On the structure of Karma

"To look at karma in detail, we have to distinguish between our intention and the deed. The intention is mental, and the deed is the act that we perform with our body or speech. These two do not have to be similar, so there are four different possibilities. The first possibility is that we might have a white intention but do a black deed. This means that we have a good, positive intention but do something bad. The second possibility is to have a black intention but do a white deed. This means that we have a negative, bad intention and yet do something that seems positive. Or we can have a white intention and do a white deed, where we do something good with a kind intention. The fourth possibility is to have a black intention and do a black deed, where the intention and the deed are both negative.
Among these four possibilities, which do we need? It is very important to have a white intention and perform white deeds. If we can do that, it is best. But the second best is to have a white intention and do black deeds. The deed may not be all that great, but the intention was good, so it is second best. These are the two types of karma that we need. The other two must be given up."

Very Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche