Quyền Lực Đích Thực (The Art of Power)

*The Art of Power* (published in Vietnamese as *Quyền Lực Đích Thực*) is Thich Nhat Hanh's direct engagement with a subject he approaches from an unusual angle for a Buddhist teacher: power itself, and the widespread but — in his view — mistaken belief that power, wealth, fame, and sensual pleasure are what bring genuine freedom and happiness. Rather than rejecting the desire for power outright, Thich Nhat Hanh reframes it: wanting power, recognition, or prosperity isn't inherently wrong, but pursuing them in the way most people and institutions currently do — chasing "looks-real" power at the expense of what's actually real — tends to produce more suffering than freedom, both for the pursuer and for everyone around them.

The book opens by naming the four things most people chase in the belief that they lead to happiness — power, fame, wealth, and sensual pleasure — and argues that without the training of mindfulness, these become traps rather than paths to genuine freedom, because they're pursued compulsively, disconnected from what actually produces wellbeing. Thich Nhat Hanh draws a central distinction between what "looks real" (conventional markers of power and success) and what "is real" (genuine freedom, security, and happiness), arguing that most modern institutions, including businesses, are built almost entirely around the former.

He then introduces "true power" as something built from five sources he identifies within Buddhist teaching — commonly translated as faith/confidence, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight — arguing that these produce a durable, non-harming form of power because they don't depend on external validation, comparison to others, or domination, and can't be taken away by circumstance the way conventional power can. He devotes significant attention to mindfulness practice specifically as the entry point for accessing this kind of power in daily life, including in business and professional contexts, and offers concrete practices (mindful breathing, walking meditation, "the two promises," and others) for readers to build genuine presence and freedom into ordinary working life.

A recurring theme, consistent with Thich Nhat Hanh's broader body of work, is that individual transformation and collective/organizational transformation are inseparable — that a business or community built by people practicing true power (rather than compulsively chasing looks-real power) produces both more genuine success and less suffering, for the people inside it and for the wider world it touches. The book closes with practical guidance on cultivating mindful community even within demanding professional environments, and on using whatever power, position, or resources one already has as a vehicle for reducing suffering rather than accumulating more status.