The Primacy of Intention

Intention is Ontologically Greater than Action

Action is realised awareness on the level of physical being. To become aware of the physical sensations when for example touching an object, we must actually touch the object. As the microcosm of the physical human being engenders a limited state within the vast macrocosm of the universe, so too is human action of a restricted nature; we cannot always actuate what we intend to do.

This disparity is addressed by acknowledging the ontological priority of intention over action. Intention pertains to a higher order of awareness, intention provides the meaning behind an action. We may intend to give money to charity, the precise vehicle of this action is unbeknownst to us in the instance of intention, in fact if circumstances may forbid then we may never be able to engage in the charitable affair. The purpose of this article is to address the ontological primacy of intention so to solidify its root and cause as the heart of moral goodness. To proceed I offer the reader to consider an example of two people of varying intentions and actions:

Suppose that there is a person  who wants to earn money and status in this life and works for a giant pharmaceutical company. Now suppose that there is another who has intentions of sincere goodness, to help their fellow human beings to the utmost power that their circumstances may permit. Unfortunately this individual is homeless, and in the long days and nights of suffering finds moral repose in simply clearing the footpath of dangerous rubbish. Our materialistic researcher may happen to discovery the cure for cancer, by virtue of accident and a nature-gifted intelligence cultivated by their fortunate and privileged upbringing. This person would be hailed a hero and a great human being, while our poor homeless soul in vision of utmost sincerity and goodness would be completely forgotten and overlooked by the masses of society. We live in a world in which each person is judged upon the merits of their outward actions and their inward being is entirely neglected.

This story should help the reader understand that it is intention which defines ones moral worth, it is in the sincere heart that the truth of goodness is realised, not in the outward actions which more often than not succumb to accident and chance. Of course we know that the macrocosm is a cradle to hold and nurture the growth of the microcosm, and the apparent accidents of life are in fact opportunities for self-realisation, in our example the homeless person would have attained a high state of moral excellence and spiritual goodness while the false hero would most likely have fallen further into the cage of ignorance guided by the praise and acclaim unto a state of self-indulgence and egoism. The worth of our actions are defined by their intent, so judge not character upon ones outward being, but assume the best in their inward selves.

It should now be clear to see that intention holds a higher state of being than action. I stated before that intention governs the meaning behind an action, it contains the reason and principle for acting. In this intention is the singularity of action. The intention is the totality of each way in which it may be actualised, the intention of charity is the singularity of each form in which charity may be given; the intent defines the action through its essence.  Intention is a will towards action, this will of the immediate self is a reflection of the Soul's Will, intention thus forms a path to self knowledge. As all creation is in striving to God, our sincere wanting is the realisation of this innate primordial Selfhood, it is the awakening of the Soul in its yearning for the Absolute. From a dual perspective intention can equally be viewed as a striving towards the Soul, the purest intention embodies the Ideals directly in for example the striving towards goodness in moral conduct or beauty in artistic endeavours.

Intention must be Pure

We speak of the wanting being sincere and the intention being pure for the same reason that Ideals must conform to their moral centre of goodness which can be translated into the metaphysical statement of striving for the greater. All Ideals can be considered forms of goodness, a guidance towards the path of the Soul. So too must intentions strive towards greater being, for their essence in being a singularity of action necessitates a higher ontological unity. One cannot intend evil, for evil is destructive and diminishes awareness; the evil action shuns the greater, it is a moments of blindness. To lose sight of Divinity is moral degradation, to lose sight of the universe leads to sacrilegious disrespect of creation, to lose sight of other humans is the path to violence and oppression. The greater the extent of our blindness the greater the evil we succumb to. The evil 'intention' is to lose sight of singularity, we cannot therefore meaningfully speak of evil in any ontological capacity. Intentions are a singularity, they are born from the unity of being and are a path towards the Self and God, in this intentions must be pure and good. Sincerity is also a necessity to intend, to intend sincerely means not only to want in the physical dimension of hunger and lust, but in the higher orders of spiritual desire and truthfulness.

In Intention is Found the End

Intention forms the vision, the ideal to which the action strives. The intention may not be realised in completion within the limited world of action, but the intention itself is a realisation of the illimitable Spirit. This is the primacy of intention, as the ontological greater it is intention that is the defining essence of life, intention is the heart of action and the end in itself. The reward is found in the struggle; the purpose of the path is not to reach its end, but the end is found in the path itself. We should strive not to reach, but reach to strive.

Wanting to Want

If it is the pure wanting that is the highest state that we seek, if the want is the end in itself, then we should want to want. Wanting to love God is the true love of God, wanting to perfect the self is the perfection exemplified, it is in the sincere wanting to want that the want is realised. In the wanting is a humility found, an acceptance of our limited nature and in this a realisation of the transcendent reality. To claim we have is arrogance, for just as easily as the reward was blessed upon us it can be taken away, having is a transient desire, an illusion of permanency. As an example we cannot say that we love God, because even a second spent in forgetfulness and slumber would testify against our claim, how can we love God in this limited state? Rather the highest state we can achieve is the constant longing to God, a resonant wanting which pervades our lives to beckoning us to surrender completely to this Divine love. We must therefore want to want to love God, and from this ontology can be born the infinite ontological cycle of wanting which leads us to the desired state. To safeguard intention is to safeguard duty, character, and integrity. In time the actions and tribulations of men, all that we achieved and gained in this world, our possessions, status and legacy, will crumble to dust. But the ideals we strived towards, the intention we purified with sincerity, will stand far above the kingdom of men, and we will find an abode in God of all that we desired.

The focus of our life's activities should be to perfect our inner being through the realisation of the heartfelt yearning that we all seek, through the awareness of the fundamental dissatisfaction and disillusionment with outward reality that guides us to turn inward and answer life's greatest mystery: 'Who am I?'. It is the pure mind that beholds truth, it is the sincere heart that blossoms beauty, it is the enlightened character that does not strive to be content, but is content to strive.