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The Magic of Vajrayana
"A moving description of a life in practice which goes far beyond text-based ideas of prayer, devotion, guru-connection, or meditation, and most especially of tantric practice." - Anne Klein, former Chair of the Department of Religion at Rice University.
A ground-breaking book, The Magic of Vajrayana opens new doors to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Vajrayana, one of the most vibrant traditions of mystical practice in the world today. Ken McLeod deftly deploys his considerable skills in translation, teaching, and writing to weave a rich tapestry of the core practices of this tradition and his experience with them. In simple clear English he immerses the reader in the practice of Vajrayana, bridging the gap between classical instruction and idealized descriptions of insights and understandings.
For each of the three pillars of Vajrayana practice--teacher, deity, and protector, Ken McLeod shows the reader how to bring a traditional practice text to life. In the teacher or guru section, the reader steps into a world of faith, devotion, prayer, and meditation and learns how these elements work together to open a door to mahamudra and dzogchen, the principal direct awareness practices in the Tibetan tradition. In the deity or yidam section, the reader enters a realm of magic and mystery, an enchanted world that radically shifts his or her understanding of life and self. And in the protector section, the reader comes face to face with the power of the protectors and how that power guides a practitioner through the many traps and pitfalls of spiritual practice.
Not for the faint-hearted, this intimate portrait of Vajrayana practice is in effect an empowerment. It plants seeds in the reader which, if nurtured, uncover direct awareness, non-referential compassion, and a profoundly different relationship with life. Along with two of his previous books, Reflections on Silver River and A Trackless Path, the Magic of Vajrayana completes a trilogy of experiential instruction and guidance in theTibetan tradition of Buddhism.
A ground-breaking book, The Magic of Vajrayana opens new doors to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Vajrayana, one of the most vibrant traditions of mystical practice in the world today. Ken McLeod deftly deploys his considerable skills in translation, teaching, and writing to weave a rich tapestry of the core practices of this tradition and his experience with them. In simple clear English he immerses the reader in the practice of Vajrayana, bridging the gap between classical instruction and idealized descriptions of insights and understandings.
For each of the three pillars of Vajrayana practice--teacher, deity, and protector, Ken McLeod shows the reader how to bring a traditional practice text to life. In the teacher or guru section, the reader steps into a world of faith, devotion, prayer, and meditation and learns how these elements work together to open a door to mahamudra and dzogchen, the principal direct awareness practices in the Tibetan tradition. In the deity or yidam section, the reader enters a realm of magic and mystery, an enchanted world that radically shifts his or her understanding of life and self. And in the protector section, the reader comes face to face with the power of the protectors and how that power guides a practitioner through the many traps and pitfalls of spiritual practice.
Not for the faint-hearted, this intimate portrait of Vajrayana practice is in effect an empowerment. It plants seeds in the reader which, if nurtured, uncover direct awareness, non-referential compassion, and a profoundly different relationship with life. Along with two of his previous books, Reflections on Silver River and A Trackless Path, the Magic of Vajrayana completes a trilogy of experiential instruction and guidance in theTibetan tradition of Buddhism.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 16, 2024
Some books come at the perfect time.
They whisper in your inner ear.
Wrap around your heart.
And change you at the core of your being.
Miraculous.
This book is one of those for me.
30 years ago (in 1994).
I was living in India and practicing intensively in a Hindu tradition that was (in retrospect) nearly identical to the Vajrayana practices described in this text.
Shortly there after.
Something happened in my life that was so shocking. And so disturbing. That it was like a hammer smashed my world. And for one reason or another. I became disillusioned with traditional eastern meditation practices and frameworks.
Since then.
My life has taken many twists and turns.
I have stumbled in and out of various meditation practices and perspectives. Including a long stint of practicing within Shinzen Young’s framework. And practicing within a fully secular, neuroscience based framework. And practicing in a somatically oriented modality influenced by Reggie Ray. And probably much more time either not practicing at all. Or practicing completely informally, in a way that is 100% intuitive, personal and idiosyncratic.
Interestingly.
30 years later.
After a series of very profound and spontaneous deepenings.
I am rediscovering Vajrayana and non-dual Shiva Tantra.
