Deconstructing Yourself Vajrayana as a Living Practice, with Ken McLeod
Jul 20, 2021
Ken McLeod, a seasoned teacher and author in Tibetan Buddhism, shares his deep insights into Vajrayana as a living practice rather than merely a pursuit of enlightenment. He discusses the significance of lam khyer, or 'living practice,' and critiques transactional approaches to Buddhism. McLeod highlights the power of prayer, distinguishing between petitionary and aspirational types, while emphasizing the need for nurturing spirituality in secret. He also explores modern challenges in integrating traditional practices within Western culture and the importance of intimate relationships with personal deities or yidams.
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Live The Path, Don't Just Practice It
- Treat the Eightfold Path as a way of life you evolve into through practice, not as a separate list of exercises.
- Use practice to cultivate the letting go needed to live that path, rather than seeing the path itself as practice.
Inuit Gift Exchange Example
- Ken recounts an Inuit gift exchange where giving without calculation affirmed humanity.
- That story illustrated cultures free from transactional exchange and inspired his critique of transactional Buddhism.
Lam Khyer As Living Practice
- Ken renders lam khyer as "living practice": embodying practice so life itself expresses the practice.
- This avoids transactional views of practice as investment or profit-taking.
