Attention + Intention In 2023

Intention determines cause and effect (karma): whatever we intend, whether we know our intention or not, determines what we say and do. Which in turn determines whether we create suffering or peace in each moment.
In this way, the ancient texts say, we are the authors and heirs of our karma. What if we could pay attention closely enough to see, before we said or did anything, just what our intention was? Even better, what if our intention could be (mostly) generous and loving and kind?

Transcript

Hey everyone,

It's Judy Cohen and this is Wake Up Call 377.

Happy almost New Year,

Gregorian New Year,

Anyway.

So with just a couple of days to go before we say goodbye to 2022,

I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions versus intentions.

And you know,

We've probably,

Most of us have made resolutions,

But then,

You know,

What happens if we don't live up to them?

And for my part,

Generally,

I either forget them or I get irritated or disappointed with myself for not making them happen.

And,

Or maybe you're somebody who always follows your resolutions,

Which is amazing.

And then I know there's some folks who don't make resolutions because they feel like they're doing fine and there's nothing to change.

And maybe that's you.

So that's,

That's great too.

Lots of ways to think about New Year's resolutions,

But instead of resolution for 2022,

I thought it might be interesting to consider intention.

And,

You know,

I could just substitute the word intention for resolution,

And then I'd be saying,

Well,

I intend to work out five days a week in 23,

But I'd be meaning the same thing.

And instead,

What I want to talk about is the practice of intention,

Meaning intention in each moment.

So for me,

Anyway,

A lot of the time I'm running on autopilot and I have a commitment to slowing down and paying attention to what's going on in my heart,

My body,

This mind that's comprised of both of those and a lot more of the gut,

The nerves,

All the senses.

So like just the other day,

I was feeling grumpy and I noticed I was acting grumpily and I could see it and it was bugging me,

Which I guess was a good sign,

But I also felt stuck.

I kept wishing grumpy would shift and wanting to feel less grumpy and wanting to feel kinder and more generous and more connected.

And it just wasn't happening.

So I realized I had to do something.

So first I,

I set the intention to let go of grumpiness,

But still there was definitely something left like a residue and it was strong enough that grumpiness just was still lurking.

It kept popping up.

So then I did a little meta practice and really slowly,

Like a creaky old woman getting up from this deep,

Comfortable chair,

This comfortable chair of grumpiness,

Right?

The mood shifted and it finally lifted and it was such a relief.

And it actually lifted so much that later in the day,

My partner said,

Is today a special day or something?

Which it wasn't,

But there was this change of mind,

You know,

Change of heart.

And,

And I guess it was palpable.

And I even had that,

You know,

Fist in the air,

Internal moment of feeling like,

Yes,

Mindfulness really works.

The Dharma is,

Is really powerful.

And yet what I've just described is maybe what you could call the back end of intention because so grumpiness was happening.

So I'd set a different intention meta,

Loving kindness,

But grumpiness was springing from an intention too.

In other words,

Before each grumpy word or action,

There was also an intention or else I was being unconscious,

Defaulting to whatever was happening behind the curtain.

That's the mindful perspective anyway,

That everything springs from intention.

Think of it as a springing interest.

We may not know what our intention is,

Or we may know,

But not want to see it,

But intention happens.

Then we speak or act.

This is what Jack Kornfield,

The co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and,

And one of our great Western mindfulness teachers says,

He says,

Becoming aware of intention is a key to awakening in moment to moment practice.

In each situation that calls for our engagement,

Some inner intention will precede our response.

When our intentions are kind,

The result is very different from when they are greedy or aggressive.

If we are not aware,

We will unconsciously act out of habit and fear.

But if we are aware,

If we attend to our intentions,

We can notice if they spring from the body of fear or from our deliberate thoughtfulness and care.

I love the way Jack presents a binary choice.

If we attend to our intentions,

We can notice if they spring from either fear on the one hand,

Or deliberate thoughtfulness and care on the other.

I think what he's saying,

And this is a little bit sad to me,

Yet it's also very resonant,

Is that our default is fear.

But it's not fear of like the sky is falling kind of fear.

It's fear that we won't get what we want.

And Jack offers this example.

Even the simplest words can have a vastly different effect depending on our intention.

The phrase,

What do you mean?

Can sound accusing and judgmental,

Or considerate and humble.

In other words,

If we don't set an intention before we speak or act,

Whatever conditioned intention lurking beneath the surface will govern those words,

Those actions.

And because we're human,

And in our case also,

Because we're lawyers,

The risk we run is that the conditioned intention will be to try to get what we want,

Which is sometimes just fine.

But even when our job is to get what we want or our clients want,

Another and maybe better intention might be to understand and to care.

The inquiry Jack suggests for all of us is,

Am I speaking from a subtle sense of control or self-righteousness,

Or do I really wish to listen to learn?

So what if we set an intention in our professional lives or in our personal lives,

Too,

To attend more closely to intention?

And then whenever we notice that our intention is anything other than generous and loving and kind,

To reset to one of those or all of those,

Would we be less effective or would we be more effective?

Lawyers,

Law professors,

Legal professionals,

I think more.

But if you're willing,

Try it and see.

I'm going to do it.

I'm going to do it.

So what I'm going to do is as often as possible,

I'm going to try to notice my intention before I speak or act.

And when I forget,

Which I will probably most of the time,

Then I'm going to try to pay attention after the fact,

Which can often be easier,

Although not necessarily more pleasant,

Especially if in noticing it's obvious that the intention wasn't kind.

And then either time before or after,

If the intention is anything other than generous and loving and kind,

Then course correct.

So maybe it's a moment or two of meta.

That worked for me that one time.

Maybe it's an apology.

I'll know,

We'll all know,

Because the intention will be there,

The intention to be generous and loving and kind.

So if you want to join me,

Then the other thing will be to watch and see whether over time by attending more and more closely to intention and by course correcting intention to intention that is generous and loving and kind,

The neural wiring starts to connect in a different way.

And there starts to be more of a default intention that's more frequently generous and loving and kind and patient and ethically ethical and joyful,

Right?

What we've been working on,

Donna,

Sela,

Kshanti,

Viriya,

All those good things.

So that is my invitation to myself and to all of us for 2023.

Let's sit.

So finding a posture that is comfortable and also dignified,

Connecting to the earth,

To ourselves,

To each other,

Locating the breath or the sensation in the body,

The sound in your environment as an anchor,

Choosing your anchor for your attention and just taking a few minutes to settle the intention,

Settle the attention,

Settle the mind,

Settle the heart,

Settle the body,

And then checking in with your intention just for this sit.

What is it?

And seeing if there's any slight adjustment that you want to make to your intention just for yourself,

Just for this sit.

Is there some generosity that you want to bring to yourself,

Some metta,

Some loving kindness?

If it's true that the way we relate to ourselves is the way we relate to others,

Then can we tune the instrument of our mind,

Body,

Heart towards just a little bit more just a little bit more kindness and generosity and love towards ourselves?

Intention determines karma.

In this way,

We are the authors and heirs of our karma.

Can we bring just a little bit more generosity,

A little bit more love,

A little bit more of a generous and loving intention into each moment right now?

Not in theory,

Right now in our sit,

In our meditation.

Thanks everyone for being on the Wake Up Call today.

Have a safe and peaceful New Year and New Year celebration and turning of the new year.

And I'll see you all next Thursday.