The art of composing spontaneous songs that express spiritual understanding has existed in Tibet for centuries. Over a hundred of these profound songs are found in this collection of the works of the great teachers of the Kagyu lineage, known as the practice lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Many readers are already familiar with the colorful life of the yogin Milarepa, an early figure of the Kagyu lineage, some of whose songs are included here. Songs by over 30 other Buddhist teachers are also presented, from those of Tilopa, the father of the lineage, to those of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, as well as several songs by Chogyam Trungpa, the noted teacher of Buddhism in America who directed the translation of The Rain of Wisdom.

Rain of Wisdom, The Essence of the Ocean of True Meaning; Trans Nalanda Translation Committee; Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 384 pages, $39.95

The Nalanda Translation Committee was established in 1976 for the purpose of translating great works of Tibetan Buddhism into English. The fifteen translators were under the direction of the noted Buddhist teacher and author Chogyam Trungpa until his death in 1987. The Committee is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Trungpa was born in Eastern Tibet and recognized as an incarnation of the Trungpa line at an early date. He studied with, among others, one of the reincarnations of the Jamgyon Kongtrul who wrote the most famous commentary on the Seven Points. In 1959 he fled to India in the wake of the Communist takeover in Tibet, courageously leading many of his people to safety (this period is described in his book Born in Tibet.) He came to England in the mid-sixties to study at Oxford, learned English, started to teach, and started one of the first Tibetan Buddhist centers in the West. He later dropped his monastic vows, married, and moved to America where he continued his teaching. He founded the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, a large and highly respected Buddhist universit

 

Foreword by Chogyam Trungpa xi
Preface by Osel Tendzin xvii
Acknowledgments xxiii

Supplications and Offerings to the Kagyu Gurus 1
The Songs of Mikyo Dorje 16
The Songs of Wangchuk Dorje 27
The Songs of Choying Dorje 34
The Songs of Kmacho Wangpo 45
The Song of Konchok Yenlak 49
The Songs of Chokyi Wangchuk 54
The Song of Yeshe Nyingpo 58
The Song of Chokyi Töntrup 60
The Song of Changchup Dorje 62
The Song of Dudul Dorje 64
The Song of Chokyi Jungne 67
The Song of Padma Nyinche 72
The Song of Thekchok Dorje 76
The Song of Lodro Thaye 81
The Songs of Trashi Oser 91
The Songs of Khakhyap Dorje 102
The Songs of Khyentse Oser 112
The Songs of Rangjung Rikpe Dorje 118
The Songs of Pengar Jampal Zangpo 123
The Song of Tilopa 126
The Grand Songs of Lord Marpa 129
The Songs of Jetsün Milarepa 165
The Song of Rechungpa 215
The Songs and Stories of Lord Gampopa 217
The Song of Rinchen Pal 243
The Songs and Story of Jetsün Lorepa 246
The Dharma Cairns of Kharak Gomchung 256
The Songs of Samten Palle 259
The Song of Ngotrup Gyaltsen 265
The Song of Gotsangpa 268
The Song of Guru Shang 272
The Song of Samten Palle 274
Lord Gampopa's Song of Response to the Three Men of Kham 275
Dedication by Tenpe Nyinche 283
The Songs of Chogyam Trungpa 285
Colophon by Chogyam Trungpa 290

Afterword by the Nalanda Translation Committee 293
Pronunciation Guide 334
Notes 336
Glossary 340
Index 377