James Low - Dzogchen and Buddhist Teachings

March 19th 2025. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer.1) Would you give a systematic and comprehensive overview of Tibetan Buddhism, starting from the Ngöndro onto the more elaborate practices?2) How to be spontaneous rather than impulsive? To trust the ground rather than our ego and its habits? Is it an either/or choice?3) How can I be confident that my spontaneity is ethical and fitting?4) Is there a dream component to the practice? That is to say, can sleep time be optimized?5) How do Dzogchen teachings address the relationship between memory and awareness, particularly in the context of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease? As the cognitive mind deteriorates, does the connection to rigpa, our primordial awareness, remain accessible? How can practitioners or caregivers support this connection for those experiencing such decline?6) I’m curious about the intersection or balance between pure openness and the aiming, striving, and recalibrating of being all that one can be, as a human, for the benefit of all.7) Will the sense of doership and identity dissolve over time if one doesn’t pay heed to them?8) Sometimes when I meditate, I feel free and that there is no lack and that the mind has everything it needs, and this brings a surge of joy and love. During these moments, I find that pride and feelings of envy or divisiveness become very thin. Is this a good practice to continue?9) With my background in the Mahayana tradition, my question is: Is it possible to practice with both approaches? Is it possible, for example, to meditate on compassion while in the same moment recognizing that this is an expression of our innate Buddha nature?10) Explain more about the White A practice and how it can be nonconceptual.English: youtu.be/coOZbmb6sskEnglish (without silence cuts): youtu.be/VOTYT0j_564German: youtu.be/Xe-t0WDFsLARussian: youtu.be/0AviClOU50cPolish: youtu.be/DgYhM5MrtdU (you are here)Spanish: youtu.be/Lrddps6XrLoPortuguese: youtu.be/slPShIBlqj0Romanian: youtu.be/rttzqIOFf34Turkish: youtu.be/OALQ7zu137sPolish translation: Bartłomiej CzajkowskiPlaylist “Pytania & Odpowiedzi. [EN-PL] Zoom 07.2020 –”: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv-KZQo9b6hQe263kW-j5ZmxrgMShNo4b📱 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=DgYhM5MrtdU

March 19th 2025. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer.1) Would you give a systematic and comprehensive overview of Tibetan Buddhism, starting from the Ngöndro onto the more elaborate practices?2) How to be spontaneous rather than impulsive? To trust the ground rather than our ego and its habits? Is it an either/or choice?3) How can I be confident that my spontaneity is ethical and fitting?4) Is there a dream component to the practice? That is to say, can sleep time be optimized?5) How do Dzogchen teachings address the relationship between memory and awareness, particularly in the context of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease? As the cognitive mind deteriorates, does the connection to rigpa, our primordial awareness, remain accessible? How can practitioners or caregivers support this connection for those experiencing such decline?6) I’m curious about the intersection or balance between pure openness and the aiming, striving, and recalibrating of being all that one can be, as a human, for the benefit of all.7) Will the sense of doership and identity dissolve over time if one doesn’t pay heed to them?8) Sometimes when I meditate, I feel free and that there is no lack and that the mind has everything it needs, and this brings a surge of joy and love. During these moments, I find that pride and feelings of envy or divisiveness become very thin. Is this a good practice to continue?9) With my background in the Mahayana tradition, my question is: Is it possible to practice with both approaches? Is it possible, for example, to meditate on compassion while in the same moment recognizing that this is an expression of our innate Buddha nature?10) Explain more about the White A practice and how it can be nonconceptual.English: youtu.be/coOZbmb6sskEnglish (without silence cuts): youtu.be/VOTYT0j_564German: youtu.be/Xe-t0WDFsLARussian: youtu.be/0AviClOU50cPolish: youtu.be/DgYhM5MrtdUSpanish: youtu.be/Lrddps6XrLo (you are here)Portuguese: youtu.be/slPShIBlqj0Romanian: youtu.be/rttzqIOFf34Turkish: youtu.be/OALQ7zu137sSpanish translation: Juan García Lázaro ( @juanb.garcialazaro )Playlist “Preguntas & Respuestas. [EN-ES] Zoom 07.2020 –”: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv-KZQo9b6hS7c0fyRpIUppfblqzUKho2📱 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=Lrddps6XrLo

