Albert Low - Renown Zen Master

Albert now resides in Canada, but has also lived in South Africa, England, and the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Philosophy; he is a trained counselor. In 2003, he earned the degree of Doctor of Law at Queen’s University in Ontario.

Albert Low was born in England, in 1928. In 1947 - 1949, he served in the Royal Navy. In 1954, he and his wife Jean immigrated to South Africa. In South Africa, Albert started to work in the local monopole news agency - the Central News Agency. Soon he took the post of senior personnel executive. At the same time, he was giving numerous lectures on how to organize business management creatively. His children Anita, Stephen and John were born in South Africa.

Albert left South Africa in 1963, due to his non-acceptance of the apartheid system. He moved to Ontario, Canada, and started working in a large utility company, also as a personnel executive. He continued giving seminars and lectures on the topics that interest him the most – creativity and Zen. During this time his book “Zen and Creative Management” was released – it sold around 75,000 copies. From 1955 to 1966 Albert Low was studying Zen Buddhism. In 1966 he started to practice Zen Buddhism under the guidance of a renowned Japanese master. As time went by, he decided to switch to a new master. In 1976, he left the utility company where he worked, and became an editor at a journal. In 1979, he moved to Montreal, where he became a probationary teacher. In 1986, he was authorized to become a Zen master by his teacher.

Throughout his life, Dr. Low has been studying human nature, psychology, creativity, and spirituality; he has a vast knowledge of Western psychology. He provided spiritual and creative counseling for many years. He has given a number of interviews on radio and television, including the CBC. Albert Low is an author of 11 books, and a contributor to 3 other books. Most of his books can be found in English and French, and many can also be found in Spanish, Portuguese, German and other languages too.

His latest book is “The Origin of Human Nature”. His other books include: “Hakuin on Kensho the Four Ways of Knowing”, “Creating Consciousness”, “The Butterfly's Dream”, “The World A Gateway: Commentaries on the Mumonkan”, “To Know Yourself”, “Zen and the Sutras”, “Zen and Creative Management”, “The Iron Cow of Zen”, “Zen Meditation, plain and simple”, and “Hakuin's Chant in Praise of Zazen”.

Albert talks about some of his books on YouTube. His books can be found in hardcover and in the form of eBooks. Albert is also an author of a number of teishos.

Today, Albert Low is the director of the Montreal Zen Center, where he teaches over 200 students; he teaches his students spirituality and psychological aspects.