Determination has the characteristic of determining upon the requisites of enlightenment; its function is to overcome their opposites; its manifestation is unshakeableness in that task; the requisites of enlightenment are its proximate cause.
I honestly can’t imagine how one could practice the Dhamma without being determined to do so. I’m finding this to be especially true on vacation here in Jamaica with my family. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a situation less conducive to the practice than a vacation on a beautiful tropical island where one’s every sensual desire can be easily gratified.
‘Adhitthana’ literally means determination, resolution or fixedness of purpose. ‘Adhitthana’ can be regarded as a foundation for all the perfection, because without a firm determination one cannot fulfill the other Paramitas. Although one’s detention can be extended to either desirable or undesirable way; it should be clearly understood that the determination for the line of unwholesome deeds cannot be regarded as a perfection.
A person with a wavering mind or who sits on the fence cannot succeed in any undertaking. One must have an iron-will, an unshakable determination to overcome any difficulties of hardship in order to achieve success. He who has no determinative mind would easily give up his work before it is successful. Such a person with weak and unsteady mind should get disappointed easily and disheartened quickly. Even a word of criticism would be adequate to put an end to all his projects.
A Bodhisatta, who has an unshakable resolution and who is a man of principles, will never give up his noble effort even at the point of death. He is capable of setting aside any obstacles in his way and going forward, turning his eyes to-wards his goal.
Our Bodhisatta, when he was Sumedha Pandit, made a firm determination at the feet of the Buddha Dipankara in this way: “O Sumedha, from now onwards you must fulfil the perfect of resolution as well. Be steadfast in whatever solution you make. As a rock, even while the wind beats upon it on every side, does not tremble nor quake but re-mains in its own place, you must likewise be unshaken in your resolution until you become a Buddha.”
Source:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel409.html
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
Agreed on all points Sir. The matter of ‘Adhitthana’ power, is one of various applied methods of self Awakening, which i am very focused on developing an explanation which enable true understanding and access to this great power (or in less conditioned words ‘access to this Dhamma’). I git it a conditioned name ‘power’, because the higher inner level of applied mental and emotional ‘Adhitthana’ truly has the power to transform. It is what the Western Occultists called Force of Will, and it is what Sorcerors use to make their Spell Casting become Manifest. But in the really useful, skilful and most auspicious way of Buddhist Vipassana (self awakening and purification through insight development) , Adhitthana is an essential element in awakening the consequent causes and factors of Enlightenment. Adhitthana has an Intellectual Understanding, and also a Higher Inner Understanding. It is the Higher Experiential Rapture of True Adhitthana, which can be said to be one and the same with ‘Samadhi’ (focused controlled concentration), as well as ‘Magical/Supernatural Force of Will’ (Iddhi Rit – supernatural powers). It is in truth a Dhamma as are all seeming to be ‘things’ in time and space, but if we were to condition this dhamma, then we could call it; Adhitthana, Will Power, Magical Will, Concentration, Samadhi, Determination.
The lower understanding calls it determination, but all Humans know determination as we see in sports etc. But the True manifestation of the power of Adhitthana, results in something magical or unexplainable, which can only be known by he who experiences it within, and can in no sense be explained or transmitted to another. Each person must encounter the true meaning of Adhitthana for him or herself, just as each person must attain Arahantship through the fruits of ones own efforts (paths created).
To truly be able to enforce and apply enough focus and ‘really mean it’ power to wish for Buddhahood or the Pure Lands, one should first prior to that, become experienced with the true meaning of what the paths and fruits of the four types of Noble Persons are, from inner insight, not from a book. Once one knows ‘oh, i know i’m not even on the sotapanna path yet, never mind the fruit, because i still poses this or that inclination or way of assuming things to be’
Once one has understood this, and knows what the factors are, then one can focus on creating the causes of those factors, with the knowledge of Why one should wish to aim for such a path and such a fruit in the first place?
If you don’t truly know what it means to be one of the eight types of Noble Persons, then how can one make a choice for , or bet on aiming for such an option? such a path of no return?
Most of us luckily never stop to think about that when we begin with Dhamma practice,, and are lucky that by the time we can question such things, we already know enough to continue aiming for the same goal as we originally blindly blundered upon.
By: sakyant on 09/09/2012
at 2:47 pm
Lastly, Adhitthana is also tantamount to ‘Faith’ in the same sense as Jesus meant when he was alleged to have said ‘If man had as much faith as a grain of mustard, then he could move mountains’ – this kind of will and mental singularity of intention (samadhi) requires 100% faith to confront the task of manifesting something from the realm of imagination (future state of noble person), into becoming a reality, through simple ‘wishing power’ . Wishing is a cause of cause creation, and sets a chain of events (Dhammas) in motion, which snowball sooner or later, and become causes, and eventually fruits of the path of the Noble Ones
By: sakyant on 09/09/2012
at 2:54 pm