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You are here: Welcome to sangham.net and an Access to Insight » Welcome at sangham.net [english pages] » A Theravada Library » Contributing Authors and Translators: Biographical Notes » Thanissaro Bhikkhu: (Geoffrey DeGraff) » The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions
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-<div center round todo 60%>**Preperation of htmls into ATI.eu currently in progress.** Please visit the corresponding page at [[http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/index_en.html|ZzE]]. If inspired to get involved in this merits here, one may feel invited to join best here: [[http://sangham.net/index.php/topic,8657.0.html|[ATI.eu] ATI/ZzE Content-style]] </div> +<div navi>[[en:index|{{en:img:home_en.png|Index page}}]] >> [[en:lib:index|Library]] >> [[en:lib:authors:index|Authors]] >> [[en:lib:authors:thanissaro:index|Ven. Ṭhānissaro]] >>[[en:lib:authors:thanissaro:index#?|{{en:img:question_16.gif|Infos about the article}}]]</div>
  
 +<div right round box 25%>**Preperation of htmls into ATI.eu currently in progress.** Please visit the corresponding page at [[http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/index_en.html|ZzE]]. If inspired to get involved in this merits here, one may feel invited to join best here: [[http://sangham.net/index.php/topic,8657.0.html|[ATI.eu] ATI/ZzE Content-style]]</div>
  
 ====== The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions ====== ====== The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions ======
- +<span hide>The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions</span>
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-Title: The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions+
  
 Summary:  Summary: 
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-<div #h_doctitle>The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions </div>+<div #h_doctitle>The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions</div>
  
-<div #h_docby>by </div>+<div #h_docby>by</div>
  
 <div #h_docauthor>Thanissaro Bhikkhu</div> <div #h_docauthor>Thanissaro Bhikkhu</div>
  
-<div #h_copyright>[[#wrap_f_termsofuse|{{en:img:d2.png?16x18}}]][[#wrap_f_termsofuse| 1999-2018]]</div>+<div #h_copyright>[[#f_termsofuse|{{en:img:d2.png?16x18}}]][[#f_termsofuse| 1999-2018]]</div>
  
 <div #h_altformat>Alternate format: {{en:img:book.gif}} A printed copy is included in the book //[[noblestrategy|Noble Strategy]]//.</div> <div #h_altformat>Alternate format: {{en:img:book.gif}} A printed copy is included in the book //[[noblestrategy|Noble Strategy]]//.</div>
  
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 There's an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but that's not really the case. The road to hell is paved with intentions that are careless, lustful, or mean. Good intentions — in proportion to their true goodness — tend toward heavens of pleasure. So why do they have such a bad reputation? For three main reasons. One is that not all good intentions are especially skillful. Even though they mean well, they can be misguided and inappropriate for the occasion, thus resulting in pain and regret. A second reason is that we often misunderstand the quality of our own intentions. We may mistake a mixed intention for a good one, for instance, and thus get disappointed when it gives mixed results. A third reason is that we easily misread the way intentions yield their results — as when the painful results of a bad intention in the past obscure the results of a good intention in the present, and yet we blame our present intention for the pain. All these reasons, acting together, lead us to become disillusioned with the potential of good intentions. As a result, we either grow cynical about them or else simply abandon the care and patience needed to perfect them. There's an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but that's not really the case. The road to hell is paved with intentions that are careless, lustful, or mean. Good intentions — in proportion to their true goodness — tend toward heavens of pleasure. So why do they have such a bad reputation? For three main reasons. One is that not all good intentions are especially skillful. Even though they mean well, they can be misguided and inappropriate for the occasion, thus resulting in pain and regret. A second reason is that we often misunderstand the quality of our own intentions. We may mistake a mixed intention for a good one, for instance, and thus get disappointed when it gives mixed results. A third reason is that we easily misread the way intentions yield their results — as when the painful results of a bad intention in the past obscure the results of a good intention in the present, and yet we blame our present intention for the pain. All these reasons, acting together, lead us to become disillusioned with the potential of good intentions. As a result, we either grow cynical about them or else simply abandon the care and patience needed to perfect them.
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 From this we can see that the essential approach for uncovering delusion is the familiar principle of learning from our own mistakes. The way the Buddha formulates this principle, though, has important implications, for it demands qualities of self-honesty and maturity in areas where they are normally hard to find: our evaluation of our own intentions and of the results of our actions. From this we can see that the essential approach for uncovering delusion is the familiar principle of learning from our own mistakes. The way the Buddha formulates this principle, though, has important implications, for it demands qualities of self-honesty and maturity in areas where they are normally hard to find: our evaluation of our own intentions and of the results of our actions.
  
