What is True Power?

I'll say it up front: I'm still trying to wrap my own mind around what true power is, so I'm not going to teach it to you here. However, if you want to work on it with me there is a book I recommend.

When I saw the above Art of Power book on the shelf it immediately reminded me of the famous The Art of War by Sung Tzu. "Great," I thought, another power-seeking-butt-kicking-Machiavelian-user-abuser book. Just what the world needs."

And then I noticed who it was by. Thich Nhat Hanh. Ok, now that's interesting. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk. No, make that Buddhist master. Few alive today are what I would call a master, but I agree with the many who call Hanh a master teacher. I've been researching comparative religion/mythology and so-called gurus for the better part of 20 years now, and he is the only one I can consistently say, in his quiet way, dishes not only the truth, but concrete tools. Concrete tools of what can best be called enlightenment.

So, I buy it, no more questions asked. And it is now one of my favourite books, little scribbles in the margins and all.

Why? Simply put, this book is about what Hanh calls true power. He is careful to differentiate between what most people call power, as cravings, and true power. "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, whether celebrated or unknown, rich or poor, strong or weak. Let's explore this extraordinary kind of power," Hanh invites in the into to the book.

And he delivers. Not just a theoretical treatise, or confusing interpretations of ancient texts either, but a straight-forward reframing of power, and how you can achieve it. Hanh is a teacher of what has come to be called "engaged Buddhism". He offers concrete tools that anyone can use, from any religion, including stay at home parents, to CEOs, to factory workers and national leaders. At the end of his book he even devotes a whole section to a letter written by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the company of Patagonia, to serve as a model of how companies, not only individuals, can "understand spiritual power through the world of business."

For those of you devout athiests out there, it may also interest you to know that many Buddhists actually don't believe in "God". In scientific terms what they practice is a habitual system to source out and alleviate the mind and body of self-sabotaging memes. Or in computerese, they have developed (over a millenia) patches to the program to facilitate optiumum functionality and what no ai robot to date can achieve, joi de vivre.

I can vouch that I've been through some very rocky personal terrain in my own voyage through life. And, it was largely the concrete tools of Thich Nhat Hanh--like crampons, sturdy ropes and pullies--that have pulled me out of some deep ravines over the years, as well as enabled me to climb to see new vistas. I'd recommend his gear to any fellow traveller.