This time with fresh eyes, and with the benefit of 30 years of hardship, ease, joy, sadness, struggle, success, progress, paralysis, gain, loss, serenity, and suffering.
Ironically.
After 30 years.
I’m arriving back where I started.
And it’s a wonder.
This book may not be at all useful to most people.
But it absolutely speaks to my soul.
And it is now easily one of my favorite books.
Fantastic.
5/5 ⭐️
They whisper in your inner ear.
Wrap around your heart.
And change you at the core of your being.
Miraculous.
This book is one of those for me.
30 years ago (in 1994).
I was living in India and practicing intensively in a Hindu tradition that was (in retrospect) nearly identical to the Vajrayana practices described in this text.
Shortly there after.
Something happened in my life that was so shocking. And so disturbing. That it was like a hammer smashed my world. And for one reason or another. I became disillusioned with traditional eastern meditation practices and frameworks.
Since then.
My life has taken many twists and turns.
I have stumbled in and out of various meditation practices and perspectives. Including a long stint of practicing within Shinzen Young’s framework. And practicing within a fully secular, neuroscience based framework. And practicing in a somatically oriented modality influenced by Reggie Ray. And probably much more time either not practicing at all. Or practicing completely informally, in a way that is 100% intuitive, personal and idiosyncratic.
Interestingly.
30 years later.
After a series of very profound and spontaneous deepenings.
I am rediscovering Vajrayana and non-dual Shiva Tantra.
This time with fresh eyes, and with the benefit of 30 years of hardship, ease, joy, sadness, struggle, success, progress, paralysis, gain, loss, serenity, and suffering.
Ironically.
After 30 years.
I’m arriving back where I started.
And it’s a wonder.
This book may not be at all useful to most people.
But it absolutely speaks to my soul.
And it is now easily one of my favorite books.
Fantastic.
5/5 ⭐️
March 25, 2023
I would like to strongly recommend the following publication to everyone interested in Buddhadharma, because I feel (from my limited POV) it represents one of the few instances where a Vajrayana teacher has succeeded in actually communicating an inspiring perspective of what Vajrayana is all about in a non-sectarian way that can connect with people on a personal level.
When I occasionally see people in the general western Buddhist scene comment on Vajrayana, I often get the feeling that more often than not, key concepts and practices have been widely misunderstood....which is mostly due to the fact that many of the available books on the subject may have been written in English, but don't actually manage to communicate the major themes properly.
This book feels like an open invitation, not to join a particular lineage, but to open oneself up to profound possibilities from a very diverse tradition that is so much more than its superficial "branding" in the marketplace of religious traditions.
When I occasionally see people in the general western Buddhist scene comment on Vajrayana, I often get the feeling that more often than not, key concepts and practices have been widely misunderstood....which is mostly due to the fact that many of the available books on the subject may have been written in English, but don't actually manage to communicate the major themes properly.
This book feels like an open invitation, not to join a particular lineage, but to open oneself up to profound possibilities from a very diverse tradition that is so much more than its superficial "branding" in the marketplace of religious traditions.
July 2, 2024
совершенно бесценное объяснение ваджраяны - и для ламеров, и для тех, кто в разной степени в теме. расширенное наставление по медитации, к тому ж
написано изумительно просто и прозрачно, такое редко встречается.
написано изумительно просто и прозрачно, такое редко встречается.
June 16, 2023
A wonderful explanation of the practices of the Vajrayana. Part instructional, part memoir. Ken's sincerity and honesty come through as he explains his personal journey on his path. As a long time practitioner, I appreciated this the most, and resonated with many of his challenges throughout his time in retreat and out. The practices he focused on were his personal practices but one could apply his advice to ones own personal yidam practice. Most of all, I enjoyed the "Living Practice" chapter. Now here is the heart of the matter. Thank you Ken. Om samaya, Ah samaya, Hung samaya.
