The quest not only begins in the heart but also ends in the heart…

- Paul Brunton

These three fall along a continuum.

Sex may be, but is not necessarily, loving.

Love may be, but is not necessarily, compassionate.

Compassion may, but not necessarily, encompass sex or love, either or both.

We tend to use the word “love” for all three, but this is nothing but ambiguous and a source of confusion.

Sex is animal; love is human; compassion is the connection between all things.

…is The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (New York: HarperOne, 2007).

Thich Nhat Hanh has a way of cycling his material over and over again in his long string of titles. His message is very consistent across them all. A good thing, and not unsurprising given the content of his message. And this book is a good thing too; a very good thing. All are short, beautifully and elegantly written, and on target. This one is no exception.

Despite the repetitiveness, I’m fond of all his books. Yes, it’s the same material, but angled differently depending on the theme of the particular volume. I like this one in particular because the theme is so relevant, practical, and all-encompassing. We are all faced with power and authority issues daily, either in the workplace, at home with the family, or even trying to make sense of our politicians, pundits, and other public figures. It’s not just about the power they’re all trying to wield over us; it’s about responding to them, and about the way we ourselves use our own power and authority moment-to-moment, in situations large and small.

So there’s material in here for each and every one of us. And we don’t even have to be Buddhists. Regardless of our particular spiritual path, his advice is appropriate. Just goes to show once again that we all want the same things, regardless of which individual path we walk.

Integrity

A basic dictionary definition, from Webster’s American College Dictionary, New York, Random House, 1998:

integrity:

1. uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole or entire.
3. a sound or unimpaired condition.

A basic dictionary definition, from Webster’s American College Dictionary, New York, Random House, 1998:

simplicity:

1. the state, quality, or instance of being simple.
2. freedom from complexity or intricacy.
3. absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness.
4. freedom from deceit or guile; sincerity; artlessness.
5. lack of mental acuteness or shrewdness.

A basic dictionary definition, from Webster’s American College Dictionary, New York, Random House, 1998:

compassion:

a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone struck by misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the suffering; mercy

Here are a few authors and books that I have found most influential. The books of the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pema Chodron have been most helpful to me; almost any title by any of these three is recommendable. I’ll get into the other two another time; the one of the three that has had the most impact on me recently, that was most helpful to me in my recent crisis, is Pema Chodron.

Chodron is an American Buddhist nun, and a student of the Tibetan meditation guru, Chogyam Trungpa. She has also been a teacher at the first Tibetan monastery in the West: Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Three of her books have spoken to me deeply, and I pick up new things with every re-reading. They are No Time To Lose, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times, and When Things Fall Apart. Their titles are perfectly indicative of their contents. I discovered  When Things Fall Apart very early in my difficulties, and I have no doubt that its messages about maintaining equanimity, the benefits of meditation, and how to handle upsets with compassion, not despair, saved my life, perhaps literally. I recommend this book to anyone, Buddhist or not, struggling with a crisis or a sad reversal of fortune.

More about these books and authors in future posts.