Synopses & Reviews
An Arrow to the Heart is an exciting, trail-blazing, non-traditional translation and commentary of the
Heart Sutra, an ancient and highly revered text in Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra is a concise presentation of the emptiness of all experience. Almost cryptic in its brevity, it confounds and inspires all who read it.
Free of the cultural clothing in which Buddhism came to the West, An Arrow to the Heart goes straight to the heart of the Heart Sutra. In the tradition of Hakuin and others, McLeod's provocative tone and unpredictable turns consistently derail any conceptual understanding of this classic Buddhist scripture. Instead, he throws the reader into the very emptiness the Heart Sutra describes. The result is a sense of previously unsuspected possibilities that illuminate every nook and cranny of your life.
It's also a delightfully irreverent combination of wit, irony, prose, and poetry. If you are looking for a traditional commentary on the Heart Sutra, this is probably not the right book. This book is for people who aren't afraid of having the ground pulled out from under them.
Only in the last few years have senior Western teachers such as Ken McLeod started to write commentaries that truly mix the culture and style of Western thought with a deep respect and understanding of such traditional texts as the Heart Sutra.
About the Author
Ken McLeod is one of the more innovative teachers of Buddhism today. Known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings, "he distills the nature and purpose of Buddhism to make it accessible for any newcomer without dumbing it down." (Phil Catalfo,
Yoga Journal, July 2001 in a review of Ken's first book
Wake up to Your Life).
Formerly a translator for Kalu Rinpoche and other high lamas, Ken has taken the same innovative approach to translation, consistently going beyond traditional terminology to express Buddhist teachings in clear, precise, contemporary English.
Ken's private practice model of one-on-one consultations roiled the Buddhist world in the '90s only to become an accepted way of working with students. He has pioneered new retreat formats, integrating daily individual interviews and practical application exercises with traditional meditation and teaching. And, recently, he set up a development program for teachers who want to work outside established centers and institutions.
Ken began his studies in 1970 under the tutelage of the late Kalu Rinpoche. After completing two three-year retreats, he was appointed to teach in Los Angeles. In 1990, he established Unfettered Mind (www.unfetteredmind.org) through which he teaches classes and retreats and sees people individually. In recent years, he has worked as a corporate consultant, advising executives at the highest levels of corporate America. With degrees in mathematics and years of experience in traditional Tibetan Buddhism, Ken is uniquely able to bridge the gap between contemporary life and traditional approaches to spiritual practice.