December 10, 2024
I visited the Cape Breton highlands on thanksgiving weekend 2023. On the way up, I listened to a podcast between Ken and Michael Taft on this book. I found many things in their discussion resonated: how the teachings could be shared in anything from a formal guru relationship to a fleeting interaction, or how art can transmit the same teachings. Michael loved the beauty and poetry in the book, which was something I was starting to be able to return to, having been kind of bummed on writing and art for a couple years due to the accumulated stress of editing and publishing a magazine, doing grad school, and having a whirlwind with my favorite poet.
Cape Breton was very stormy that weekend. I spent the weekend hiking through rain, circumambulating the stupa at Gampo Abbey, which was closed, hiking kilometers to find the statue of Avalokiteshvara. When I came home and looked up the cover of , seeing it looked just like the highlands did that weekend, I knew I wanted to work with this book.
When I read the first section of the book on invoking Niguma, I was visiting my family over Christmas in my hometown of Kitchener. Ken describes reaching out for the teacher as if in a dark misty forest at night. Restless, I walked through the mist and to Waterloo park, sitting at the edge of the walkway, watching the duck population of Silver Lake tread water. Mist rose, cut by strong lights on the other side of the lake, where the recently developed boardwalk featured a wide and gently graded retaining wall. Numerous spotlights at each level faced me, beginning to dance and convey more as I sat.
Later on that trip, I walked through the park while practicing social metta over the phone with someone, who said, "true love that never ends." When I remember that, I am home. When I cannot remember, it's as though something is deeply wrong.
The second part of the book deals with becoming White Tara, embodying wisdom and compassion, taking in the suffering of all being and breathing out love from a place of clear empty knowing. The practice is meant to be direct and felt--not intellectual, not imagining oneself, but seeing directly from the perspective of the deity. Sitting on my couch at home, reading and working with the practice of taking and sending, I looked down to realize that I was wearing the same adornments as Tara--my grandmother's old rainbow knitted blanket wrapped around my legs, white bathrobe, idk man it was just funny, it made me laugh . . . I found rainbow mala beads at value village, om tare tutare ture svaha, need to remember to use them!
I threw everything I had at the mahakala practice, really taking to heart the premise of offering myself, including all my suffering, at the level of inner/outer/secret--from the gross objects and patterns to subtler waves of influence in my life, offering it, to the protector for the benefit of all beings, and for my own clarity and understanding, to see these things for what they are, but also it's like, you're already suffering anyways, you may as well lean into it or make use of it. IDK if you're doing it wrong if you puke (and obviously shake and cry and make sounds etc), but honestly I feel like I could do a lot more of this practice because the ability to bring deeper more painful material into awareness does bring life into sharper relief. There's more dimensionality to experience, less numbing, greater self-honesty and ability to laugh at bullshit, more wholeness.
Cape Breton was very stormy that weekend. I spent the weekend hiking through rain, circumambulating the stupa at Gampo Abbey, which was closed, hiking kilometers to find the statue of Avalokiteshvara. When I came home and looked up the cover of , seeing it looked just like the highlands did that weekend, I knew I wanted to work with this book.
When I read the first section of the book on invoking Niguma, I was visiting my family over Christmas in my hometown of Kitchener. Ken describes reaching out for the teacher as if in a dark misty forest at night. Restless, I walked through the mist and to Waterloo park, sitting at the edge of the walkway, watching the duck population of Silver Lake tread water. Mist rose, cut by strong lights on the other side of the lake, where the recently developed boardwalk featured a wide and gently graded retaining wall. Numerous spotlights at each level faced me, beginning to dance and convey more as I sat.
Later on that trip, I walked through the park while practicing social metta over the phone with someone, who said, "true love that never ends." When I remember that, I am home. When I cannot remember, it's as though something is deeply wrong.
The second part of the book deals with becoming White Tara, embodying wisdom and compassion, taking in the suffering of all being and breathing out love from a place of clear empty knowing. The practice is meant to be direct and felt--not intellectual, not imagining oneself, but seeing directly from the perspective of the deity. Sitting on my couch at home, reading and working with the practice of taking and sending, I looked down to realize that I was wearing the same adornments as Tara--my grandmother's old rainbow knitted blanket wrapped around my legs, white bathrobe, idk man it was just funny, it made me laugh . . . I found rainbow mala beads at value village, om tare tutare ture svaha, need to remember to use them!
