassion. I know; it seems like these don’t go together. But read on, dear ones. We’ve been learning about Right Intention this month, and we’ve talked about how we can clarify our right intentions by practicing renunciation, good will, and harmlessness. Today, I…
The Buddha taught that three forms of right intention can help us practice well, and today we’re talking about the third: harmlessness. Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the intention of harmlessness as “thought guided by compassion, aroused in opposition to cruel, aggressive, and violent thoughts.” So compassion is…
The Buddha taught that the path of Right Intention was threefold: the intention of renunciation, good will, and harmlessness. In today’s post we’re going to look at Right Intention as good will. When we cultivate good will, we expand our lovingkindness to all. And one way…
The Buddha taught that Right Intention is three-fold, so today I want to talk about Right Intention as renunciation. I know renunciation sounds harsh. (Nobody ever hears the phrase, “I renounce you!” as a good thing.) We conjure images of not having any fun, giving up…
This month, we will practice the second step on the Eightfold Path: Right Intention. The wheel of the Eightfold Path comprises three sections: wisdom, morality, and consciousness. Right View and Right Intention together make up the “wisdom” section of the wheel. When these combine, they counteract…
