Ray: Your first book, Turning the Mind Into an Ally, serves as a guide for training the mind with meditation practice. Your second book, Ruling Your World, is more broadly philosophical. At the same time, it seems designed to help people make their practice practical and relevant to day-to-day life. I already am using one…
Ray: Many people outside the Shambhala community will read your book Ruling Your World. Also, you mention in the book that there are Shambhalian Christians and Shambhalian Jews. When people from other religious or spiritual traditions encounter Shambhala, do they experience any tensions, and, if so, what are they? Mipham: People sometimes don’t like organized situations.…
Ray: Is dabbling in Buddhism a good thing or a concern? Here’s what I mean: Practitioners of some spiritualities, especially indigenous ones such as certain Native American spiritualities, often think people who just read a book or take a workshop — dabblers — are trivializing the spiritual path. They say a book or a class…
Ray: “Upon rising, have a positive and open attitude” is what you write in describing the most helpful instruction in how to be the ruler of your own life. Mipham: Yes, your life really is determined by your intention or view — by your attitude. If you rise with a positive attitude — because everything…
