The mind is like a wild horse. We try to focus it, but it doesn't stay in one place. Instead, it bucks and runs wildly from one thing to another. We follow it helplessly wherever it goes, unable to accomplish many of our goals at work, in family life, or on a spiritual path. We are unable to rest in any happiness. This mind that works constantly against us is the weak mind. But we can strengthen it. It is meant to be strengthened. Sakyong Mipham shows us how our mind can become our most powerful ally.

The son of Chogyam Trungpa, who wrote the bestselling classic Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and who is regarded as one of the founders of buddhism in the West, Sakyong Mipham grew up American with a Tibetan twist. His idiomatic English, his stories and wisdom from American culture as well as the great Buddhist teachers help demystify this essential discipline and place it in the framework of Western culture. Accessible, practical, and clear, Turning the Mind into an Ally shows us how to strengthen our minds and bring peace and clarity to our lives.
Turning the Mind into an Ally, Sakyong Mipham, Riverhead Books, Paperback, 233 pp, $14.00

Born in India in 1962, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the spiritual and family successor of his father, Vidyadhara the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He is the living holder of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, a lineage that descends through his father's family, the Mukpo clan. This tradition emphasizes the basic goodness of all beings and teaches the art of courageous warriorship based on wisdom and compassion. The Sakyong is an incarnation of Mipham Jamyang Gyamtso (1846-1912), one of the most reverend meditation masters and scholars of Tibat. Educated in Buddhist meditation, philosophy, and ritual, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was raised in both Eastern and Western traditions. Each year he retreats to India for study and practice. He also teaches at Shambhala centers throughout the world.