James Low - Dzogchen and Buddhist Teachings

The Practice of Meditation. This Retreat will focus on The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema Chogyal. This short text shows us how to identify and respond to the many kinds of obstacles that can occur in practice. The aim of the retreat is to enable us to maintain calm, clear awareness whatever occurs. Dates: 7-14 July 2024Martin Breuger and Robert are organising. Waldemar did the audio recordings. Reiner Steiner did the video recordings.Index"(00:00:00) Dis-integration""(00:04:57) Dependent origination""(00:23:29) Questioning the qualities of the mind once again""(00:27:55) Sharing experience of how the mind is""(00:47:34) Questioning - starting from a view influences result""(00:58:38) Text - cutting involvement with the thought""(01:00:53) Practice without involvement""(01:03:42) Our felt-sense of individuality - continuity""(01:08:38) Text - arising and ended thoughts revealed""(01:12:05) Question - an agent doing the relaxation""(01:20:03) Question - causes of certain thoughts to arise""(01:27:14) Question - persistent recurring thoughts""(01:34:44) Question - examining the mind with thinking""(01:40:24) Question - container of thoughts - ocean""(01:48:51) Text - discursive thoughts arising and ceasing""(01:57:15) Question - without support - present with the flow""(01:58:05) Practice - calm abiding""(01:59:42) Text - abiding like the flow of a large river""(02:24:04) Brahmins thread - tightness and looseness""(02:32:28) Reflections on tightening""(02:35:48) Question - difficulty meditating with open eyes""(02:37:45) Question - agitation in daily life - meditation - integration""(02:38:58) Question - allowance to feel tension""(02:40:48) Text - resting as when the rope tying the straw is cut""(02:45:02) Reflection on the practice""(03:00:36) One-pointedness as basis""(03:06:08) Resting as a child gazing at a temple""(03:14:39) Resting like an elephant pricked by a thorn""(03:20:41) Question - watching a thought arise""(03:33:44) Text - like an ocean free of waves - lack - excess""(03:41:33) Collapsing the distinction between abiding and movement""(03:50:23) Question - ocean without wave""(03:53:03) Question - emotions""(03:57:32) Question - breathing thoughts in and out""(03:58:36) Question - stillness - sounds - not in time""(04:02:46) Text - how one-pointedness is in itself"The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema ChogyalText in English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra-Instructions-Tipun-Pema-Chogyal-BT-31-01-2024.pdfText in German by Robert Jaroslawski at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra_Tipun_Deutsch_V.1.5_Final-1-06-02-2024.pdfNotes on Mahamudra by Padma Karpoin English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes-on-Mahamudra-Padma-Karpo-JLow-27-02-2024.pdfin German at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes_on_Mahamudra_Padma-Karpo_German_RJ_V.1.11_Final.pdfAgain, Jonathan (Jon) Lever has usefully prepared the topics on each day of the retreat in separate recording snippets.For a better understanding of the retreat, each day is separate so that you can follow the flow of the teaching in the correct chronological order.Content also available at https://simplybeing.co.uk/audio-records/the-practice-of-meditation-audio-berghof-july-2024/

The Practice of Meditation. This Retreat will focus on The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema Chogyal. This short text shows us how to identify and respond to the many kinds of obstacles that can occur in practice. The aim of the retreat is to enable us to maintain calm, clear awareness whatever occurs. Dates: 7-14 July 2024Martin Breuger and Robert are organising. Waldemar did the audio recordings. Reiner Steiner did the video recordings.Index"(00:00:00) Embodies participation - Tsatsa""(00:08:35) Participating - for the other""(00:19:23) About Guru yoga""(00:35:24) Question - why meditation with eyes open""(00:41:25) Question - shamatha with closed eyes""(00:43:13) Guru yoga practice""(00:44:56) Practice in hot weather""(00:45:32) Text - pure support of body speech mind""(01:01:16) Useful for you - Dharma paths and vows""(01:09:58) Text - imagine Buddhas body - moon disk - sphere""(01:14:17) Tantra - imagination""(01:18:27) Imagine a moon disk""(01:18:50) Dissolving identification""(01:22:59) Imagining a sphere""(01:24:25) Everything is imagined""(01:28:59) Text - using the breath as support""(01:31:08) The vajra breath""(01:33:12) The characteristics of your breath""(01:38:45) Merge your mind with your breath""(01:43:03) Attention to the five elements""(01:50:06) Breath using Om Hung Aa""(01:55:57) Using the support of the base""(02:05:24) Involvement with sudden arisings - death - the bardo""(02:20:14) Question - clear light moment after""(02:21:43) Question - mantra recitation while dying""(02:25:25) Question - what kind of I in the dying process""(02:27:07) Living with conditions""(02:36:17) Not entering into involvement""(02:42:38) Question - willfully establishing non-involvement""(02:47:34) Sitting relaxed and open""(02:48:28) Something better than nothing""(02:54:19) Question - gaze in open sitting""(02:57:00) Text - not even a single thought""(02:58:21) Not making something of it"The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema ChogyalText in English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra-Instructions-Tipun-Pema-Chogyal-BT-31-01-2024.pdfText in German by Robert Jaroslawski at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra_Tipun_Deutsch_V.1.5_Final-1-06-02-2024.pdfNotes on Mahamudra by Padma Karpoin English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes-on-Mahamudra-Padma-Karpo-JLow-27-02-2024.pdfin German at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes_on_Mahamudra_Padma-Karpo_German_RJ_V.1.11_Final.pdfAgain, Jonathan (Jon) Lever has usefully prepared the topics on each day of the retreat in separate recording snippets.For a better understanding of the retreat, each day is separate so that you can follow the flow of the teaching in the correct chronological order.Content also available at https://simplybeing.co.uk/audio-records/the-practice-of-meditation-audio-berghof-july-2024/

