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The Fourth Principle: Intent Weaves the Tapestry of the Universe
SUTRA: San Kalpa (sahn-KAL-pah)
My intentions have infinite organizing power
Our intentions are a manifestation of the total universe because we are part of the universe. And out intentions hold within themselves the mechanics of their fulfillment. All we really need is clarity of intent. Then if we can get the ego out of the way, the intentions fulfill themselves. Our intentions attract the elements and forces, the events, the situations, the circumstances, and the relationships necessary to fulfill the intended outcome. We don't need to be come involved in the details - in fact, trying too hard may backfire. Let the nonlocal intelligence synchronize the actions of the universe to fulfill the intentions for you. Intention is a force in nature, like gravity, but more powerful. No one has to concentrate on gravity to make it work. No one can say, "I don't believe in gravity," because it is a force at work in the world whether we understand it or not. Intention works the same way.
As a simple example, think back to a time when you were trying to remember some bit of trivia, a person's name or the title of a book. It was on the tip of your tongue, but you just couldn't quite recall it. Once you try to remember, you've introduced intention. But the harder you try to remember, the farther the information seems to slip away from your conscious recall. But if you eventually take your ego out of the way, and let go of the process of remembering, then your intention goes into the virtual domain, with its infinite organizing power. Even when you've moved on to other thoughts, the virtual domain continues to search for the information, even without your conscious participation. Later, you could be falling asleep, or you could be sitting in a movie, and suddenly the name you were trying so hard to remember simply pops into your awareness. This common example illustrates the way intention works. All we have to do is create the intention and let the universe take over.
The only preparation or participation required to unleash the power of intention is a connection to the conscious intelligence field, which can be attained many ways, one of the best being meditation. When a person achieves a certain level of consciousness, whatever he or she intends begins to happen. There are people who are so connected with the conscious intelligence field that their every intent manifests itself - the whole order of the universe orchestrates around it. Of course, it is not strictly true that their every personal intention is being met; in actuality, people who are connected with the conscious intelligence field adopt the intentions of the universe. Their intentions are being met, but that's only because the cosmic mind is using their intentions to fulfil its own desires.
We must look for opportunities to exercise intentions, because for the most part our society doesn't provide them. If you're like most people, there won't be many opportunities for going on a retreat to a mountaintop where you can concentrate on the development of your spirit. You are much more likely to have a free moment when you're stuck in traffic or while you're waiting for an important telephone call in your office. Those are more likely opportunities for practicing timelessness awareness and spirit-based intention.
Intention is not simply a whim. It requires attention, and it also requires detachment. Once you have created the intention mindfully, you must be able to detach from the outcome, and let the universe handle the details of fulfillment. If you don't, ego gets involved and clouds the process. You'll feel frustrated if your intention isn't realized soon enough. Your sense of self-importance may be threatened, or perhaps you'll start feeling sorry for yourself. Intent in nature orchestrates its own fulfilment. The only thing that could interfere is domination by your own ego needs and totally selfish concerns.
Of course, the best way to have all your intentions realized is to align your intentions with the cosmic intent, to create harmony between what you intend and what the universe intends for you. Once that congruence comes into being, you'll find that synchronicity takes on a larger role in your life. The best way to create that harmony is by nurturing an attitude of simple gratitude. Acknowledge your gratitude for everything in your life. Give thanks for your place in the cosmos and for the opportunity you have to further the destiny we all share. Part of creating harmony involves abandoning grievances of all kinds. Animals don't have any problems with grudges or grievances. It's only among us human beings that intention is so often encumbered by all sorts of emotional baggage. You must let all that go in order to create a pure intention.
Exercise 6: FOCUSING INTENTION
The best way to focus on intentions is to write them down, Although this must sound like an obvious first step, it is a step that many people ignore. As a result, their intentions often remain unfocused, and therefore unrealized.
Go to a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Write down what you want on all different levels of desire. Include material, ego gratification, relationship, self-esteem, and spiritual desires. Be as specific as possible.
Ask yourself what you want on the material level, in terms of abundance and affluence. Do you want to own your own house with four bedrooms? Write that down. Do you want to be able to send your children to college? Write that down. Think also of your desires for sensory gratification - sound, touch, sight, taste, smell, and sensuality - anything that gratifies the senses. Write those down.
Ask yourself what you want in terms of relationships. Write down your desires for all your relationships - romantic partners, children, peers, parents, friends, and professional relationships.
Write down all you want in terms of personal accomplishments or recognition. Note what you want on a more universal level - how can you help? What do you want to do with your life in terms of your society, your country, your civilization?
What do you want to contribute? Write down what you want when you think of discovering your higher sense of self. Whom do you want to be? What spiritually do you want to add to your life? Write down everything you desire on a single sheet of paper. Add or subtract from the list as your desires change or become fulfilled.
Meditate on what life would be like if all these desires were to manifest. See if you can create inner visions of genuine fulfillment on both material and spiritual levels. Don't be concerned about having these visions in any kind of order, or whether they're realistic or not. Just see them all happening - feel them with all your five senses. The goal is to have congruent attention on all these four levels of aspiration. When that kind of congruency is in play, the internal dialogue is very powerful and clear, and will help you gain unity of consciousness.
