Right Intention: A Step Towards Self-Evolution - Essay Example

Right Intention: A Step Towards Self-Evolution Introduction Religions from Eastern part of the world have contributed immensely to the physical, mental and spiritual evolution of human beings. If a person desires to achieve highest possible bliss, and freedom from emotional and mental sufferings of mundane life, then different religious teachings from East can prove to be highly effective tools. Personally, I find ‘the noble eightfold path’ by Buddha very effective for human evolution as it helps the human beings to evolve in a ‘step by step’ manner and hence, makes the goal of self transformation simple and achievable.

The eight paths of the ‘noble eightfold path’ are right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The path that I particularly find profound and relevant to my current state of being is the path of ‘right intention’. Right Intention Transformation of self needs a lot of mental strength and determination. Transformation is not easy for people who have weak and unfocused mind. ‘Right intention’, which is the second path on the eightfold path of Buddhism, is the path that teaches how to control our actions with the help of mental energy and focus (“The Noble Eightfold Path”).

I have observed that people who achieve success and happiness in life have a lot of mental strength and focus. It is the mental energy that helps man to be firm in his decision and follow his plans. From my past experience and self analysis, I have realized that I lack the mental strength and focus to achieve my goals, and to act according to my plans. Hence, it is my desire to have the mental strength so that I can achieve happiness and success in life. As ‘right intention’ is the path that teaches how to achieve mental strength, it is the right path for me to follow at this stage of my being.

One of the weaknesses of my personality is distraction of mind. I get distracted very easily. To transform yourself and to achieve the goals that you have set, it is very necessary to focus on those goals and ‘intend’ it to happen (Chopra 43). It is the strength of the intention that transforms the negative energy into positive, and sets the process of transformation into action (Chopra 43). Hence, right intention is an important path for me right now as I want to achieve the mind which is strong and focused.

Moreover, right intention also helps in conserving the energy for right actions. The second weakness that I want to conquer is the habit of getting irritated and discouraged very quickly. I have observed that most of the times, I have no control over my emotions. I have realized that this might affect my personal relationships in the long run. Not only that, but it also utilizes a lot of my energy and makes me little negative. The path of ‘right intention’ is useful in developing a power to will good things to happen and to resist getting affected by negative emotions like anger, frustration, irritation, discouragement, aversion etc (“The Noble Eightfold Path”).

By following the path of ‘right intention’, I intend to put a check on wasting my mental energy on negative emotions and utilize it to develop positive, highly focused and strong mind. Conclusion By following the path of ‘right intention’ from the ‘noble eightfold path’, I intend to achieve freedom from distracted, negative and unfocused mind. This path will also help me achieve freedom from negative emotions. This achievement means a lot to me as it ensures confidence, mental strength and maturity, which I have always dreamt of achieving.

Hence, I plan to follow the path of ‘right intention’ at this point in my life. Work Cited Chopra, Deepak. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide To The Fulfillment Of Your Dreams. San Rafael: Amber-Allen Publishing, 1994. Print. “The Noble Eightfold Path.” Thebigview.com, n.d. Web. 24 March 2011.