The Practice of Meditation. This Retreat will focus on The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema Chogyal. This short text shows us how to identify and respond to the many kinds of obstacles that can occur in practice. The aim of the retreat is to enable us to maintain calm, clear awareness whatever occurs. Dates: 7-14 July 2024Martin Breuger and Robert are organising. Waldemar did the audio recordings. Reiner Steiner did the video recordings.Index"(00:00:00) Open sitting""(00:01:13) Five questions about the mind - shape and color""(00:07:00) Size - big or small""(00:11:05) Come from anywhere""(00:11:43) Where is abiding""(00:12:14) Going anywhere""(00:12:55) Working with the questions""(00:14:18) How about the things in the room""(00:18:51) The mind - the minds contents - involvement""(00:40:55) Dharma paths and your situation""(00:49:22) Mind isolated""(01:00:23) Mind not moving at rest whatever""(01:08:27) Mindfulness of the mind itself - non-distraction""(01:15:56) Kindness - compassion""(01:23:26) Not forgetting what you are becoming familiar with""(01:27:02) Tranquility - one-pointedness""(01:44:03) Question - intentionality""(01:47:43) Sitting with the breath""(01:49:53) Distraction and vulnerability - reframing""(01:53:35) Praying to the Guru - Lama Khyenno""(02:01:57) From dissolving into one-pointedness""(02:10:15) Consciousness - ego as distorting factor""(02:25:22) Beyond the limits of our world""(02:45:28) Questions - How to make the teachings a living reality""(02:52:04) Truth - relative - absolute""(03:05:18) The three rayas""(03:11:53) Question - complete - the perfected state""(03:22:38) Question - the importance of the view" "(03:46:32) Text - rest for as long as you can""(03:57:13) Equipoise - a dynamic balance""(04:06:31) When separation pray to your Guru""(04:08:05) For sinking dullness agitation""(04:16:09) Garab Dorje - stay on this""(04:20:06) Question - nature of Rigpa awareness""(04:27:14) Meaning - conclusions - judgements"The Mahamudra Instructions of Tipun Pema ChogyalText in English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra-Instructions-Tipun-Pema-Chogyal-BT-31-01-2024.pdfText in German by Robert Jaroslawski at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mahamudra_Tipun_Deutsch_V.1.5_Final-1-06-02-2024.pdfNotes on Mahamudra by Padma Karpoin English at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes-on-Mahamudra-Padma-Karpo-JLow-27-02-2024.pdfin German at https://simplybeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes_on_Mahamudra_Padma-Karpo_German_RJ_V.1.11_Final.pdfAgain, Jonathan (Jon) Lever has usefully prepared the topics on each day of the retreat in separate recording snippets.For a better understanding of the retreat, each day is separate so that you can follow the flow of the teaching in the correct chronological order.Content also available at https://simplybeing.co.uk/audio-records/the-practice-of-meditation-audio-berghof-july-2024/

