| Author of 'Shift Into Freedom.' Loch was a keen sportsman when young. After one ice hockey game when he played in goal and made several amazing saves someone asked him how he did it. He explained, 'time slows down, I feel open and connected, I get really quiet inside and it seems it is strangely quiet on the outside too.' Someone gave him the 'Zen and the Art of Archery' book and he realised that others had had this experience too. At times he could feel exactly what was going on but wasn't thinking. He then started to investigate meditation. And then one night when walking home from college and feeling an overwhelming grief as a result of some recent losses his thoughts quietened, his heart broke open and the weight of despair lifted. He looked up at the stars and noticed that his usual sense of self had gone, yet he felt fully embodied and alive. A new process had begun. Experience showed him that consciousness can shift intelligently but he didn't know yet how to shift it intentionally. He went to Sri Lanka where he did long retreats and then India where he saw the Dalia Lama who recommended he study with Tulka Rinpoche where he learnt Awake Awareness. Over the next few years he embodied this teaching. He worked for many years with people in homeless shelters in NY and sees his life as a continual series of shifts. 'There is no end to the mystery of Life - most of it is beyond human understanding' |
