The Magic of Vajrayana, with Ken McLeod

2820 Seventh Street,Berkeley CA 94710

24 March, 2023

Description

Ken McLeod, author of the new book, The Magic of Vajrayana, visits The Alembic for a short talk, but mainly an extended Q&A session - an AMA if you wish - on Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism, and related topics. One of the more innovative Buddhist teachers today, Ken McLeod is known for his clear explanations, poetic translations, and pragmatic approach to practice. He is one of the first generation of Western teachers in the Tibetan tradition and one of the few to be authorized to transmit the full scope of these teachings to students. His approach resonates strongly with those whose path lies outside established institutions. He completed the traditional three-year retreat program two times under his principal teacher, Kalu Rinpoche, translated for many teachers, and helped set up Buddhist centers in Canada and the United States. After his teacher’s passing, Ken founded his own organization, Unfettered Mind, in Los Angeles. His approach of one-on-one consultations roiled the Buddhist world in the early ‘90s, but was quickly recognized as a viable way to teach and guide students in the West. He made individual interviews a central feature of the many retreats he taught in California, New Mexico, and British Columbia. Through numerous small groups in Southern California, he developed the materials that became the encyclopedic meditation manual Wake Up to Your Life. Now retired from formal teaching, he lives in Northern California where he hikes and writes. His writings and translations include The Great Path of Awakening (1987), Wake Up to Your Life (2001), An Arrow to the Heart (2007), Reflections on Silver River (2014), A Trackless Path (2017), and The Magic of Varjayana (2023), as well as a corpus of articles and translations in Tricycle and other Buddhist magazines. An archive of Ken's work including podcasts from retreats and classes can be found at unfetteredmind.org. Would you like to volunteer for this event? Fill out the volunter form and we'll get back to you by March 18th!