From intention to dedication

Listening to a nice talk by Gil Fronsdel tonight on intention.  THis is intention from a Buddhist perspective, not from a new age perspective.  the difference for me is that the former is intention that informs action, the later is a passive state that somehow manifests things.  I practice the former.

From his talk, a couple of useful observations…

First, many people when they are asked to state their intention actually come up withe a negative intention: “To not repeat the mistakes of my parents, to be alone, to leave my job.”  Such intentions are valid by don’t lead to action.  If you find yourself considering an intention like this, Fronsdel counsels to reframe this as a positive intention by asking “Fine, then what?  What will that get you”  The key here is to cultivate action that is rooted in intention.  To do that you need to find a positive, generative intention.

Second, Fronsdel talks about reframing “intention” as “dedication.”  I like this partly as a way of moving away from what is becoming an empty word: intention.  Fronsdel asks “What is your life dedicated to?”  This question helps to frame an inquiry into one’s intention as an inquiry into one’s life that exists for others.

So, to what is your life dedicated?