-As children we learn to be dishonest about our intentions simply as a matter of survival: "I didn't mean to do it," "I couldn't help it," "I was just swinging my arm and he got in the way."&nbsp;After a while, we begin to believe our own excuses and don't like to admit to ourselves when our intentions are less than noble. Thus we get into the habit of not articulating our intentions when faced with a choice, of refusing to consider the consequences of our intentions, and — in many cases — of denying that we had a choice to begin with. This is how addictive behavior starts, and unskillful intentions are given free rein.+As children we learn to be dishonest about our intentions simply as a matter of survival: "I didn't mean to do it," "I couldn't help it," "I was just swinging my arm and he got in the way." After a while, we begin to believe our own excuses and don't like to admit to ourselves when our intentions are less than noble. Thus we get into the habit of not articulating our intentions when faced with a choice, of refusing to consider the consequences of our intentions, and — in many cases — of denying that we had a choice to begin with. This is how addictive behavior starts, and unskillful intentions are given free rein.
  
 A similar dynamic surrounds our reactions to the consequences of our actions. We start learning denial at an early age — "It wasn't my fault," "It was already broken when I lay down on it" — and then internalize the process, as a way of preserving our self-image, to the point where it becomes our second nature to turn a blind eye to the impact of our mistakes. A similar dynamic surrounds our reactions to the consequences of our actions. We start learning denial at an early age — "It wasn't my fault," "It was already broken when I lay down on it" — and then internalize the process, as a way of preserving our self-image, to the point where it becomes our second nature to turn a blind eye to the impact of our mistakes.
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 As we work at developing our intentions to even higher levels of skill, we find that the most consummate intentions are those that center the mind securely in a clear awareness of the present. As we use them to become more and more familiar with the present, we come to see that //all// present intentions, no matter how skillful, are inherently burdensome. The only way out of this burden is to allow the unraveling of the intentions that provide the weave for our present experience. This provides an opening to the dimension of unlimited freedom that lies beyond them. That's how skillful intentions pave the road all the way to the edge of nirvana. And from there, the path — "like that of birds through space" — can't be traced. As we work at developing our intentions to even higher levels of skill, we find that the most consummate intentions are those that center the mind securely in a clear awareness of the present. As we use them to become more and more familiar with the present, we come to see that //all// present intentions, no matter how skillful, are inherently burdensome. The only way out of this burden is to allow the unraveling of the intentions that provide the weave for our present experience. This provides an opening to the dimension of unlimited freedom that lies beyond them. That's how skillful intentions pave the road all the way to the edge of nirvana. And from there, the path — "like that of birds through space" — can't be traced.
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 <div #f_atiCopy>This Zugang zur Einsicht edition is [[en:dhamma-dana|{{en:img:d2.png?14}}]]2013 (ATI 1999-2013).</div> <div #f_atiCopy>This Zugang zur Einsicht edition is [[en:dhamma-dana|{{en:img:d2.png?14}}]]2013 (ATI 1999-2013).</div>
  
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-<div #f_termsofuse>**Scope of this Dhamma-Gift:** You are invited to not only use this Dhamma-Gift here for yourself but also to share it, and your merits with it, again as a Dhamma gift and to copy, reformat, reprint, republish and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available //free of charge//; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this "Scope of this Dhamma-Gift" in any copies or derivatives of this work. Anything beyond this is not given here. For additional information about this license, see the [[en:faq#copyright|FAQ]].</div>+<div #f_termsofuse>**Scope of this Dhamma-Gift:** You are invited to not only use this Dhamma-Gift here for yourself but also to share it, and your merits with it, again as a Dhamma gift and to copy, reformat, reprint, republish and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available //free of charge//; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this "Scope of this Dhamma-Gift" in any copies or derivatives of this work. Anything beyond this is not given here. For additional information about this license, see the [[en:faq#copyright|FAQ]].</div>
  
-<div #f_citation>**How to cite this document** (one suggested style): "The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions", by  Thanissaro Bhikkhu. //Access to Insight//, 8 March 2011, [[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions.html|http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions.html]] . Retrieved on 10 September 2012 (Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14), republished by //Zugang zur Einsicht// on &nbsp;+<div #f_citation>**How to cite this document** (one suggested style): "The Road to Nirvana Is Paved with Skillful Intentions", by  Thanissaro Bhikkhu. //Access to Insight//, 8 March 2011, [[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions.html|http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions.html]] . Retrieved on 10 September 2012 (Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14), republished by //Zugang zur Einsicht// on  
 [[http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions_en.html|http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions_en.html]] retreived on: [[http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions_en.html|http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions_en.html]] retreived on:
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 <div #f_alt-formats>**Alternate format: {{en:img:book.gif}} A printed copy is included in the book //[[noblestrategy|Noble Strategy]]//.**</div> <div #f_alt-formats>**Alternate format: {{en:img:book.gif}} A printed copy is included in the book //[[noblestrategy|Noble Strategy]]//.**</div>
  
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en/lib/authors/thanissaro/intentions.1550669011.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/02/20 14:23 by Johann

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