8 March 2023. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from the German translator. Index "(00:00) Padmasambhava said, 'Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour. Please expand.'" "(03:59) There's a question from somebody who's been practicing Dharma for 30 years and suffers from health problems of particular autoimmune diseases, which affect the whole nervous system, making it very difficult to meditate or even just relax. Most of the time, there's some tension in the body, which makes meditation difficult, and the person is often discouraged." "(09:07) During our daily activities like work and planning, how to maintain awareness of an open fresh mind? The requirements of normal life require concentrating on tasks, goals, results, and achievements, so that my work produces something of value that is judged by other people. So, how to stay with the precision of the task while maintaining open awareness?" "(13:47) Although the view never feels very far away, I find that I'm not sitting to meditate as often as I used to. Should I set the time and stick to it and write myself reminders?" "(18:25) You have talked of other realms and so on, but is it possible to take a completely secular approach to Dzogchen?" "(24:14) A question wanting a repetition of the five questions of inquiry of the mind." "(28:20) I have a teacher, a western disciple of a Tibetan Lama. He is authorized to teach, but not to give empowerments or tantric teaching. Can I think of him as my guru or as my teacher? He says I should see his guru as my guru, but I have not met this guru." "(30:17) I am a beginner psychotherapist. Are there techniques in psychotherapy whose foundation is the Dzogchen teachings? Can this help the patient?" "(33:15) Is one way to interpret the term sentient beings as self-states, in terms of a psychological perspective?" "(34:45) Concerning Padmasambhava practice, what is the difference between an outer mantra and an inner mantra, with respect to their meaning usage and effects?" "(43:16) What can we do practically to distinguish awareness of itself by itself versus the awareness based on reified self?" Video at https://youtu.be/gLik8cQt7bw?si=cETr773pjMT3TW82

1st February 2023. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from the German translator. Index "(00:00) How do we really know 'it is what it is', since our perceptions are usually distorted and we don't perceive things as they really are?" "(08:18) Is it necessary for us to complete ngöndro to fully practice mahamudra? If not, when is it okay for us to go directly into practicing mahamudra?" "(28:59) The dzogchen teachings tell us that all external and internal reality is mind. So we might reframe that as all that appears to be real and truly existing is in fact the energy of the mind. That is all phenomena, sensations, perceptions, thoughts and so on are projected into our mind." "(35:35) How does this idealistic vision 'everything is mind' fit with the madhyamaka philosophy where any conceptualization is avoided?" "(38:59) If we have had teachings on 'powa', the ejection of the mind out of the body, and we can eject our consciousness successfully into a pure land, at the moment of death, does that mean we skip the stage of child-meet-mother luminosity?" "(39:57) It's said that the bardo is not here, not there, not past, not future... does that mean the bardo is also illusory? Bardo is just another way of saying 'in between', but if there is nothing to be in between, no A and B, then is the bardo is just a label actually?" "(43:45) What is child luminosity and how do we know we have recognized it via our practice?" Video at https://youtu.be/fb30mxvsGtE?si=B9n5ixH1fjw4LTwT

23 November 2022. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from one of the translators. Index "(00:00) We can apply the questions 'is there a shape or a color?' to what occurs. 'Does it come from somewhere? Does it stay? Does it go?' We can apply this to both the content of the mind and the mind itself. Do they have a different function?" "(03:06) The stainless original nature is prior to time and space and, in that sense, it is permanent and can be realized. Such realization depends on causes and conditions, such as having a teacher, hearing the teachings and so on. How then can the non-dual traditions teach that buddhahood is a permanent condition from which there is no back-sliding? " "(09:55) I used to look at my body sensations as signals telling me about my needs. For example "I'm so tired, I need to rest." However, when I now try neither to merge nor to separate myself from the field of experience, sometimes I ignore these signals and then I abuse myself. How is it possible to take care of my own energetic resources yet be in accord with the dzogchen view?" "(19:07) I still treat the time of meditation as more important, more sacred, than the time of my daily activities. What can I do to change this view? " "(26:30) How did traditional practitioners in Tibet deal with their emotions?" "(29:20) Why in the west are we so serious about what we call 'my practice'?" "(31:02) There is less emphasis on long silent retreats in our tradition than in the zen or theravada traditions, for example. Why?" "(34:27) When everything is empty and thoughts and feelings and emotions are mere constructs, how does one avoid being nihilistic? " "(39:04) What is meant by 'exhaustion of phenomena' ?" "(42:48) Are phenomena the reflections of the mirror?" "(43:50) Can stillness and movement be experienced separately?" "(45:32) If we have not received a direct transmission from any dzogchen master, is it possible to recognize the nature of mind by ourselves or do we need a direct transmission?" "(51:20) How can we receive transmission when it may not be possible for us to meet Buddhist teachers from the east?" Video at https://youtu.be/mOByAvxrP5g?si=cRhxJuwzNM_NFzGi

2nd November 2022. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from one of the translators. Index "(00:00) With regard to depression, how does the medical biochemical approach compare to the psychoanalytic view and the buddhist view?" "(10:05) Unless I am in open awareness, I get lost in thought. Does one need to stay in open awareness all the time?" "(13:57) In dzogchen, they say that our situation is like a snake in a bamboo pole, we either go up or down. How to see where we are and what to do to ensure we go up?" "(19:13) What is the purpose of planting Earth healing pots and and placing tsa-tsas, small images of the Buddhas and statues and making stupas?" "(26:45) James says that we should avoid classifying people and situations in terms of of like and not like. Yet what should we do if we are connected with someone who undermines us, constantly attacks us and provokes anxiety and crises?" "(37:08) How does practising in nature help to unveil the natural state of our mind?" Video at https://youtu.be/L91tl1V5jHE?si=ItdNXmWAwc7ioKHl

