Albert Low is the Teacher and Director of the Montreal Zen Center. He and his wife Jean came to Montreal in 1979. At this time the Center was an affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center. With Albert Low's arrival the Center experienced many changes.

Albert Low has had two more books published this year: The Origin of Human Nature: a Zen Buddhist looks at evolution, and, Conflict and Creativity: the human roots of corporate life. To read more about the books please click here.

Or to view Albert talking about his new book on YouTube please click here

In 1986 Albert Low received full transmission which permitted him to become a teacher. At this time, the final ties were cut with Rochester and Montreal had its own Zen Center. Today, the Montreal Zen Center's schedule is a very busy one.

Mr. Low conducts two, three, four and seven day sesshins, intensive day sittings on some Sundays, daily zazen, gives dokusan (or personal interviews) and teishos (or talks) and runs Introductory Workshops and Beginners's courses. He is also the author of many books on Zen, most of which are translated into French.

Albert Low was born in England in 1928. He and his wife emigrated to South Africa just after their marriage. He was a personnel executive for the Central News Agency. He left South Africa because of the politics. Albert Low, his wife Jean and their three children moved to Canada in 1963. He was a personnel executive for the Union Gas Company in southwest Ontario up until 1976. During this time he lectured extensively on subjects relating to Management, Creativity and Organization Development to promote creativity. He developed a salary administration system for the personnel including senior management. He was also responsible for Organizational Development and developed new ways of thinking about organization.

Albert Low was also involved in the practice of Zen at this time. He began Zen practice in 1961 after a number of years of theoretical interest. He began his formal training under Roshi Kapleau at the Rochester Zen Center in 1966. In 1976 Albert Low retired from business. He and his wife, Jean, sold their house and belongings in order to be able to go to Rochester to devote full time to the practice and dissemination of Zen. They were on the staff of the Rochester Zen Center, at which time he was the Editor of the Center's magazine, from 1976-1979.

In 1979 Albert Low was asked by the Rochester Zen Center to be the director of the affiliate group in Montreal. He completed his formal training in 1986 and at that time received full transmission as a Zen teacher. Due to his background, Albert Low is uniquely suited to be the teacher and director of the Montreal Zen Center. This is because the Center's community is a lay community. He is able to understand and relate to the trials and tribulations that a lay person in the world experiences when practicing Zen. He, too, worked in the business world and had a family life while carrying on his Zen practice at the same time. He has many years experience as a counselor and is able to use his own life experience when counseling students living a way of life with which he has close ties. He encourages his students to bring their Zen practice into their daily life rather than to change their life to accomodate the practice.

On May 30, 2003 Albert Low received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Three faculty members at Queen's are also members of the Montreal Zen Centre and they nominated Albert for an honorary degree based on his scholarship and extensive publications, and his teaching and community service. Many letters of support from people accomplished in the arts, medicine, social sciences, physical sciences, and business were included in the formal nomination. There was broad support from within and outside the university.

A university-wide committee considered many nominations and selected a relatively small group of individuals for recognition at the spring and fall 2003 convocations. This is a significant honor from a prominent Canadian university and it demonstrates an unusual openness on the part of the university in acknowledging, in this way, both Zen and Albert's many contributions.

Albert Low has a busy full-time schedule at the Montreal Zen Center nine months of the year. January, July and August he takes time off to rest and recuperate. During these months, a daily zazen schedule continues. He can be reached by e-mail at albertlow@bellnet.ca or by snail mail at the Center address.

The Montreal Zen Center, 824 Park Stanley, Montréal, Québec H2C 1A2
Phone number: (514) 388 4518

for information call Janine Lévesque (514) 334-1048
or email us at info@zenmontreal.ca

for comments about this site: webmaster@zenmontreal.ca

Copyright: the Montreal Zen Center