Early Life and Training

Born in England, Ken grew up in Ontario, Canada. In 1969, shortly after graduating with a degree in mathematics, he embarked on a spiritual journey that took him across Asia to India. There he met his principal teacher, Kalu Rinpoche, the lineage holder of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition and a senior meditation master in the Karma Kagyu tradition. He translated for Kalu Rinpoche on his first teaching tour in North America in 1971-2, helped establish Rinpoche’s center in Vancouver, Canada, and then translated for Rinpoche’s second teaching tour in 1974-5. From 1976 – 1983 he completed two traditional three-year retreats under Kalu Rinpoche’s auspices, learning and practicing the essential teachings of both the Karma Kagyu and the Shangpa Kagyu traditions. The combination of his experience as a translator and the breadth and rigor of his retreat training established a solid foundation for Ken’s understanding of Buddhist philosophy and meditation.

Over the years, Ken also studied with a number of other teachers including the Sakya master Dezhung Rinpoche, from whom he received the bodhisattva vow transmission, the Kagyu masters Karmapa XVI, Jamgön Kongtrul III, and Thrangu Rinpoche, and the Nyingma masters Nyoshül Khen Rinpoche, Gangteng Tulku, from whom he received TrekChö and Tögal transmissions, and Kilung Rinpoche.

Founding Unfettered Mind

In 1985 Kalu Rinpoche appointed him as the resident teacher of his center in Los Angeles, California. At that time, Ken was one of the few Westerners fully authorized to teach and guide students. He soon recognized the need for a more tailored approach to teaching Western students, who often struggled with the cultural and doctrinal aspects of traditional Tibetan Buddhist practices. Accordingly, in 1990, a year after his teacher’s passing, he established Unfettered Mind, a non-profit organization that focused on providing pragmatic and personalized teachings for practitioners whose paths lay outside established institutions.
MORE ABOUT UNFETTERED MIND

Innovative Teaching Approach

Ken’s teachings are based on consistent daily practice, the building of necessary skills and capabilities, direct experience rather than conceptual understanding, and living the practice in daily life. They often integrate Western psychological insights with traditional Buddhist methods and thus make his teachings particularly relevant for those navigating the complexities of modern life. His approach is non-sectarian — drawing on various Buddhist traditions while focusing on the core practices of stable attention, Mahayana mind training (taking and sending), the methods and rituals of Vajrayana, and the direct awareness practices of mahamudra and dzogchen.

Author and Translator

In addition to his teaching and translation work, Ken is also an accomplished author. His books, such as Wake Up to Your Life and Reflections on Silver River, are widely regarded for their clarity and depth. They offer readers pragmatic methods for living practice in the complexities of daily life. Ken’s writings are often described as direct, unflinching, and compassionate in the way that he guides readers through the subtleties of meditation and awareness. He encourages readers to engage their own experience fully to come to a direct understanding of the mysteries of mind and life.

Adapting Buddhist Teachings for Modern Life

Throughout his career, Ken developed a variety of teaching methods to meet the changing needs of his students. He pioneered the development of one-on-one consultations on meditation practice to address meditation problems in a timely manner. In retreats, workshops, and courses, he developed a wide range of experiential exercises that illuminated the principles of practice. These exercises helped students to apply these principles directly in their meditation. In group settings, he eschewed talks and lectures in favor of engaging willing individuals in dialogue. These dialogues, many of them recorded on his popular podcasts, demonstrate how to explore one’s own questions in a way that leads to direct, non-conceptual understanding.

Continuing Contributions to Western Buddhism

Ken’s contributions to Buddhism in the West are significant, as he continues to bridge the gap between traditional Buddhist teachings and the realities of modern life. His encyclopedic Wake Up to Your Life is considered a valuable resource for practitioners in any tradition of Buddhism and beyond. His translation of Jamgön Kongtrul’s practice manual The Great Path of Awakening is regarded as a classic for anyone practicing Mahayana Mind Training. His practice trilogy of Reflections on Silver River, The Magic of Vajrayana, and A Trackless Path provides a wealth of instruction in Tibetan Buddhism.

In addition, this website has become a valued resource throughout the Buddhist world as an archive of Ken’s teachings from 2000 to 2011. Now retired from teaching, he continues to break new ground with his forthcoming translation and commentary on The Diamond Sutra. His work through Unfettered Mind and his writings have made the profound insights of Buddhism accessible to a broader audience, helping many find clarity, purpose, and freedom in their lives.
MORE ABOUT THIS WEBSITE