The Art of Power

by Thich Nhat Hanh

He was not there to seek support or approval from the great and famous. He was there hoping to awaken in them their best, to help them change the world by touching their own true selves.

volition, our deepest intention.

anyone with a clear and caring mind is inherently powerful, no matter how little power she appears to possess.

all the power you possess, no matter how great, is useless if it does not bring you joy and does not bring peace and happiness to those you love.

He challenges us to realize that genuine power comes only with a clear mind and a calm heart, and that when we are not in control of our own thoughts we are actually quite powerless, nothing more than slaves to our fears, emotions, and craving.

What does power mean to us? Why are most people willing to do almost anything to get it? Even if we are not aware of it, most of us seek to be in positions of power because we believe this will enable us to control our life situations. We believe power will get us what we most want: freedom and happiness.

My dear friends, I suggest that there is another kind of power, a greater power: the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, fear, despair, discrimination, anger, and ignorance. This power is the birthright of every human being,

There is only one kind of success that really matters: the success of transforming ourselves, transforming our afflictions, fear, and anger.

We have seen that one person can bring liberation and healing to thousands, even millions of people.

To bring happiness to others, we must be happiness. And this is why we always train ourselves to first take care of our own bodies and minds. Only when we are solid can we be our best and take good care of our loved ones.

By focusing on our spiritual power, we can change our bottom line from pure profit to one that includes compassion. We don’t need to get rid of profit. Compassion can bring financial and political success. I believe it is simply good business to include in our definition of the bottom line a consideration of all the effects we have on one another and on the planet.

When financial profit overrides all other motivation, we self-destruct.

Without compassion, you can’t be happy, no matter how rich you are.

bringing joy to others is the greatest joy you can have, the greatest achievement.

They were together, but the focus of their attention and concentration wasn’t themselves, their lives, their happiness, or the happiness of their children. The focus of their conversations was business, the difficulties and obstacles he encountered at work and his fear and uncertainty.

Although he was supposedly the boss, his craving to get ahead was the real boss, demanding one hundred percent of his time and attention.

many of us believe that happiness is not possible without financial or political power. We sacrifice the present moment for the sake of the future. We are not capable of living deeply every moment of our daily lives.

He was happy not because of his wealth but because of his love.

Anathapindika was a businessman out of love; love was his foundation. This is why he had a lot of happiness.

Craving for success, power, and fame replaces our focus on family and community. This is when we begin to lose our happiness. The secret to maintaining happiness is to nourish our love every day.

If you look back at yourself and see that your aspiration for success is greater than your wish to love and take care of your loved ones, you know you have begun to follow Frederick. In Buddhism, we see power differently

we have to recognize the truth that if there’s no love or no deep motivation to serve this love, then no matter how rich or powerful you are, you still can’t be happy.

You are happy when you can relate to other people and other living beings.

What most people call power Buddhists call cravings. The five cravings are for wealth, fame, sex, fancy food, and lots of sleep.

The five powers are faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

There are four aspects of diligence. The first is that when negative emotions haven’t manifested in your mind, you don’t give them a chance to manifest.

We all have a seed of anger, a seed of despair, and a seed of jealousy in us. If you live in a negative environment, the environment can trigger these seeds. If you live in a positive environment, then the seeds of craving, violence, hate, and anger are not touched, not watered easily.

When you read an article full of violence or watch a violent television program or film, you turn on the seed of violence.

expose yourself only to sounds and sights that will help you touch the wholesome elements within you.

The second aspect of diligence is calming and replacing negative seeds that do manifest in your conscious mind.

The third aspect of diligence is to always invite good seeds to manifest.

The fourth aspect of diligence is trying to keep a good mental formation in the living room as long as possible.

People with the energy of diligence are extraordinarily powerful. They can transform themselves; they can help transform the community, the environment, and the world.

Mindfulness is the capacity to recognize things as they are.

Concentration can help us look deeply into the nature of reality and bring about the kind of insight that can liberate us from suffering.

Through concentration on impermanence, we become aware that everything is constantly changing.