The Unfettered Mind

In this retreat, Ken McLeod explores what it means to live with an unfettered mind—one that is open, responsive, and able to meet experience directly. Through clear, practical instruction and vivid examples, he shows how attention, understanding, and technique come together in everyday life. The teachings invite a deep kind of courage: to rest fully and to let no part of your life remain untouched by practice.

1. Ability, Principle, and Technique

In this opening talk, Ken sets the ground for practice with a teaching drawn from the martial arts: “Ability without principle is blind; principle without technique is barren.” He explores how these elements work together to support a mind that moves freely and responsively in life. Topics covered include cultivating attention, embracing difficulty, and waking up through engagement with experience.
2. Returning to What Is Already There

“Practice isn’t about going somewhere—it’s about coming back to what’s already here.” In this session, Ken introduces a range of meditation techniques that support embodied knowing rather than conceptual understanding. Topics covered include letting the mind settle, sky-like awareness, the “primary practice,” and working with methods that resonate personally.
3. Practicing Integrity Through Balance

“Integrity is not about principles—it’s about presence.” Ken continues the exploration of unfettered awareness by looking at how integrity functions as responsiveness rather than adherence to ideals. Topics covered include imbalance as the root of karma, the role of attention, and how sound action arises from knowing the whole.
4. Action from the Stillness of Mind

“The unfettered mind is the mind that nothing detains.” In this final session, Ken explores the relationship between stillness and movement, drawing from the image of Fudo Myo-o and the teachings of Takuan Soho. Topics covered include the mechanics of attachment, karmic feedback loops, and how true freedom arises when we rest in the whole of what’s happening.

The Unfettered Mind

1. Ability, Principle, and Technique

2. Returning to What Is Already There

3. Practicing Integrity Through Balance

4. Action from the Stillness of Mind