Zohar and Nefesh HaChayim

Text 1 (Nefesh HaChaim) explicitly states that one's primary intention (תכלית כוונתו) in prayer should NOT be focused on personal suffering and needs (על צערו), and this is not the proper way for the righteous (לא זו הדרך הנכונה לישרים בלבותם). Text 2 (Zohar) describes a mystical state where the individual enters a sacred space, closes their eyes, and connects upward to hear the cherubim singing - suggesting an inward, personal-experiential focus during prayer. The Nefesh HaChaim prescribes depersonalizing intention away from self-concern; the Zohar passage describes an intimate, personal mystical experience. This represents different understandings of the proper quality and direction of kavanah during tefillah.