Transformation of the Heart

9 January 2009

Dear Heart Sangha

What a beautiful turnout and gathering that all of you contributed to last night at the first
Transformation of the Heart class series. We would not be able to explore the teachings or have
such an event without your presence. Deep bows to all of you for supporting these intentions of
living our lives with greater and greater kindness, openness, and receptivity. It is such important
work in the world—a world that often seems to be going in the opposite direction into trauma,
conflict, and self-centeredness. You are all doing the radical work of transforming the heart and
also transforming the world.
Practicalities
 This will be the first in a series of class notes and materials that I will be forwarding to you
after each class meeting.
 I mentioned that this class will be mainly an experiential exploration. There are many
benefits to study and readings, but for this class I am most interested in bringing the practices
into your lived experience.
 Please try to arrive on time so that you can benefit the most from the experience and also
have the least impact on others when coming into the room.
 BTW, You will not need your deck of cards anymore. 
Introduction and Intentions
This first session was focused on the Intentions of our journey together as well as our intentions
of where we would like to see our practice going. We reflected on questions in small groups and
also the handout of how different energies affect our lives. Where does our awareness guide us in
the path towards less suffering? Which energies support our hearts opening and which energies
feel contracted and shut down?
The meaning of the word intention or intend comes from the same Sanskrit root as
“tennis”—To stretch forth. It refers to the stretching or extension of the mind, act of directing
attention to something, inclining your thoughts—and in the Teachings the reference is extending
the mind to what will be beneficial in our lives or not…will be towards happiness or suffering?
“In tend” can also be interpreted to be inside tending to yourself—taking care of yourself.
This requires the capacity of self-reflection and mindfulness…and also requires qualities of the
Heart—to truly nurture to yourself.

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 Traditionally, Intention is regarded as neutral. Intention can actually can sow the seeds of
suffering or happiness. So the image that is often offered is that all of our experience rests on
the tip of the razor-sharp sword of Intention. One example of this sword of intention
determining our experience is that, for example, I can give a gift to you out of many intentions:
1. I can give a gift to you out of the unconditional space that you deserve something just
because you are a being worthy of this life.
2. I can give a gift to you because I love and adore you (a little projection and attachment in
that energy).
3. I can give a gift to you out of obligation, because you have me something in the past.
4. I can give a gift to you out of exchange, because I want to equalize our relationship.
5. I can give a gift to you out of wanting something from you, or wanting you to do
something for me.
6. I can give a gift to you out of guilt, because I might have harmed you or done something
unskillful.
7. I can give a gift to you out of wanting to look good, or wanting to feel like that I am a
“good” person.
All of these are totally different experiences. Right? The action looks the same from the outside,
but the experience is totally determined on what your internal intentions are.
The Buddha said, “Intention, I tell you is karma. Intending, one creates karma by way of
body, speech and mind.” One understanding of Karma is the relationship between motivation
and outcome.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unbreakable.
—from the Dhammapada
Venerable Maha Ghosananda, who was considered to be the “Gandhi of Cambodia,” languages it
this way in his book, Step by Step:
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into the habit;
Habit hardens into the character;
Character gives birth to the destiny
So, watch your thoughts with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of respect for all beings...

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There is an intention that comes before making our decisions, carrying out our actions,
even the feelings of our emotions. Traditional teaching reminds us that each mind-moment
involves an intention. This means our experience is incredibly subtle. We practice of noticing
every intention—e.g. walking, bowing, the breath, how we take care of ourselves, how we eat,
how we act in our relationships, how we buy our clothes, how we sustain ourselves through our
livelihood.
We discussed that because Intention is neutral, it can be skillful or unskillful. There are
three parts to manifesting Intention:

3 skillful parts of Intention 3 unskillful parts of Intention

(1) Intention of Letting Go/Renunciation (1) Intention of Attachment or pushing away
(2) Intention of good will+ kindness (2) Intention of ill will/anger/hatred
(3) Intention of creating harmlessness (3) Intention of creating harm

(1) Intention of Letting Go/Renunciation vs. Intention of Attachment or pushing away

In Wise Intention, we make our resolution or become aware of our motivation and then let go of
controlling it. Skillful use of Intention is not being attached to outcome or expecting a certain
outcome to happen. The second Noble Truth states that all suffering is caused by attachment and
clinging. There is suffering that arises from an attachment to Intention as well.
One of the Spirit Rock teachers, Philip Moffitt, has written:
Setting intention, at least according to the teachings, is quite different than goal making. It is not
oriented toward a future outcome. Instead, it is a path or practice that is focused on how we are
"being" in the present moment. Our attention is on the ever-present "now" in the constantly
changing flow of life. We set our intentions based on understanding what matters most and make
a commitment to align our worldly actions with our inner values.
As we gain insight through meditation, wise reflection, and moral living (the three
aspects of the Path), our ability to act from our intentions blossoms. It is called a practice
because it is an ever-renewing process. We don't just set our intentions and then forget about
them; we live them every day…
(2) Intention of good will+ kindness vs. Intention of ill will/anger/hatred
This portion of Intention about cultivating an internal experience which leads to greater freedom
and happiness. It is about the Intention behind Thought. Lovingkindness wishes happiness, rather
than ill will. Sounds easy. However, we are invited into being open and kindly towards all the
10,000 Joys and 10,000 Sorrows of our lifetimes—each and every one, not just the easy ones, not
just the joys. It is hard to wish someone well when we are caught in aversion or hatred. This is
why it is a practice to be grateful while driving…thanking the green light, the parking space, the
traffic flow….there is an ease when our response to being cut off or honked at in traffic is to be
generous, rather than insulted or enraged….you can feel the ease or lack of ease in the body
itself.
(3) Intention of creating harmlessness vs. Intention of creating harm
This portion of Intention about cultivating an external experience which leads to greater freedom
and happiness. It is about the Intention behind Action. Am I able to create harmlessness, even
when my life is painful? Often we default to the ancient conditioning that probably predates the
Hammurabi Code of Laws that is the basis of our sense of justice—an eye for an eye, and tooth

