Is intention "conscious energy" in Buddhism?
Upvote:2
I can only define this from a Theravada perspective, that being: intention is the energizing of action which comes about through sensory stimulation. In that way, it could be seen as 'directed conscious energy' because, in Theravada, they often use the six-sense consciousnesses model. For instance, an object impedes the eye, a feeling/perception initiates intention. The conglomerate (heaped mass) of these components is called consciousness, or in this instance 'eye consciousness', (Pali: cakkhu-viññāṇa). It begins with form, the first of the five aggregates. That's how the passage you have quoted reads to me.
Now, occasionally I write my own suttas and as I was responding to this, one of my suttas came to mind. Here is an excerpt that may strengthen my interpretation of the passage you quoted.
...Furthermore, monks - form, feeling, perception and volition are to be observed as they are. Imagine four town pigeons in place of these four aggregates wondering loosely in the same vicinity. When food is thrown down, they swarm towards that food, they gather around that food and, in doing so, they appear to create a single mass. That single mass makes up the fifth aggregate of consciousness. In the same way, when a sense object is thrown into the range of the eye organ, form, feeling, perception and volition gather and contract into a subjective experience brought about by contact with that sense object. That very subjective experience is known as consciousness. Monks, this is birth...
In other spiritual fields, conscious energy might be given a different interpretation. For example, conscious energy could be confused with mindfulness in Buddhism and I think this answers your second question.
From a Theravada perspective, (using the six-sense consciousnesses model) directed conscious energy can be seen to produce one of three actions from which their corresponding results occur - vipaka: wholesome, unwholesome or neutral or kusala, akusala and avyākata respectively.
To conclude, it might be best to relinquish the narrowing down of any interpretation of 'directed conscious energy' and keep it within the wider scope of the previous paragraph.
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