Intentions do not need constant attention, but they do need to remain focused. This is a habit that you develop over time. Look at your list once or twice during the day. Read over it again just before you meditate. When you go into meditation, you silence the self. The ego disappears. As a result, you detach from the results and outcomes, you don't get involved in the details, and you let the infinite organizing power of the deeper intelligence orchestrate and fulfill all the details of your intentions for you. The key is to move away from the level of the ego, away from the level of the self and self-esteem, to let the nonlocal intelligence orchestrate the fulfillment of your desires through synchronicity.
In the beginning, you can be as selfish as you want. In the beginning your intentions may be all about "self" and the little details of what you want to happen in your life. But eventually you will realize that the goals is fulfillment at all levels, not just the personal or ego level. As you start to see the fulfillment of your intentions, your self-interest will diminish because you know you can have it all. When you have enough food to eat, you don't obsess about eating all the time. It's the same with intentions. When you know that fulfillment is possible, you will think less about your personal needs and more about the needs of the rest of the world. This is a process that works through stages. Be patient, but watch for the miracles to begin.
Exercise 7: THE HEART SUTRA
This is a meditation exercise that demonstrates the power of intention. But it is more than a mere demonstration. Do this regularly so that this ritual can focus your attention and your intention.
Go to a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed for fifteen minutes. Close your eyes, practice the primordial sound mantra - "so-hum" - for five minutes, placing your awareness on your breath.
After five minutes, put your mental awareness in the area of your heart, in the middle of your chest. With your attention on your heart, you may begin to feel your heart beating more strongly. This is normal. As you experience the beating of your heart, begin to also experience gratitude. The way to experience gratitude is to think of all the things in your life for which you have reason to be grateful. Allow those images to surface in your consciousness while you keep your attention on your heart. Take a moment to think of all the people whom you love and all the people who share their love with you.
Then say to yourself: "Every choice I make is a choice between a grievance and a miracle. I let go of grievances and choose miracles." Certain resentments and grievances - and the people associated with those resentments and grievances - may surface in your awareness. If they do, just say, "I let go of all the grievances. I choose the miracles." Then become aware of your heart again, and consciously start to breathe into your heart. As you do, say to yourself, "Love...knowingness...bliss...love," and then breathe out for the same count of four. Between each inhalation and exhalation pause for several seconds. Do this for three or four minutes.
Through the heart sutra meditation, the fire of your soul - which is love, knowingness, and bliss - will start to broadcast itself through the heart. This is where the third principle of synchronicity meets the fourth principle: The fire of your soul now begins to create your intention.
After having said "I let go of grievances and choose miracles" a few times, start to repeat mentally the phrase "Thy will be done." This prepares your mind to receive the intention of the nonlocal intelligence, and to understand that it is, simultaneously, your intention.
After about a minute, let go of all thoughts and bring your awareness fully to your heart. Experience your heartbeat, either as a sound or as a sensation. Feel it throbbing. Once you can sense your heart, transfer your awareness into your hands, and feel the throbbing of your heart in your hands. Introduce the intention to increase the blood flow to your hands. Just have the intention. As the blood flow to your hand increases, either the throbbing will increase or you'll feel warmth, tingling, or some other sensation. Introduce the intention of increasing warmth so that your hands become warmer and warmer. Feel the warmth in your hands as your intention alone increases the blood flow.
When your hands have become warm, move your awareness into your face, the upper part of your face around the eyeballs, and have the same intention. Increase the blood flow to your face so your face starts to flush and get warm. Just have the intention.You may feel a pulsing or tingling sensation around your eyes as the blood flow increases and your face becomes warm.
Finally, bring your awareness back into your heart. Imagine that there is a pinpoint of light pulsating in your heart, matching your heartbeat. The pinpoint of light pulsating in your heart is the light of your soul and it pulsates with the three qualities of the soul: love, knowingness and bliss, or sat chit nanda, which is also the sutra for the Third Principle in Chapter 10. As it pulsates, experience the pinpoint of love, knowingness and bliss. It is sending radiant light to the rest of your body. Slowly let that pinpoint of light fade away from your awareness, and tune in to your whole body. Feel the sensations. Then open your eyes. The mediation is over.
Sutra Statements for the Fourth Principle
Imagine that the whole universe is a vast ocean
of consciousness, and your intentions shoot out
from within your heart and ripple across the
vast ocean of consciousness.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that your intention is orchestrating the
infinite activity of the universe, counterbalancing
the whole ecosystem.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that your intention can heal those
who are not well.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that your intention can bring joy and
laughter to those who are in sorrow.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that you can bring success to those
who are failing.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that you can bring strength to those
who feel weak and fearful.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that you can bring hope to those
who are feeling helpless.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that your thoughts affect the natural forces of
the universe, that you can bring rain and sunshine,
clouds and rainbows.
(san kalpa)
Imagine that every thought you have, every word
you utter, every deed of yours brings some
benefit to the world.
(san kalpa)
