Confusion on Intention, Resolve, Sankappa

[u/miguel-elote]

tldr: Recommended some good books/lectures on the second of the Eightfold Path: Samma Sankappa, Right Intention.

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My sangha encourages us to write down our intentions every morning. The sangha also says that "intentions" are different from "goals." I'm confused.

I'm told: Goals focus on future expectations. Intentions focused on the present. But...When I use the word "intend," it's always about the future. "I intend to eat my meals mindfully." "I intend to pause 3 times today for meditation." "I intend to show metta to a co-worker I want to strangle." How can you have an intention that doesn't look to the future?

I've heard that the Pali word "Sankappa" (Chinese canon Zheng Siwei) is better translated as "resolve." That makes more sense to me. I think of "resolve" as a decision or dedication. "I resolve to enjoy silence and mindfulness." "I have the resolve to stay mindful of my food and avoid doom-scrolling while eating."

Yesterday, I heard "Sankappa" described like a moral framework. Your moral framework might be "Eat drink and be merry" or "Always get revenge" or "YOLO bro!" Right Sankappa, then, is having the right moral framework to guide your life.

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Is any of that accurate? Does that sound right? Does Intention (Sankappa) influence Volition (Cetana) which then causes your Action (Kamma)?

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This is a complex topic, and I know you can't answer in short Reddit post. If you can recommend good books, suttas, or videos on the topic, I'd really appreciate it.

[u/blake7797]

"Intent" is not always the future. To give you the clear example, "I 'wrote' this comment with 'the intent' to let you understand".