2. Right Intention
In the second and final step of the so-called “wisdom” part of the Eightfold Path, we get Right Intention. It is less about the intention toward others – we’re not there yet – but more about intention towards the self, and a commitment to improving that self by developing compassion, among other things. Once we understand Right View (see things for what they are, and that includes the difficulties inherent in life), we commit to ourselves to do something about it. There really is great logic in all of this.
My goal in these eight days is to look at the Path specifically as it relates to my professional life and how I live it. There’s an argument that I can’t separate professional and personal in this way, but it’s worth a try. Perhaps the exploration will answer that question.
So, have I followed Right Intention as it relates to my work and career? A brutally honest assessment comes to this conclusion: no. Even if I am generally courteous, professional and mindful of others, there is little I can point to where I set my intention to improve myself in this way as it relates to my working life.
I’ve spent a lot of time on the subject as an individual, but I’ve not really thought about it as a professional. But here we’re into the spillover area. All that time on the cushion, in the lecture halls and reading the books must surely come forth on set and in meetings, but I confess to never having made that commitment to myself as I operate in the professional realm.
And I can do that, today, tomorrow and the day after that, but I don’t know that it will yield anything significantly greater than doing so “outside” of work. What’s the difference, really? Hmm… I can already see the writing on the wall: the personal and professional are one. What we do, and how we do it, is who we are as much as anything else.
This is getting interesting. Tomorrow, we tackle Right Speech. That one could be a little easier to distinguish between work and life, but who knows…