The Delusion of “Intention” and “Personal Power"
Q: I have a friend who is still in a spiritual group" ( that I used to belong to till Non-Duality came along ) who keep carping on about "setting or having an intention about goals whether they be about spiritual, financial or health issues." I know that "intention" is just another thought. Can you please say a few words on "intention" and why it is meaningless? Thanks & love, M.
Charlie: Sure. To start with you are spot on in seeing that “intention” is just another cloud in the mental sky. Yet that word is imbued with endless meanings by so called “teachers” whose own ignorance prevents THEM from this direct seeing and nondual realization that all thoughts .... ALL ... are empty, meaningless movements of pure energy. As Nondual "Kashmir Shaivism" points out, thoughts are made of sounds. ALL there is is energy-sounds and nothing. In that set of pointers, it is seen directly (NOT conceptually or intellectually) that all there is, is Nothing, and Energy, which are The One Essence appearing as duality. And that this stillness-moving of Nothing As Energy arises as letters, words, sentences. This is known as Matruka Shakti. And since all there IS, IS Nondual Shakti, no collection of sounds can possibly be more “significant or meaningful” that any other collection of energetic impulses.
WHY is it meaningless? “Intention” requires a deluded belief in an entity, which entity then makes up these “meanings” about the totality, stating with the belief in separateness and time! IT makes up the notion that there really IS a separate “Me” or “I” with power of its own apart from the whole! This is bizarre yet looks “normal” to 99.999% of human organisms.
Eventually each apparent “person” MUST test and see, if there REALLY IS any “I” or “Me” with a speck of independent power to create and intend. WHERE exactly IS such an entity? On investigation (which happens ONLY spontaneously, sans that delusion of intention, as a function of the Grace of Totality, can any such entity be found? Where?
In This Now, This Here, this open clear NONconcepetual and INconceivable Aware-Space-That-This-All-IS, in direct Seeing-Being, it is absolutely clear and obvious that there just AIN’T no such entity anywhere; not in these ignorant gurus or teachers or their equally ignorant students in these deluded “schools”, or anywhere else. Look: It is the blind leading the blind. Yet to assign blame is also incorrect: ALL there is, is the Impersonal Functioning of the Infinite Energy of Awareness-Being-Consciousness.
As Bob Adamson repeats, THAT is What IS, and there is ONLY THAT, NOT TWO. Full Stop.
The key point however, seen as it is from Here, is that ANY belief or acceptance of some separate power or separate “person” that attains or has such power is the root cause of human suffering. Ask one of these deluded souls how often "their" "intentions" are actually REALIZED!!?? Ha! IF they are honest (a BIG if, of course) they will have to admit that never are anyone’s "intentions" realized 100% as visualized or thought up; never mind the events where intentions are not fulfilled at all. Of course, some will CLAIM (that is what egos do) is that “I" (this ego-claim of a powerful “me”) "intended X and by God it happened". What stays hidden from view, often to themselves (!), is the fact that these ideas of a future accomplishment FAIL more often than not. (Besides where IS a “future” unless you think about it!?)
The key point however, seen as it is from Here, is that ANY belief or acceptance of some separate power or separate “person” that attains or has such power is the root cause of human suffering. Ask one of these deluded souls how often "their" "intentions" are actually REALIZED!!?? Ha! IF they are honest (a BIG if, of course) they will have to admit that never are anyone’s "intentions" realized 100% as visualized or thought up; never mind the events where intentions are not fulfilled at all. Of course, some will CLAIM (that is what egos do) is that “I" (this ego-claim of a powerful “me”) "intended X and by God it happened". What stays hidden from view, often to themselves (!), is the fact that these ideas of a future accomplishment FAIL more often than not. (Besides where IS a “future” unless you think about it!?)
I can give you countless examples on request, from the apparent universal life, that would absolutely prove these points, yet, that would be NO more valid than the opposite, it is all unproveable! Either way it’s just a popular yet delusive story the ego tells out of its own sense of separateness (and self-importance.) It’s like a rooster who takes credit for intending the Sun to appear as the earth circles around.
In any case: As the wag said, "Tell God your plans, if you want to make her laugh!) Or as our dear friend Byron Katie says about such deluded false egoic claimers, "Who needs God when we have YOU!?" And consider the thousands who said they would “end hunger” back in the seventies. How’s THAT going?
You asked a good question; this shows that you are zeroing in on Reality and rejecting the false sense or power or control. Good for you! Please feel free to keep in touch as Totality inspires you to. Love ya!