28 September 2022. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from one of the translators. Index "(00:00) Becoming more conscious of how I am a pulsation of change in a changing environment of diverse manifestations, Ioften feel disturbed by the excess of stimuli which I fuse with, then l cut off and enclose myself in a narrow view. How to avoid this happening?" "(13:06) l have experienced that my intentions expressed in prayer are fulfilled. How does our mind and intention influence reality?" "(19:38) When trying to stay with anger without merging and simultaneously letting whatever arises flow, l experience self-judging thoughts, such as "you shouldn't" or "that's not nice". This quickly leads to physical discomfort like a subtle form of irritation. Is this a sign that I have merged with the reaction to the judging thoughts?" "(36:06) I have difficulty integrating the experiences, stroke recollections of rigpa, emptiness and non-duality. Yet only when I come out of it, I am able to refer to concepts of rigpa, emptiness and oneness." Video at https://youtu.be/gjg46nZnmfA?si=K57WojKNdP-YInu2

18 May 2022. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from one of the translators. Index "(00:00) Question from someone who has practiced a lot of zen sitting for many years, but started to feel the tradition wasn't doing anything lively for him. He says: now I feel more alive with the sense something inside me is guiding me, but can I trust this? Because I am aware how easy it is to deceive oneself." "(02:17) Are there life patterns? If so, can we scape from them?" "(13:27) 'Observe our own mind and find out how it is.' Does it envolve analises? The guru yoga is free of analises." "(16:04) How to live in a proactive culture, while remaining in the receptive state of the mirror?" "(20:27) Is enlightenment possible without meditation? What about the religious traditions that don't talk about meditation?" "(23:10) Do you believe in free will? If so, where is the 'I' that I believe sits in front of the thoughts that are ever emerging?" "(24:42) When difficult emotions arises, a mood can last for days. We are advised not to reject negative experiences, but to protect the thusness within them. How to do this without reactivity or artificiality?" "(26:26) How to reverse the karmic impact of unethical actions?" "(29:10) Why are owls auspicious?" "(30:07) How is deity practice relevant to us on the path?" "(30:34) What are mind termas?" "(31:05) How can we be sure that we are in rigpa?" "(31:59) In the Rigdzin text, it says 'I and all sentient being go for refuge'. How can I say this on behalf of all sentient beings?" "(33:16) Many teachers give the Rigpa Tsal Wang and say that this is indispensable for dzogchen practice. You don't. Why? " "(34:42) With intense experience of suffering, where one moment of experience is followed by another, the fact that the arising is vanishing doesn't help, with the stream of similar experiences which keep coming, such as chronic pain, fear of attack, war, grief." "(38:52) With the war in Ukraine there is hurtful aggression, it may be illusory, but people do experience attack and suffering. How to look at war in terms of emptiness, while avoiding entering into judgment?" "(40:31) Nothing exists in and of itself, everything is empty. So how does karma come into future lives? What transports the karma?" "(42:31) In the text we read, there are five kayas. I know about the dharmakaya, sanbogakaya and nirmanakaya. What are the other two?" "(43:37) How to continue in awareness in our daily activities, without immediately falling back in the same old pattern of reification?" "(45:01) What is meant by pure vision? Is it a pure sensory perception or rather a pure view?" "(47:31) Is is it possible to have a pure vision while we still have a karmic body?" Video at https://youtu.be/78YUjwB8SH4?si=QCJfD3sRZ3myqAXo

6 April 2022. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer. Note: the constant cuts in this video result from the removal of James Low's periods of silence, while waiting for the consecutive translation from one of the translators. Index "(00:00) There is often an instruction "observe your own mind and find out how it is". Is this open sitting practice the same as or different from guru yoga?" "(12:06) Have you ever witnessed a miracle? If so, please tell us about it." "(13:10) Do you consider mudras helpful? If yes, which ones in particular?" "(15:16) Is psychotherapy useful as an adjunct or a support for dzogchen?" "(18:53) How to introduce children to this dzogchen view? What topics at what ages?" "(27:31) Should we do long retreats or short retreats or just one day? What is good?" "(31:57) Our everyday experience is of a body walking in space. Is this more accurately the space in the mind, so we are not in space, but space is in the mind?" "(40:08) At the moment, I conceptually understand that what I see is like a reflection in the mirror. But this is still a concept. How to get direct experience of this?" Video at https://youtu.be/0niSASsoVQA?si=vpKV-fuKrqojRn1R