March 19th 2025. James Low had invited questions from people watching his Zooms, which he began to answer.1) Would you give a systematic and comprehensive overview of Tibetan Buddhism, starting from the Ngöndro onto the more elaborate practices?2) How to be spontaneous rather than impulsive? To trust the ground rather than our ego and its habits? Is it an either/or choice?3) How can I be confident that my spontaneity is ethical and fitting?4) Is there a dream component to the practice? That is to say, can sleep time be optimized?5) How do Dzogchen teachings address the relationship between memory and awareness, particularly in the context of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease? As the cognitive mind deteriorates, does the connection to rigpa, our primordial awareness, remain accessible? How can practitioners or caregivers support this connection for those experiencing such decline?6) I’m curious about the intersection or balance between pure openness and the aiming, striving, and recalibrating of being all that one can be, as a human, for the benefit of all.7) Will the sense of doership and identity dissolve over time if one doesn’t pay heed to them?8) Sometimes when I meditate, I feel free and that there is no lack and that the mind has everything it needs, and this brings a surge of joy and love. During these moments, I find that pride and feelings of envy or divisiveness become very thin. Is this a good practice to continue?9) With my background in the Mahayana tradition, my question is: Is it possible to practice with both approaches? Is it possible, for example, to meditate on compassion while in the same moment recognizing that this is an expression of our innate Buddha nature?10) Explain more about the White A practice and how it can be nonconceptual.English: youtu.be/coOZbmb6sskEnglish (without silence cuts): youtu.be/VOTYT0j_564German: youtu.be/Xe-t0WDFsLARussian: youtu.be/0AviClOU50cPolish: youtu.be/DgYhM5MrtdUSpanish: youtu.be/Lrddps6XrLoPortuguese: youtu.be/slPShIBlqj0Romanian: youtu.be/rttzqIOFf34Turkish: youtu.be/OALQ7zu137s (you are here)German translation: Robert JaroslawskiPlaylist “Questions & Answers. [EN-DE] Zoom 07.2020 –”: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv-KZQo9b6hQorJJB5YwaksSq90Z8mTeQ📱 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=Xe-t0WDFsLA

Extract from "Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom 03.2025": https://youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVATranscript:Everything is within here and now. If I tell you that five years ago I was still working in the hospital, you might take that as a little plane and go off, "Oh yes, he worked in a hospital." But the hospital where I worked is not the same. The staff have changed. The administration has changed. There is nowhere to go. The thought of five years ago is here and now. So, there and then is a movie showing in the cinema of here and now. And this cinema is always open, and it shows endless movies.So, this is the nirmanakaya, or the apparitional manifestation, in which we take on many patterns and shapes, but none of them is definitive. Nobody knows me. I don't know me. We can know objects, or at least that is the delusion of the duality of subject and object. But I am not a thing, and I don't live in a world of things. All sentient beings are processes of revelation. They have the particular patterning of that kind of quality of experience, which is, if you like, their identity for a while, but that's already a reification, a solidification. Rather, we could see it as a pattern.The different birds fly in different ways. The small birds, like the sparrow and the robin, have to work very hard. Their wings are not big enough to catch the wind. But the eagle extends these huge wings and finds the wind and is carried. So, all the people we know are manifesting the unique specificity of their being in the world, which means that each encounter we have with cows and dogs and people are opportunities for us to be flexible, receptive, and responsive.This incredible diversity of forms of movement in space is not produced by the specificity of individual identity. There is no self-guaranteeing patterning machine operating in any sentient being. Our experience is participative, not separative.📱 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=Wr9CLgpZquM

Full teaching on YouTube: “Illusion, delusion, confusion. London, 03.2016“.Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enUBQYBm64Q

