The first tenet is called the Clarity of Intention, and it places the outcome of the spiritual quest directly in your own hands.
In the teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment, each individual is ultimately responsible for his or her own higher development. You may say that you want to evolve, that you want to become spiritually liberated or enlightened , but whether or not that aspiration bears the fruit of transformation is entirely dependent upon how much it really matters to you. Clarity of Intention is the foundation of the spiritual life because it compels the individual to come to terms with the question. What is the most important? Until any one of us has come to final reckoning with this question, it will be difficult for any real or consistent development to occur.If you are serious in your desire to evolve, that intention has to become more important to you than anything else in the world.
Clarity of Intention, in the context of Evolutionary Enlightenment, means two things simultaneously. First it means you intend to evolve as a human being – emotionally , psychologically, morally, ethically, and philosophically. Second, it means you intend to become spiritually liberated or enlightened – to transcend, to a significant degree, the ego, or narcissistic separate self sense
Clarity of Intention is not a feeling: it’s an action. It is a conscious position you can take in relationship to life at the deepest level. Without a clear intention, no amount of spiritual practice will change you in the long run. Your ultimate success depends entirely upon the kinds of choices you make in every moment. Eventually , you will reach a point where you no longer have a choice , when your own spiritual development is recognized to be a choice less obligation. The authentic self , which is the evolutionary impulse self , will have to become the dominant force in your being and therefore the first tenet will no longer be something you are struggling with . But until you reach that point, clarity of intention needs to be consciously cultivated.
When you begin to contemplate clarity of intention, you are likely to discover, as most people do, that you don’t want to evolve ” more than anything else.” You may long to taste the spiritual bliss of higher consciousness. You may even have glimpses of a vision so profound that it momentarily inspires you to make your life a reflection of the beauty that you have see. But when you attempt to bridge the gap between those deepest insights and the reality of the way you live, the true challenge of Evolutionary Enlightenment reveals itself. You recognize that to become a consistent expression of evolution beyond ego requires nothing less than everything.
The serious contemplation of the question, what is most important to me, will inevitably catalyze a profound confrontation with the actuality of your relationship to life. It will bring to the surface deep and powerful forces in you own psyche that usually remain hidden. Focusing your attention on your own bottom line in this way enables you to see, maybe for the very first time, the dramatic difference between the authentic self ‘s unbridled passion for evolution and your ego’s irrational refusal to change. The first tenet makes it possible for you to begin to consciously take responsibility for the forces within you that have the power to determine your destiny.
Clarity of Intention is simple, but its implications are radical and profound beyond measure. If you want to evolve more than anything else, you don’t have to depend upon higher states, you don’t have to wait for God to save you, you don’t have to hope for grace to descend. If you are clear about what matters most, nothing will be able to stop you. In a truly courageous soul, grappling with this tenet will forge a strength and an independence of spirit, that in the end is liberation. Clarity of intention is the foundation of the enlightened life and the key to the evolution of consciousness itself, because it places your transformation entirely in your own hands.
(Thankyou A. Cohen)