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for a tooth (it’s a social conditioning that is at least 4000 yrs old). It has been conditioned in so
many explicit and implicit ways—if I hurt, then you must hurt.
On an interpersonal level, we all hurt each others’ feelings. There is no interpersonal
relationship in which that does not occur. In spite of our difficulties, do we still have the
intention to create harmlessness….or do our difficulties begin to transform us into difficult
people as well?
Our intentions of Kindness and Good Will are often taxed when ill will/anger/hatred is
directed towards us. So we start our practice of good will towards our difficulties with a
practice of harmlessness—simply not to do any harm. Maybe we are unable to wish our
oppressors well, but at least attempting not to do them harm. It is the practice of Compassion that
sees the massive suffering and pain in the world—it is Wisdom that encourages us not to add one
more drop of suffering to a world that already suffers so greatly.
We can have Goodwill but still create Harm. (There is an Asian proverb: “Beware the
person with a Buddha’s mouth and a snake’s heart.”) And we can create Harmlessness but not
have the intention of Goodwill. (“Doing Good things, does not always make us Good people.”)
Or we can vision our lives to be able to do both—to align our internal motivation in our
thinking with our intentions for our external behavior and impact on the world. This is where our
Intention can manifest the fullest. This is where Intention is the Path towards the end of
Suffering—the end of suffering for ourselves, and others. It is where the Path towards
Freedom and Happiness becomes WIDE. The fullness of the Practice of Intention invites into
an Authenticity of how we live our lives.
In this way, both intention and awareness of the impact of our actions become an ongoing
feedback loop, like in Systems Theory. Our intentions are not static or rigid. They are constantly
changing as we learn—“what will bring greater freedom and openness into my life?” As Phillip
was quoted earlier, this allows the Power of Intention to “be an ever-renewing process.”
This kind of transformation happens both on a personal and social level. The Practice of
Intention changes our own Hearts and also the hearts of our Culture. I will be saying this over
and over again: We cannot change that which we are not aware of. That is the power and
strength and support of our Mindfulness practice as we explore the Energies of our Heart.
Noticing when I am not always that person whom I aspire towards. Not to beat myself up
because of the awareness, but to hear the invitation and the opportunity to make a choice. What
will lead to less Suffering? Noticing that there are times when I fall off the pedestal, that I am not
the person I vision myself to be…
but that there are times when I am the person that I deeply intend to be….
there are times when I am in alignment and
that there are times that I can inspire my own self.
I ended with a quote that inspires, for me, the broadest reach of our Heart energies—
stretching and opening to possibility of cultivating the best intentions even during the most
difficult impossible circumstances:
In spite of everything, I still believe
That people are really good at heart.
I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation
Consisting of confusion, misery and death.
I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness,
I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us, too,
I can feel the suffering of millions, and yet,

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 If I look up into the heavens
I think that it will all come right,
That this cruelty will end,
And that peace and tranquility will return again.
In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals,
For perhaps, the time will come
When I shall be able to carry them out. --from the Diary of Anne Frank
The second portion of the evening we did a light-hearted exercise of attempting to build a
“house of cards” being as mindful as we could of our internal experience—noticing all the
feelings, sensations, and thoughts that arose. First, we attempted it as individuals. It really is a
metaphor for all of our practice. What happens when the house of cards collapses in spite of our
most sincere intentions? What happens when our attention wanders from the breath in spite of
our most sincere intentions? Do we judge ourselves and compare our efforts to others, or do we
pick up the cards, without a further thought and just begin again. We got into some interesting
observations. Then, noticing the change of our experience as we built a house of cards in a
group—and feeling the experiential nature of collective intention and activity. This is the
metaphor for community and sangha. (The Buddha taught many times using metaphors.)
Hopefully, all of it was also a bit of fun too.
For Next Time
Next week we will exploring the Teachings of Generosity, as the Ground of our remaining time
in this class series. It is said that Generosity is like tilling the soil, turning it over, and preparing
the land so that its seed is fruitful and abundant. As preparation for the topic you are offered the
following Invitations (I don’t like the word “homework”) for the upcoming week:
 Take one day this week and note all the times that your generosity arises towards yourself.
Notice when you give yourself a gift, or time, or even dessert. When are you giving yourself
what you need?
 Take one day this week and note all the times that generosity does not arise towards yourself.
Notice when you withhold something from yourself or compromise some of your needs.
When are you not giving yourself what you need? When are you taking yourself for granted?
 Take one day this week and note all the times that your generosity arises towards others.
Notice how the generosity feels to you—is it conditional or unconditional…not needing to
judge anything about your experience.
 Take one day this week and note all the times that generosity does not arise towards others.
Notice when your intentions becoming withholding or contracted. Is there anxiety or fear
associated with this energy?
May your efforts this week lead to greater happiness for all beings.
See you next Thursday!

Many blessings,
Larry

Dedication (or variation thereof that was offered at the end of the class):
Feeling the goodness of our collective practice and exploration of our deepest intentions towards
the Path of Freedom, we dedicate the benefits of our efforts to the Liberation of ourselves, our
loved ones, and for all beings in all worlds and in all directions.

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