I threw everything I had at the mahakala practice, really taking to heart the premise of offering myself, including all my suffering, at the level of inner/outer/secret--from the gross objects and patterns to subtler waves of influence in my life, offering it, to the protector for the benefit of all beings, and for my own clarity and understanding, to see these things for what they are, but also it's like, you're already suffering anyways, you may as well lean into it or make use of it. IDK if you're doing it wrong if you puke (and obviously shake and cry and make sounds etc), but honestly I feel like I could do a lot more of this practice because the ability to bring deeper more painful material into awareness does bring life into sharper relief. There's more dimensionality to experience, less numbing, greater self-honesty and ability to laugh at bullshit, more wholeness.
August 10, 2023
Yet another gift from a treasured teacher
Ken Mcleod’s new work flows with vital insights, as expected. This book provides a background and a perspective on many of his teachings as a whole: their originations, his personal experiences with them, and bringing further clarity and depth to his approach to mystical practice. The book constantly makes you stop, pointing you to what the book is talking about, and when you come back it keeps on giving new ways for you to stop again. Some teasers:
“Silence is another kind of space. When everything is quiet and suddenly a bird calls or a dog barks, we ordinarily say the silence was broken. But it is more accurate to say that our attention goes to the sound and we stop hearing the silence. I started to listen to the silence, around me and inside me, even when voices were chattering in my head.”
“Movement in mind does not by itself cause you to fall into confusion and reaction. You fall into confusion and reaction because as soon as the mind moves, something in you takes the movement as I or other. That something has many names, but it is sufficient to say that it is a deeply conditioned pattern with a great deal of momentum. When it operates, the field of experience splits in two and you have once again taken birth in samsara. […] Through practice, you discover the possibility of the world not splitting into two.”
“Stuff happens in mystical practice, and it is not always clear what it is. If the experience is pleasant or blissful, we usually think, “That’s good.” If the experience is painful or frightening, we usually think, “What am I doing wrong?” But it is hard to tell. Good experiences may seduce us into old patterns. Difficult experiences may wake us up and lead us to pay more attention. From a mystical perspective, which is bad and which is good?”
Ken Mcleod’s new work flows with vital insights, as expected. This book provides a background and a perspective on many of his teachings as a whole: their originations, his personal experiences with them, and bringing further clarity and depth to his approach to mystical practice. The book constantly makes you stop, pointing you to what the book is talking about, and when you come back it keeps on giving new ways for you to stop again. Some teasers:
“Silence is another kind of space. When everything is quiet and suddenly a bird calls or a dog barks, we ordinarily say the silence was broken. But it is more accurate to say that our attention goes to the sound and we stop hearing the silence. I started to listen to the silence, around me and inside me, even when voices were chattering in my head.”
“Movement in mind does not by itself cause you to fall into confusion and reaction. You fall into confusion and reaction because as soon as the mind moves, something in you takes the movement as I or other. That something has many names, but it is sufficient to say that it is a deeply conditioned pattern with a great deal of momentum. When it operates, the field of experience splits in two and you have once again taken birth in samsara. […] Through practice, you discover the possibility of the world not splitting into two.”
“Stuff happens in mystical practice, and it is not always clear what it is. If the experience is pleasant or blissful, we usually think, “That’s good.” If the experience is painful or frightening, we usually think, “What am I doing wrong?” But it is hard to tell. Good experiences may seduce us into old patterns. Difficult experiences may wake us up and lead us to pay more attention. From a mystical perspective, which is bad and which is good?”
September 3, 2023
Beautiful, poetic, and visionary. Offers an accessible perspective on Vajrayana that encourages us to fully step into practice with our entire body-heart-mind rather than limiting ourselves to the discursive intellectual mind. It'll be an ongoing companion throughout my dharma journey.
February 23, 2023
What is possible + the skills in noble integration
September 25, 2023
Beautiful imagery and the most detailed description that these Western eyes have ever read of Vajrayana practices. A fascinating introduction for me
August 11, 2024
Probably the best book there is out there on Vajrayana, covering everything from the foundational practices, all the way up to Mahamudra and related practices. Highly recommended to any serious Vajrayana practitioner!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews