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From Goal-Driven to Intention-Driven
Non-members can read the full article here.
Understanding Action, Intention, and Expectation
Non-attachment is a vast subject and is more nuanced than it is casually portrayed. Many of us receive advice now and then to not get attached to the fruits of our actions. Even in the Bhagavad Gita, the essence of Karma Yoga is this principle of non-attachment.
Let’s delve into this topic deeper and get some clarity.
What is an action? It is nothing but an intention transforming into a result through a process that involves mental, verbal or physical activity.
All of this requires an intention as the motivation to begin the process of action. It is the necessary ignition without which the engine of action won’t start. For example, to commit a verbal action of asking your mother for food requires an intention to satiate your hunger.
The nature of intention is such that it inherently takes into account an expectation of the outcome. There can be no intention that doesn’t have any expectations. Even the selfless intention of feeding the homeless demands an expectation to be able to utilise your money and buy some food. Therefore, ignorantly blaming expectations for all the miseries is not a solution.
