In this masterful translation and commentary on Tokme Zongpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, Ken McLeod shines the light of wisdom on the challenges of contemporary life and illuminates a path the modern reader can take to freedom, peace and understanding. Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva is one of the most revered and loved texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

While this text has been translated many times, Ken McLeod's plain and simple English beautifully reflects the simplicity and directness of the original Tibetan. McLeod's commentary is full of striking images, provocative questions and inspiring descriptions of what it means to be awake and present in your life. Practical instruction, brief and to the point, is found in each of the verse commentaries, providing straightforward responses to the question, "How do I practice this?" McLeod is clearly writing from his own experience. Yet, instead of anecdotes and personal history, he challenges the reader to engage various scenarios, and consider how compassion, clarity, presence and balance could take expression in his or her life.

The book is divide into three parts. The first is an introduction to the text and to Tokme Zongpo. The second is McLeod's translation of Tokme Zongpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. The third section is the main part of the book, a traditional verse-by-verse commentary. At 184 pages, Reflections on Silver River is a highly accessible introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practice as well as a valuable resource for the experienced practitioner, regardless of his or her tradition of training.

Reflections on Silver River: Tokme Zongpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, Ken McLeod (translator), Unfettered Mind, Paperback, 2014, 173 Pages, $19.95

Ken McLeod (born 1948) is a senior Western translator, author, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. He received traditional training mainly in the Shangpa Kagyu lineage through a long association with his principal teacher, Kalu Rinpoche, whom he met in 1970. McLeod resided in Los Angeles for many years, where he founded Unfettered Mind.[1] He currently lives in Windsor, California. He describes himself as "retired", having withdrawn from teaching, and no longer conducting classes, workshops, meditation retreats, individual practice consultations, or teacher training.[2]