14th March 2025. Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom teachings with James Low.https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/me-first-and-the-will-to-power-zoom-march-2025/• ME FIRSTSearch for the book "Me first! James Low" on the Amazon website for your desired country.Getting lost is easy, especially if we are sure that we are right. Trusting our thoughts and feelings, we act decisively and strongly and find out much later that we have gone blindly astray without realising that we were so wrong.This story shows both the havoc created by the selfish entitlement that proclaims, “Me first!” and the many faces of kindness the Buddhas manifested to tidy up the mess.The original Tibetan account explaining why the Buddhas had to manifest wrathful forms is translated in the book "This Is It" by James Low, (Simply Being, 2020). See chapter 4, "Getting Lost Invites Trouble".• MACHIG'S WAYAvailable in Kindle e-book and hardback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=machig%27s+way+jamesA Tibetan girl's struggle to follow the path of a yoginiMachig Labdron was one of Tibet's great meditation masters. She started a whole lineage of practice that still exists today. It has been incorporated in one way or another by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.The paintings on each page were inspired by her biography and illustrate her life and difficulties. Being an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners, it goes beyond the merely biographical.One thousand years ago villagers and nomads in Tibet had many expectations about how a young girl should behave. Girls were trained in all the tasks of maintaining a household and ensuring that nothing was wasted from the animals. This was the basis for a good marriage.But Machig carried within her a deep spiritual vision of a different life. Every experience she had of village life convinced her that her place was in the high hills, living in caves and devoting her life to meditation practice. Her struggle to fulfil her vision is recounted in this illustrated brief biography which includes some of her most beautiful and challenging songs.This life story of Machig Labdron is directly translated from an original Tibetan text by James Low. Paintings by Diana Collins.Each page has paintings by Diana Collins commissioned by James Low to accompany the text. They illustrate Machig Labdron’s life and difficulties in a way that hopefully brings them to life and is an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners.Russian translation: Ivan RomanchenkoEnglish: youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVAEnglish (withou silence cuts): youtu.be/m-VIwru1RrgGerman: youtu.be/m-f3tE83XkoRussian: youtu.be/1BeNjR2ivh8 (you are here)Polish: youtu.be/pghmT_dCs-wSpanish: youtu.be/DlZbcJr8gasPortuguese: youtu.be/zYRhREYE0NERomanian: youtu.be/9xkfTdskCOoTurkish: youtu.be/qBDGwApof3ECover art: Kelly (Pexels)📱 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=1BeNjR2ivh8

14th March 2025. Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom teachings with James Low.https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/me-first-and-the-will-to-power-zoom-march-2025/• ME FIRSTSearch for the book "Me first! James Low" on the Amazon website for your desired country.Getting lost is easy, especially if we are sure that we are right. Trusting our thoughts and feelings, we act decisively and strongly and find out much later that we have gone blindly astray without realising that we were so wrong.This story shows both the havoc created by the selfish entitlement that proclaims, “Me first!” and the many faces of kindness the Buddhas manifested to tidy up the mess.The original Tibetan account explaining why the Buddhas had to manifest wrathful forms is translated in the book "This Is It" by James Low, (Simply Being, 2020). See chapter 4, "Getting Lost Invites Trouble".• MACHIG'S WAYAvailable in Kindle e-book and hardback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=machig%27s+way+jamesA Tibetan girl's struggle to follow the path of a yoginiMachig Labdron was one of Tibet's great meditation masters. She started a whole lineage of practice that still exists today. It has been incorporated in one way or another by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.The paintings on each page were inspired by her biography and illustrate her life and difficulties. Being an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners, it goes beyond the merely biographical.One thousand years ago villagers and nomads in Tibet had many expectations about how a young girl should behave. Girls were trained in all the tasks of maintaining a household and ensuring that nothing was wasted from the animals. This was the basis for a good marriage.But Machig carried within her a deep spiritual vision of a different life. Every experience she had of village life convinced her that her place was in the high hills, living in caves and devoting her life to meditation practice. Her struggle to fulfil her vision is recounted in this illustrated brief biography which includes some of her most beautiful and challenging songs.This life story of Machig Labdron is directly translated from an original Tibetan text by James Low. Paintings by Diana Collins.Each page has paintings by Diana Collins commissioned by James Low to accompany the text. They illustrate Machig Labdron’s life and difficulties in a way that hopefully brings them to life and is an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners.Portuguese translation: Milton PetruczokEnglish: youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVAEnglish (withou silence cuts): youtu.be/m-VIwru1RrgGerman: youtu.be/m-f3tE83XkoRussian: youtu.be/1BeNjR2ivh8Polish: youtu.be/pghmT_dCs-wSpanish: youtu.be/DlZbcJr8gasPortuguese: youtu.be/zYRhREYE0NE (you are here)Romanian: youtu.be/9xkfTdskCOoTurkish: youtu.be/qBDGwApof3ECover art: Kelly (Pexels)📱 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=zYRhREYE0NE

