Zen and Right Use of Power

Peg Syverson

It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people's lives.

       —Clint Eastwood 

 Power is the ability to have an effect or an influence. Every single person has power, but the wise use of our power is not simply a matter of good intentions. We must learn and practice how to use our power skillfully. The right use of power is relational, compassionate, and pro-active. We will learn about the four dimensions of the right use of power: being informed, being compassionate, being connected, and being skillful. Never has the skillful use of power been more critical in meeting the enormous challenges we face in the world today, and in our relationships at every level. 

Right Use of Power is based on the pathbreaking work of Cedar Barstow, who notes, “Right use of power is one of the most crucial needs of our time and one of the greatest challenges we face in leadership and personal development. We have the capacity for wisdom, skillfulness, and service in the use of our power. Yet we have all been wounded by misuses and abuses of power by those in positions of trust, and we have also inevitably misused or underused our own power.” Peace, harmony, and a life-sustaining world depend on the appropriate understanding and use of power, not only by our leaders, but by every one of us. 

The Right Use of Power model is a profound teaching on ethics and effectiveness.

This class will be an introduction to this engaging and experiential teaching. 

The class will meet once a month for six months, at Appamada, Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:30. 

Requested contribution: $180 if paid in advance. Extended automatic payment plan: $35 per month. 

Class meetings:

January 22

February 19

March 18

April 22

May 13

 June 10

Register here: (registration is complete when payment has been received)

Online participation: The class recordings, handouts, writing assignments, and descriptions of exercises will be provided online for those at a distance, or in the event someone misses a class. Most of the experiential exercises are done in pairs or small groups. If you are participating at a distance, please be sure you have someone you can work with in this experiential way.