A Heart Blown Open: The Life and Practice of Junpo Denis Kelly Roshi ( Paperback – Illustrated, 11 December 2019

People may have different opinions regarding topics such as sex, drugs and other things that are a part of Dennis Kelly's life. What is remarkable, however, is his journey through all of that and the never ending mental development. He never stops and gives up. He always looks for the next level, is always searching for deeper truths, which ultimately brings him to be the 83rd Patriarch of the Rinzai Zen lineage. A most remarkable life story. He never was bound by what other people consider moral, but has lived his own life in almost brutal honesty. This is highly admirable. Instead of wasting his life's creative energy on trying to be something he is not and trying to live other peoples life and standards, like most moralists do, he expresses his life's creative energy freely, striving to understand what the ultimate truth of our being beyond all conditioning is. This is what makes him so free and what makes his life such an impressive example for a biography of a truly spiritual seeker.

Why do so many reformed drug dealers find the dharma? It's a common enough story to be almost cliche at this point, yet anyone who has had the privilege to listen to hippies who were there during the free-love acid test party world of the 60s has heard individual stories that follow the same melody, regardless of whether they heard it first from Ram Dass or Chogyam Trungpa or whether through active rejection of guru-types, to the point of being almost uncanny. These counterculture rock-stars who were the coolest of the cool within a truly unique scene, who had hordes of devoted followers and seemingly infinite access to money and sex and no real responsibility - any young adult today would think they had everything it takes to be happy. Yet the lifestyle of hedonism goes to highlight the profound emptiness of a world without spirit, one where the primal wounds of childhood have continued to fester underneath the shell of extravagance, and when that shell cracks, why is the Buddha-mind so critical in returning to the true nature of the self before desire? The answer for me strengthens the memory of the experience in my own life which led me to this faith, but if you're not so sure yet, reading "A Heart Blown Open: The Story of Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi" may give you strength to start or continue your journey along the path.One of the things that's so refreshing about "A Heart Blown Open" is how, well, 'Un-Buddhist' Jun Po Denis Kelly is, at least in his recollection of his past self. This is not a man who grew up with the privilege of weekly yoga classes, cultural tradition of mindfulness, spiritual hierarchies to live up to or mountaintops to contemplate on. His formative years were a whirlwind of abuse, suffering, ego and the thirst for more and more. But this worldly fire provided him a hearth for the great deconstruction of the self that would give him the discipline to devote himself to Zen. Nor is the reader expected to believe that this event alone was enough for him to become a saint - he continues to relate (through the artful words of biographer Keith Martin-Smith) experiences much later in his life that expose his humanity in its most vulnerable form, and hammer in the point that none of us is immune to the testing of our faith by life's hardest times.Whether you are curious about the dharma, a practicing Buddhist, or simply someone who loves the great rags-to-riches-to-rags-again stories of the drug dealer kingpins of the 60s and 70s, you will find what you are looking for from 'A Heart Blown Open' - entertainment, sentimentality and inspiration. Highly recommended.

I read this book after watching my husband read it, and hearing him say, "this is such a good book" every five minutes. When I got my hands on it I devoured it in a day and a half. It was the best book I have read for a long time - gripping me with each page turn. The book put words to spiritual and emotional concepts that rung true in my own life, it inspired me to be better, and it entertained me with all the amazing life stories, and Jun Po's infectious and likable personality. Keith is a gifted writer. And Kelly? Can't put words to him!

This book really helped forgive myself. A lot of what this beautiful man has done could not even be considered moral. No need for life to be perfect.

One of the best books I've ever read. Not just because of the subject matter and the story, which are both fascinating and inspiring, but because it is beautifully written. Simplicity in writing, whilst also stirring the imagination, is not an easy thing to do. And it's a style that fits this particular journey perfectly. Truly wonderful.