14th March 2025. Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom teachings with James Low.https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/me-first-and-the-will-to-power-zoom-march-2025/• ME FIRSTSearch for the book "Me first! James Low" on the Amazon website for your desired country.Getting lost is easy, especially if we are sure that we are right. Trusting our thoughts and feelings, we act decisively and strongly and find out much later that we have gone blindly astray without realising that we were so wrong.This story shows both the havoc created by the selfish entitlement that proclaims, “Me first!” and the many faces of kindness the Buddhas manifested to tidy up the mess.The original Tibetan account explaining why the Buddhas had to manifest wrathful forms is translated in the book "This Is It" by James Low, (Simply Being, 2020). See chapter 4, "Getting Lost Invites Trouble".• MACHIG'S WAYAvailable in Kindle e-book and hardback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=machig%27s+way+jamesA Tibetan girl's struggle to follow the path of a yoginiMachig Labdron was one of Tibet's great meditation masters. She started a whole lineage of practice that still exists today. It has been incorporated in one way or another by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.The paintings on each page were inspired by her biography and illustrate her life and difficulties. Being an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners, it goes beyond the merely biographical.One thousand years ago villagers and nomads in Tibet had many expectations about how a young girl should behave. Girls were trained in all the tasks of maintaining a household and ensuring that nothing was wasted from the animals. This was the basis for a good marriage.But Machig carried within her a deep spiritual vision of a different life. Every experience she had of village life convinced her that her place was in the high hills, living in caves and devoting her life to meditation practice. Her struggle to fulfil her vision is recounted in this illustrated brief biography which includes some of her most beautiful and challenging songs.This life story of Machig Labdron is directly translated from an original Tibetan text by James Low. Paintings by Diana Collins.Each page has paintings by Diana Collins commissioned by James Low to accompany the text. They illustrate Machig Labdron’s life and difficulties in a way that hopefully brings them to life and is an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners.Polish translation: Bartłomiej CzajkowskiEnglish: youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVAEnglish (withou silence cuts): youtu.be/m-VIwru1RrgGerman: youtu.be/m-f3tE83XkoRussian: youtu.be/1BeNjR2ivh8Polish: youtu.be/pghmT_dCs-w (you are here)Spanish: youtu.be/DlZbcJr8gasPortuguese: youtu.be/zYRhREYE0NERomanian: youtu.be/9xkfTdskCOoTurkish: youtu.be/qBDGwApof3ECover art: Kelly (Pexels)📱 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=pghmT_dCs-w

