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Sparks is the 8th book by this popular author. It is an accessible collection of short writings and poems arising from his experience of practising and teaching Buddhism for many years. In simple and beautiful language it is an expression of the profound non-dual view of Dzogchen, which illuminates the enlivening Buddha potential present in all of us.

This pithy collection of prose and poems can be entered at any point, enjoyed and reflected upon since each 'spark' or 'snippet' is complete in itself. The topic is profound, yet it is condensed and expressed in simple language using examples and metaphors from everydaylife and the living world around us.

James Low's books have been and are being translated into Estonian, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.

James Low has now retired  from his post as a Consultant Psychotherapist in the National Health Service. He maintains a small private psychotherapy practice in London and has taught in many psychotherapy institutes, mostly in the UK.

‚Funken‘ ist das achte Buch dieses bekannten Autors. Es ist eine verständliche Sammlung kurzer Texte und Gedichte, die durch seine langjährige Erfahrung mit den Lehren und der Praxis des Buddhismus entstanden sind. In schöner und verständlicher Sprache wird die tiefgründige nicht-duale Sichtweise des Dzogchen dargelegt, die das Buddha-Potential erhellt, das in jedem von uns vorhanden ist.

Da jeder ‚Funke‘ oder Abschnitt in sich vollständig ist, kann bei dieser Gedicht- und Prosasammlung an jeder beliebigen Stelle mit dem Lesen, Genießen und Nachdenken begonnen werden. Das Thema ist tiefgründig, aber dennoch verdichtet und sprachlich einfach gehalten und nutzt Beispiele und Metaphern aus dem Alltagsleben und der lebendigen Welt, die uns umgibt.

Die Bücher von James Low wurden und werden ins Estnische, Französische, Deutsche, Italienische, Polnische, Portugiesische und Spanische übersetzt.

James Low hat sich mittlerweile von seiner Tätigkeit als Psychotherapeut im Nationalen Gesundheitsdienst zurückgezogen. Er betreibt weiterhin eine kleine private Psychotherapiepraxis in London und lehrte in vielen Psychotherapieeinrichtungen, hauptsächlich in Großbritannien.

Sparks is the 8th book in German and in English by this popular author. It is an accessible collection of short writings and poems informed by his experience of practising and teaching Buddhism for many years. In simple and beautiful language it is an expression of the profound non-dual view of Dzogchen, which illuminates the enlivening Buddha potential present in all of us.

This pithy collection of prose and poems can be entered at any point, enjoyed and reflected upon since each 'spark' or 'snippet' is complete in itself. The topic is profound, yet it is condensed and expressed in simple language using examples and metaphors from everydaylife and the living world around us.

James Low's books have been and are being translated into Estonian, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.

James Low has now retired  from his post as a Consultant Psychotherapist in the National Health Service. He maintains a small private psychotherapy practice in London and has taught in many psychotherapy institutes, mostly in the UK.

According to Buddhism it is helpful to follow a path because of the universal tendency to get lost. However when a teacher explains the path to us we need to make sure that we understand properly what we are being taught and how to put it into practice.

This illustrated book tells the story of a student's misunderstanding that fed into his overweening ambition and many disasters that ensued on an epic and cosmic scale.

Me First! is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist account of how a teacher's liberating instructions on the path to freedom were misunderstood by one of his disciples. The proud young student called Masterful goes to a Buddhist teacher called Resolute who points out to him that since his mind is always and already intrinsically free, there is therefore no need for him to involve himself in meditations and other practices to improve what is already perfect.

Masterful, however, hears this as a permission to be uncontrolled and do whatever he likes. Instead of awakening to the simple purity of his own awareness he feeds his egotistical ambition and sets out to take whatever he wants without limit, exploiting others without any concern for their capacity and welfare. This leads to universal devastation until finally the accumulated negative karma leads to Masterful manifesting as a demon, and known as Rudra. In this form he creates havoc until after many outrages the peaceful Buddhas gather together and decide that they need to adopt a new tactic.

Manifesting their powerful controlling energy, all the Buddhas transform the teacher Resolute into an all-conquering force of virtue. After many intense adventures the demonic force of Masterful is bound into the service of the true path of freedom, cleansed of his bad karma and bound into the service of the dharma, with the new name, Mahakala, Great Black One. The people return in peace to the land.

This story points to the dangers of unconstrained power and the associated temptation to follow the path of dictatorship. It highlights how important is the creative collaboration among the forces of good in order to constrain the power of delinquent self-assertion.

The illustrations bring the key points of this story to dramatic life and invite the reader to share in the excitements of this heroic engagement.

