James Low - Dzogchen and Buddhist Teachings

15-18 October, 2015. Meditation retreat in Kamalashila Institute, in the Eifel region of German, based on Chapter 10 of James Low's book Simply Being, which is a translation of Patrul Rinpoche's text "Self-liberating Understanding"."Integrating the view, meditation and activity in dzogchen. We will focus on the self liberation of experience, which is the heart of the meditation, and how to apply that within the complexities of daily life. This involves finding the middle way of appearance and emptiness, free of control and avoidance on the one hand, and merging and identification on the other."~ James Low• Thursday 15/10/2015: session 1 introduced "two methods for calming the mind and looking at the contents of the mind by focussing attention."- Shamatha meditation- Distraction - giving ones self- Re-collection and mindfulness- Vipassana- Naming is not neutral- Question - spontaneity and choice- Awareness- Identity - meaning - situation- Nine round breathing- Sitting with what occurs- Leaving appearances to be as they are- Guru Yoga- Guru Yoga instructions- Thoughts and feelings passing through- Question - who notices - mind - ego- Just with the thought- A few words about the text- Introduction to the text- From the heart of a ragged gentleman- Inseparability of your mind and the Dharmakaya- Knowing this everything is liberated- Question - fear - dissolving- Question fear anxiety holding on-This one is sufficient to rule• Friday • 16/10/2015: session 2 develops that. The topic is awareness. "Awareness and attention are not the same. Awareness is the open clarity of the mind which is present whether we are attentive or not. Awareness is innate, is there from the beginning, whether we are aware of it or not."- On Refuge- Question - tree of refuge- Compassion then back to Refuge- Clear and alert in non-artificial voidness- Question - letting go- Do not react - remain without artifice- Practice in conjunction with the text- Your mind is not found by seeking- Staying with the direct experience- Time is limited- Seeking is not necessary - remain without artifice- Non-artificiality removes all obstacles- About the involvement of the experiencer- The demon of elation - relational structures- Buoyant and hopeful - equanimity- Question - faith and trusting- Teaching on the minds hidden faults- Sitting exactly here and now- Question - one ground two paths - the Bardo- Question - Semdzin practice- Question - allowing impact allowing duration- Question - emanation- Question - partial enlightentment - predjudice illumination relative truth- Question - a universal ethical codeTranscript of the retreat: https://bit.ly/4iJbaX5Audio recording of the retreat: https://www.simplybeing.co.uk/2015/11/28/autumn-2015/Learn more about future events: simplybeing.co.uk/events/📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywDBc4XLsvU

30 July - 9 August 2025. Seeing and imagining. Dzogchen retreat with James Low at Casa de Exercícios de Santo Inácio, Colares, in Sintra, Portugal.Imagining is the play of the ground source. If the source is seen then all that is imagined is non-dual illusion, like a mirage or a dream. If the ground source is not seen and opened to then all that is imagined is reified and then we experience ourselves as existents in a world of existents.~ James LowTexts translated from the Tibetan into various languages:• The Record of the Heart-felt Advice of the Dakini, Indestructible Glorious Lamp: https://simplybeing.co.uk/texts-and-transcripts/translations/heartfelt-advice-ayu-khandro/• Uncovering the Presence of the Mother of all the Buddhas: a treasure text of Gonpo Wangyal: https://simplybeing.co.uk/texts-and-transcripts/estonian/gonpo-wangyal-text-mother-buddhas/Audio recording of this video: https://bit.ly/43JSqAuPortuguese translators: Madalena Pedroza & Milton PetruczokSpanish translator: Juan García Lázaro (@juanb.garcialazaro)Playlist "Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.2025": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv-KZQo9b6hTYeZBBx5-lQ8lhg0JLM_at• 1/4 Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.2025: youtu.be/T2BwDfKYmRE• 2/4 Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.2025: youtu.be/EX_DQ7hFtfY (you are here)• 3/4 Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.2025: [soon]• 4/4 Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.2025: [soon]0:00 Milton Petruczok (PT)1:33:41 Juan García Lázaro (ES)2:57:20 Madalena Pedroza (PT)4:23:50 Juan García Lázaro (ES)5:15:08 Madalena Pedroza (PT)6:34:34 Juan García Lázaro (ES)8:05:45 Milton Petruczok (PT)9:19:54 Juan García Lázaro (ES)10:45:41 Madalena Pedroza (PT)Cover video art: ed1toR, via Pexels.com📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX_DQ7hFtfY

Discover how traditional Tibetan mindfulness can enhance therapy practices. James Low delves into the intersection of karma and personal responsibility, linking attachment and meditation's grounding effects. He highlights the disconnect in mental health due to habitual distractions and emphasizes the role of impermanence in our identities. Low teaches that self and objects are mere constructs while exploring concepts like non-duality and the importance of flexible engagement with change. His insights into therapist presence and open awareness redefine therapeutic approaches.