14th March 2025. Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom teachings with James Low.https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/me-first-and-the-will-to-power-zoom-march-2025/• ME FIRSTSearch for the book "Me first! James Low" on the Amazon website for your desired country.Getting lost is easy, especially if we are sure that we are right. Trusting our thoughts and feelings, we act decisively and strongly and find out much later that we have gone blindly astray without realising that we were so wrong.This story shows both the havoc created by the selfish entitlement that proclaims, “Me first!” and the many faces of kindness the Buddhas manifested to tidy up the mess.The original Tibetan account explaining why the Buddhas had to manifest wrathful forms is translated in the book "This Is It" by James Low, (Simply Being, 2020). See chapter 4, "Getting Lost Invites Trouble".• MACHIG'S WAYAvailable in Kindle e-book and hardback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=machig%27s+way+jamesA Tibetan girl's struggle to follow the path of a yoginiMachig Labdron was one of Tibet's great meditation masters. She started a whole lineage of practice that still exists today. It has been incorporated in one way or another by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.The paintings on each page were inspired by her biography and illustrate her life and difficulties. Being an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners, it goes beyond the merely biographical.One thousand years ago villagers and nomads in Tibet had many expectations about how a young girl should behave. Girls were trained in all the tasks of maintaining a household and ensuring that nothing was wasted from the animals. This was the basis for a good marriage.But Machig carried within her a deep spiritual vision of a different life. Every experience she had of village life convinced her that her place was in the high hills, living in caves and devoting her life to meditation practice. Her struggle to fulfil her vision is recounted in this illustrated brief biography which includes some of her most beautiful and challenging songs.This life story of Machig Labdron is directly translated from an original Tibetan text by James Low. Paintings by Diana Collins.Each page has paintings by Diana Collins commissioned by James Low to accompany the text. They illustrate Machig Labdron’s life and difficulties in a way that hopefully brings them to life and is an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners.Turkish translation: Mustafa mert ÇelebiEnglish: youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVAEnglish (withou silence cuts): youtu.be/m-VIwru1RrgGerman: youtu.be/m-f3tE83XkoRussian: youtu.be/1BeNjR2ivh8Polish: youtu.be/pghmT_dCs-wSpanish: youtu.be/DlZbcJr8gasPortuguese: youtu.be/zYRhREYE0NERomanian: youtu.be/9xkfTdskCOoTurkish: youtu.be/qBDGwApof3E (you are here)Cover art: Kelly (Pexels)📱 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=qBDGwApof3E

14th March 2025. Me First! and the Will to Power. Zoom teachings with James Low.https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/me-first-and-the-will-to-power-zoom-march-2025/• ME FIRSTSearch for the book "Me first! James Low" on the Amazon website for your desired country.Getting lost is easy, especially if we are sure that we are right. Trusting our thoughts and feelings, we act decisively and strongly and find out much later that we have gone blindly astray without realising that we were so wrong.This story shows both the havoc created by the selfish entitlement that proclaims, “Me first!” and the many faces of kindness the Buddhas manifested to tidy up the mess.The original Tibetan account explaining why the Buddhas had to manifest wrathful forms is translated in the book "This Is It" by James Low, (Simply Being, 2020). See chapter 4, "Getting Lost Invites Trouble".• MACHIG'S WAYAvailable in Kindle e-book and hardback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=machig%27s+way+jamesA Tibetan girl's struggle to follow the path of a yoginiMachig Labdron was one of Tibet's great meditation masters. She started a whole lineage of practice that still exists today. It has been incorporated in one way or another by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.The paintings on each page were inspired by her biography and illustrate her life and difficulties. Being an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners, it goes beyond the merely biographical.One thousand years ago villagers and nomads in Tibet had many expectations about how a young girl should behave. Girls were trained in all the tasks of maintaining a household and ensuring that nothing was wasted from the animals. This was the basis for a good marriage.But Machig carried within her a deep spiritual vision of a different life. Every experience she had of village life convinced her that her place was in the high hills, living in caves and devoting her life to meditation practice. Her struggle to fulfil her vision is recounted in this illustrated brief biography which includes some of her most beautiful and challenging songs.This life story of Machig Labdron is directly translated from an original Tibetan text by James Low. Paintings by Diana Collins.Each page has paintings by Diana Collins commissioned by James Low to accompany the text. They illustrate Machig Labdron’s life and difficulties in a way that hopefully brings them to life and is an inspiration for Buddhist practitioners.Spanish translation: Juan García Lázaro ( @juanb.garcialazaro )English: youtu.be/3xLfMetyBVAEnglish (withou silence cuts): youtu.be/m-VIwru1RrgGerman: youtu.be/m-f3tE83XkoRussian: youtu.be/1BeNjR2ivh8Polish: youtu.be/pghmT_dCs-wSpanish: youtu.be/DlZbcJr8gas (you are here)Portuguese: youtu.be/zYRhREYE0NERomanian: youtu.be/9xkfTdskCOoTurkish: youtu.be/qBDGwApof3ECover art: Kelly (Pexels)📱 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=DlZbcJr8gas