Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life.

Most of us are living in a haze—sometimes helping others, sometimes helping ourselves, sometimes happy, sometimes sad. We don’t feel in control of our own lives. The ancient teachings of Shambhala rulership show us that we all have the ability to rule our own world and live with confidence. To do this, we need to use our daily lives to be strong, as opposed to aggressive, and to act with wisdom and compassion. This may sound difficult, but when we begin to mix this ancient wisdom of rulership into our everyday life, we have both spiritual and worldly success. We don’t need to abandon our life and become an ascetic or a monk in order to gain confidence and achieve this success. We can live in the world as a ruler no matter what we are doing.
— from Ruling Your World

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's London teachings will be on the same topic as his recent book Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life and there will be an opportunity for book-signing after the public talk (but probably not at the workshop).

If you wish to buy a copy of the book for the book-signing, these will be on sale after the public talk. However, to prevent delays in processing payments at the event it is recommended that you re-order a copy for collection. This can be done when you register for the events.

Some more quotations from Ruling Your World:

Being fooled into trying to make things work out for "me" is called samsara.

When I was going into one of my first meditation retreats, I asked my father, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, for some advice. He said, "How you act when you're alone affects the rest of your life." Even in solitude, the ruler engages in virtue.

Caring for others is the basis of worldly success.

...This jewel is the wisdom and compassion that it takes to act not on behalf of ourselves but for all beings. This is where real confidence and competence come from. Once we possess this jewel, our life becomes blessed.

Every moment of our life is important.

If ruling our world stems from developing certainty in our sanity, how do we discover it? The Shambhala teachings instruct us to "put our mind of fearfulness in the cradle of loving-kindnes."

As I live my day, I always try to have a contemplation going - whether I'm talking to people, riding in a car, giving teachings, or eating. This can be as simple as bringing my mind back to the thought "May others be happy" at every opportunity. Or I might focus on selflessness or how to help someone who is ill. That power of intention helps me turn confusion on its ear and enjoy my life. When self-absorption arises, I use the precision of my morning meditation to turn the energy inside out. i find that the more I do this, the less worried I feel. Each day is an opportunity to sharpen and deepen the conclusions I've drawn in my morning practice.

Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act nonvirtuously, suffering results.

Being human is a precious situation, and we shouldn't waste time in useless activities.

Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it.

Whatever we do lays a seed in our deepest consciousness, and one day that seed will grow.

There are no boundaries--only possibilities.

It is said that if our intention is to help others--even if we are unable to follow it through--we will never have any regret. Regret is a result of trying to make "me" happy.

When we are certain that the way to accomplish our own wishes is to help others, we have no regrets.