9th November 2025. The Deathless and the Dying. Public talk with James Low at Lekdanling in East London, England, at the invitation of the Shang Shung Institute of Tibetan Studies.The focus will be on illusion as the middle way between the familiar binary opposites of birth and death, health and sickness, life as flow and within that, loss and grief.Cover video art: Amir Mghari, via Pexels.comTranscript of this video: https://bit.ly/4hYIubWAudio recording of this video: https://bit.ly/44etL73📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CFufzBBuk

1/4 Seeing and imagining. [EN-PT-ES] Sintra 07-08.202530 July - 9 August 2025. Seeing and imagining. Dzogchen retreat with James Low at Casa de Exercícios de Santo Inácio, Colares, in Sintra, Portugal.Imagining is the play of the ground source. If the source is seen then all that is imagined is non-dual illusion, like a mirage or a dream. If the ground source is not seen and opened to then all that is imagined is reified and then we experience ourselves as existents in a world of existents.~ James LowTexts translated from the Tibetan into various languages:• The Record of the Heart-felt Advice of the Dakini, Indestructible Glorious Lamp: https://simplybeing.co.uk/texts-and-transcripts/translations/heartfelt-advice-ayu-khandro/• Uncovering the Presence of the Mother of all the Buddhas: a treasure text of Gonpo Wangyal: https://simplybeing.co.uk/texts-and-transcripts/estonian/gonpo-wangyal-text-mother-buddhas/Audio recording of this video: https://bit.ly/4oGBjYsPortuguese translators: Madalena Pedroza & Milton PetruczokSpanish translator: Mariana Orozco & Juan García Lázaro (@juanb.garcialazaro)Cover video art: ed1toR, via Pexels.com📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2BwDfKYmRE

June 4th 2025. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer.1) Is consciousness and mind the same in Buddhism? Is my mind which is deluded and has its own habits and tendencies the same as the mind which is primordial, unborn and clear? If so why is the mind which I call mine deluded?2) Are the explanations about karma and rebirth offered by traditional Buddhism part of a theory or belief or is it part of experience? Is it under the domain of consciousness or the domain of awareness? Does it make sense to practice Dzogchen without fully accepting these theories?3) What does it mean if a rinpoche bangs you on the head or gives you a shock?4) The luminous mind that we all have: is it also a compounded phenomena? If yes, how do we know when it is present and when not?5) Can a mind involved in conceptual elaboration ever generate compassion or loving kindness? Right mindfulness is one aspect of the eight-fold path. What are instances of wrong mindfulness? How do I guard against wrong mindfulness?6) In the White A practice, can we eventually include a Padmasambhava visualization with the three colors, the ball that radiates white light and drops into our heart, etc., or the practice of visualizing the tube that goes from the crown of our head to the perineum and then expands?7) We have some experience within the Theravada and Zen traditions; now we start to explore Dzogchen. What would you recommend: pointing out instructions, initiation, long-term retreat?8) Is there a practice that can be used to improve someone's situation? How would this work?English: youtu.be/xnsfHHP9vRsEnglish (without silence cuts): youtu.be/Z5vLJzeK4foGerman: youtu.be/Z6MKqkIVY48Russian: youtu.be/b-i8VP36OzsPolish: youtu.be/r4g3DkxASwQSpanish: youtu.be/tyWlgXr2RHUPortuguese: youtu.be/UOc2Bi_XuYQRomanian: youtu.be/GrmoLpoUMvYItalian: youtu.be/vDS6yQ_aK9w (you are here)Italian translation: Rosanna D'Urso📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDS6yQ_aK9w

May 14th – 18th, 2025. Tantra & Dzogchen. Dzogchen retreat with James Low in Wilga, Poland.The delusion that we exist as definable entities is the basis of all limited and limiting experience. Through dissolving our contrived identity into that of Padmasambhava, we become free to act in whatever ways will help sentient beings. The view of dzogchen deeps our understanding of how this functions and aids our release into our intrinsic source which we have never actually strayed from.~ James LowPolish translation: Bartek CzajkowskiCamera and editing: Olaf Brockmann📱 Instagram of excerpts: / sbsangha_jameslow 🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://youtu.be/5yPN3nXnucg?si=RjH0htYm3QbW-JCC

May 14th – 18th, 2025. Tantra & Dzogchen. Dzogchen retreat with James Low in Wilga, Poland.The delusion that we exist as definable entities is the basis of all limited and limiting experience. Through dissolving our contrived identity into that of Padmasambhava, we become free to act in whatever ways will help sentient beings. The view of dzogchen deeps our understanding of how this functions and aids our release into our intrinsic source which we have never actually strayed from.~ James LowPolish translation: Bartek CzajkowskiCamera and editing: Olaf Brockmann📱 Instagram of excerpts: / sbsangha_jameslow 🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://youtu.be/fN09exL3mxs?si=0vFSXldKcqlxIC6a

November 8th – 11th, 2018. Indestructible freedom. Dzogchen retreat with James Low in Barcelona, Spain.“The retreat will focus on settling into the clarity which is present in all experience. Through meditation, including some of the methods of the semdzin and using chapter 8 of "Simply Being" we will open the space within which all obscurations are self-liberating and go free like clouds dissolving in the sky.”~ James LowSpanish translation: Mariana Orozco and Maria LleóVideo recording and initial editing: Antonio Gomez. Full audio recordings of the retreat: [soon]📱 Instagram of excerpts: / sbsangha_jameslow 🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://youtu.be/qsF2g0eCPF4?si=td2TLaOhB8KYtEuR

November 8th – 11th, 2018. Indestructible freedom. Dzogchen retreat with James Low in Barcelona, Spain.“The retreat will focus on settling into the clarity which is present in all experience. Through meditation, including some of the methods of the semdzin and using chapter 8 of "Simply Being" we will open the space within which all obscurations are self-liberating and go free like clouds dissolving in the sky.”~ James LowSpanish translation: Mariana Orozco and Maria LleóVideo recording and initial editing: Antonio Gomez. Full audio recordings of the retreat: [soon]📱 Instagram of excerpts: / sbsangha_jameslow 🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/Video at https://youtu.be/C5IrgcTEaRY?si=TwnoKEoqxNp5z-1T