The text is based on the Padma bKa'-Thang by Padmasambhava which was revealed by the terton, Urgyen gLing-Pa.

For James Low's full translation of the original Tibetan text see Facet 4 (Getting Lost Invites Trouble), in This is it: revealing the great completion. James Low. (Simply Being, UK, 2020) ISBN: 978-0956923974.

This attractively illustrated book invites children to see how the sea and the sun and the clouds are all collaborating together to make our bright and variegated world. They all need each other and so the key theme is that none of us is alone and we all get along better with friendly and appreciative participation. The idea is that adults read the book aloud and talk about the images and themes with the child.

As the text on the back cover highlights,

Proud Little Cloud felt very happy to be bright and shining in the vast blue sky: "There is no one like me." she thought proudly. "I'm so special!" However the eclipse of the sun came as a big surprise to her: "Oh, so it is not my own light that makes me bright! I need the sun so I can shine and children need my rain so they have puddles to splash in. I'm part of everything. Now I feel like an even more proud little cloud!"

Each illustration has many fascinating details for children to explore.

Longing for Limitless Light offers a sequential series of key texts in the Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. These prayers and aspirations form part of the daily practice for many in the various Tibetan Buddhist traditions. They include prayers, aspirations, rituals and descriptions of a path to enlightenment.

The loving heart of Buddha Amitabha Limitless Light invites all beings into his pure realm of Happiness known as Dewachen or Sukhavati where, say the texts, awakening is easy. Relying on the warm presence of the Enlightened Ones, our lonely struggles can be left behind as we relax into the ever-inclusive ground of our being. These practices are an effective antidote to the sense of alienation and isolation which is so pervasive at this time.

The practice texts in this book offer tried and trusted ways to connect with the Buddhas whose welcome already awaits us.  They include the prayers and full ritual for Taking Refuge and for Taking the Bodhisattva Vow and prayers and practices such as the Dechen Monlam for Taking Birth in Dewachen.

They provide a coherent support for developing faith and confidence in this Mahayana method that unites wisdom and compassion.

The individual texts describe the many ways in which the Buddhist teachings invite us to a profound encounter with our own potential. Through developing our own qualities of generosity, loving kindness and genuine availability we connect with the ever-present welcome offered by all the Buddhas. To connect with the Buddhas is to connect with our own heart and through this to connect with all sentient beings.

Each text was translated from Tibetan by C R Lama and James Low together many years ago in India. James Low has recently revised them and written an introduction.

This book focuses on Padmasambhava, the Lotus Born Guru who awakens us to our own lotus source. Padmasambhava brought tantric Buddhism to Tibet and his power and blessing continues to guide and inspire meditators in the Himalayan regions and worldwide to this day.

All Buddhist practice is concerned with awakening from the illusions which bind us. The lotus represents this awakening and for the intrinsic purity which is the source of both awakened Buddhas and deluded sentient beings. Forgetfulness of our lotus source has given rise to our experience of being someone real somewhere in a real world.

The wide range of prayers and practices translated and explained in this book provide guidance on how to live in a clear and ethical way. These practices ease the process of dying and guide us to Padmasambhava in his pure realm of Lotus Light, also known as Zangdopalri, the Copper Coloured Mountain.

Texts translated by C. R. Lama and James Low.

The book Being Guru Rinpoche shows how to understand and engage with a traditional Tibetan tantric meditation practice (sadhana) and relate it to the lived complexity of our daily life. The ritual focuses on living within the mandala of Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, and becoming inseparable from the Guru in his Eight Manifestations. The root text is from the terma tradition of Chhimed Rigdzin Lama (C. R. Lama), one of the great Nyingma lamas of the modern period. The text is given in Tibetan, with pronunciation (for reciting) and each verse is translated, with commentary. It can be used as a meditation practice text for those wishing to do so.

James Low's overall commentary is based on an edited transcript of various talks and is offered as a way for western people to engage with tantric practice. The text itself is from the Nyingmapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and is a treasure text (or terma) revealed by Nuden Dorje, a 19th century terton of whom C. R. Lama was a recognised incarnation. James Low first translated it with C. R. Lama in the 1970's and it became the most frequently practised larger text amongst his students.

This ritual text is very important and powerful because of the depth of its content and the shortness of its lineage, in other words, its closeness to Padmasambhava, the root of all the Nyingma lineages.

For those in any tradition of Tibetan Buddhism the commentary illuminates how symbolism is used as a method of transforming samsara into nirvana. Transformation is the distinctive method of tantra. For the general reader the text provides a way of revisioning personal identity and purpose.