Intention is the core of all conscious life. Conscious intention colors and moves everything.
When Buddhists say, "A bodhisattva fears not the result, but only the cause," they mean that we must expend the bulk of our energy planting good roots today, rather than fretting about the plants that are already growing from the roots we planted in the past.
Reality is like a face reflected in the blade of a knife; its properties depend on the angle from which we view it.