Support YSI in this fundraiser!

Elevated Intention

Original Calligraphy by Geshe Michael Roach

Image of scroll available in auction

Support YSI and get Elevated Intention:

1. Buy-it-now

Purchase a museum quality print or other reproductions of Elevated Intention

GET PRINTS

2. Auction

Bid on 1 of three original calligraphy scrolls from Geshe Michael!

JOIN AUCTION

Sow the seeds for profound practice with calligraphy handwritten & signed by Geshe Michael.

Sow the seeds for elevating your heart’s motivation with an original calligraphy drawing, hand written by Geshe Michael.

Every purchase of Geshe Michael’s ELEVATED INTENTION supports the Yoga Studies Institute to continue sharing ancient wisdom, directly contributing to scholarships, teacher training and community impact projects.

Written on a scroll of well crafted paper and wooden ends, Geshe Michael’s calligraphy honors the legacy of handwritten script. There is a rich history of style and tradition in this piece. Each of three scrolls available for auction features the phrase ELEVATED INTENTION in the Khyug script, transliteration into Western Chinese and English translation, all hand written by Geshe Michael Roach.

This is more than a line on paper, this is a very intentional teaching by Geshe Michael to help us deepen our practice. The art of calligraphy weaves together individual letters into something new as a powerful icon or symbol.

Elevated Intention is a representation on paper that reminds us to check in with our heart’s motivation. In the busyness of day to day activities, the mind can easily slip into patterns and habits that steer us away from our motivation. Keeping this calligraphy on your wall, meditation altar or sharing as a gift reinforces the higher reasons that define: why you practice, what you take on and what you will give up. Allow the calligraphy to serve as an inspiration to take a true action with your Elevated Intention.

Elevated Intention in the Bhagavad Gita

Intention is a common phrase in every yoga class. YSI instructors will ask you to set this intention at the beginning of class and bring you back to it over and over again. But what is an intention?

As Geshe Michael points out, there are plenty of definitions for intention, some richer in meaning and some referring to the mundane. There are two common phrases in the ancient Western Chinese language that relate to the idea of intention. One is called dupa la dunpa and the other is kun ney longwa, which was the phrase chosen by Geshe Michael for his calligraphy.

Both phrases mean intention, but they have different flavors. The phrase dupa la dunpa has a negative connotation. It refers to having an attraction to the objects of our senses. It's a motivation to eat more and to watch more television shows.

Kun long, on the other hand, is a positive intention meaning "to take everything.”

kun means “all” and long means “to take,” as seen in the name of the meditation, tonglen (long and len being the same verb). kun long is a higher form of intention. It's not about finally acquiring an object of the senses or getting something you desire, it really refers to setting out to complete a spiritual activity.

In the case of Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, he is struggling to understand Krishna’s guidance to make the right decision, as he strives to discover his heart's most sincere motivation.

How can he possibly get through this profoundly difficult situation, this war between his friends and family? This is the kind of intention that kun ney longwa refers to. Ney elevates the intention of kun long, as it adds the elevating qualifier, “in every direction.”

When we seek to live according to our heart’s motivation, that’s an elevated intention. We don’t want to simply check off a task from our spiritual to-do list, we are deciding to know the highest truth and embody the purest of spiritual qualities. Kun ney longwa!

Features of Geshe Michael's original calligraphy:

Traditional Calligraphy

Traditional Scroll Design

Handcrafted Style

Three Scripts

Profound Yogic Meaning

Historical Relevance

Uplift your home

Available as prints, cards and wall scrolls at the MERCH STORE:

Wall Prints

Post Cards

Wall Scrolls

SHOP HERE

Get an original

Join the auction to get:

Calligraphy scroll

3 scrolls are available for auction, each handwritten by Geshe Michael.

Teacher's Vibes

A framed artist statement from Connie O'Brien, telling the story of this special calligraphy

Auction Winners

Three winners will be announced on September 14th, at the end of the Bhagavad Gita 2 course.

Shipped worldwide!

Start Bidding

Three highest bidders will receive an original calligraphy scroll by Geshe Michael

Place your bid:

English, Russian, Vietnam, Spanish

Chinese: Email Yuki Li

About Calligraphy

Creating calligraphy is fundamentally about shaping and styling letters with ink and a writing instrument, like a pen or brush, to produce decorative handwriting. Each scroll includes the phrase handwritten by Geshe Michael in the Khyug script, the Western Chinese transliteration and an English translation. Geshe Michael’s signature is also signed in the bottom right corner.

Geshe Michael chose to write “Elevated Intention” using the Western Chinese calligraphy style known as Khyug. It is considered to be a “cross over script,” since it is used in everyday writing and in official documents. The word has implications concerning lightning, as seen in its striking style.

Khyug is considered a more advanced script, often taught in formal training, such as in translator programs, where students practice using Khyug for faster note taking. Determined to learn the handwriting style, Geshe Michael used to take all his class notes in the Khyug script.