"Wake Up To Your Life" is a most comprehensive book on Buddhist practice, one that lays out a lifetime of meditation. Ken McLeod has offered traditional tibetan buddhist techniques as well as non traditional ones that have been stripped of cultural applications while maintaining the integrity and intent of the classical form. But this is not a book for the casual reader. These meditations are designed to dismantle the reactive patterns that rule our lives. Some of them are quite vivid and are designed to generate the very patterns we are trying to break down. So, without the ability to put these practices in a larger context and see them as a means, not an end, it's easy to understand how A. Reed fell victim to such a misconception and took his reaction at face value. It's regrettable but illustrative of why, as Mr. McLeod stresses, it can be dangerous to approach this material without a teacher.
"Wake Up To Your Life" is a most comprehensive book on Buddhist practice, one that lays out a lifetime of meditation. Ken McLeod has offered traditional Tibetan buddhist techniques, as well as non traditional ones, that have been stripped of cultural application while maintaining the integrity and intent of the classical form. But this is not a book for a casual reader. These meditations are designed to dismantle the reactive patterns that rule our lives. Some of them are quite vivid and designed to trigger the very patterns we are trying to break down. So, without the ability to put these practices in a larger context and see them as a means, not an end, it's easy to see why A. Reed fell victim to such a misconception and took his reaction at face value. While regrettable, it's also illustrative of why, as Mr. McLeod stresses, it's dangerous to undertake these practices without a teacher.