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Michael tich learning factory5/19/2023 ![]() They banned his books and kept him out for 40 years. But then Nhat Hanh tells of being exiled from his home country of Vietnam because the government’s thought he was a danger for teaching peace. ![]() As sometimes happens when I read his books, the advice seems almost too simplistic to work in the real word in hard situations: breathe to get in sync with your body, the present moment is a wonderful moment, realize there is no self and that others are really you too, and practice compassion toward yourself and others. This book is aimed at CEOs, politicians and other powerful people about how real power is not dominating others with your wealth or power, but the power to be happy in the present moment and free from addiction, despair and anger. This book is not perfect but it is a good effort by a good man. He's still a bit innocent, but not so much that he lies to himself or to his readers. He never puts forth deceitful horsesh*t like the "law of attraction" because he knows that many features of modern life cannot be wished away. Speaking as an empiricist (and a crank), I totally admire TNH. You can get one of his books or you can speak to a therapist trained in those techniques, but I would recommend at least reading one of TNH's books first. If the spiritual angle still leaves you cold, Albert Ellis pretty much repackaged mindfulness as his Cognitive Behavioral therapy. If you want to make your mind and your outlook healthier, but are leery of the forced naivety and escapism of the New Age movement, this is a worthy book and writer to check out. He is so skilled at de-mystifying mindfulness and making it accessible that he could skip the rote storytelling and interpretations entirely. However, he is effective when he describes mindfulness and its benefits. TNH is too inexperienced in the indignities and compromises of 21st century America to create anecdotes that are more than variations on the Golden Rule. Sadly, his concessions to physical reality, while admirable, fall short. TNH tries to remedy this inherent failing of his peers by telling stories about people like you and me. These are techniques that can help people, so why play the wisdom card? It's self-serving and vain and totally at odds with the traditions from which these techniques arose. There's no need for so much mystery and metaphor. Anecdotal instruction is too roundabout a way of introducing mindfulness, which can be a straightforward technique. Stories about "a king who had the finest clothes" have no effect on me, and that's not just because I'm a crank, but because little stories often tell little truths. I rarely take Buddhist spiritual writers seriously because their anecdotes are laughably irrelevant. ![]() The Art of Power boldly challenges our assumptions and teaches each of us how to access the true power that is within our grasp. With colorful anecdotes, precise language, and concrete practices, Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates how the current understanding of power leads us on a never-ending search for external markers like job title or salary. Our bottom-line approach to getting ahead may be most visible in the business world, but the stress, fear, and anxiety it causes are being felt by people in all walks of life. The me-first mentality in our culture seeps unnoticed into our decisions and choices. This struggle for control and authority permeates every aspect of our private and public lives, preventing us from attaining true happiness. Every day, each of us exercises power in many ways, and our every act subtly affects the world we live in. Whether we want it or not, power remains one of the central issues in all of our lives. Being peaceful and happy is the most important thing in our lives and yet most of the time we suffer, we run after our cravings, we look to the past or the future for our happiness." Turning our conventional understanding of power on its head, world-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and national bestselling author Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how true power comes from within. "Power is good for one thing to increase our happiness and the happiness of others.
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