Ken McLeod

For the Jamaican cricketer, see Ken McLeod (cricketer). For people with a similar name, see Ken MacLeod (disambiguation).
Ken McLeod
Personal
Born1948
ReligionTibetan Buddhism
SchoolKarma Kagyu
Occupationtranslator, author and teacher
Senior posting
TeacherKalu Rinpoche

Ken McLeod (born 1948) is a senior Western translator, author, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. He received traditional training mainly in the Shangpa Kagyu lineage through a long association with his principal teacher, Kalu Rinpoche, whom he met in 1970. McLeod resided in Los Angeles for many years, where he founded Unfettered Mind.[1] He currently lives in Windsor, California. He describes himself as "retired", having withdrawn from teaching, and no longer conducting classes, workshops, meditation retreats, individual practice consultations, or teacher training.[2]

Under Kalu Rinpoche's guidance, McLeod learned the Tibetan language and completed two traditional three-year retreats (1976–1983). In the years that followed, he traveled and worked with Kalu Rinpoche on various projects, and became a prominent translator of Buddhist texts, including a landmark translation of The Great Path of Awakening by the first Jamgon Kongtrul, a key text in the teaching of lojong ("mind training").

In 1985, he settled in Los Angeles to run Kalu Rinpoche's dharma center. He did so until 1990, when he founded his own organization, Unfettered Mind. He taught strictly traditional material, but is recognized (1) for having pioneered a new teacher–student model based upon ongoing, one-on-one consultations and upon small teaching groups that have a high degree of teacher–student interaction,[3] and (2) for his "pragmatic" approach to teaching, translation, and practice.[4]

The intent of Pragmatic Buddhism is to preserve the essence of the teachings unchanged, but to make them more directly accessible to the Westerner. It does so by bypassing the Eastern, cultural overlay, and using simple, clear language and methods that elicit direct experience in the practitioner. It also emphasizes an individualized practice path, with a key element being ongoing practice consults that allow the teacher to shape a path that's tailored to each practitioner's specific needs and makeup. (see "Ideas", below) McLeod has made this model available for others to use via the Unfettered Mind website, his teacher development program, and his publications, especially Wake Up To Your Life, which lays out the Buddhist path and practices.[5] His non-traditional commentary on the Heart Sutra, An Arrow to the Heart, presents a way into the material that is poetic and experiential.[6]

  1. ^ Unfettered Mind
  2. ^ McLeod, Ken. "About Ken McLeod". Unfettered Mind. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 7 July 2021. [...] in 2008 [...] I started to wind down my teaching activities, teaching only one retreat a year and referring students to other resources.
  3. ^ Patton, Nancy (June–August 2002). "Wake Up Call". Mandala Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  4. ^ "Biography of Ken McLeod". Lojong and Tonglen Community site. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  5. ^ Catalfo, Phil (2001). "Wake Up To Your Life" "Discovering the Buddhist Path of Attention by Ken McLeod". Yoga Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  6. ^ Clothier, Peter (December 2007). "Heart Beat: A Book Review". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-14.