As the second millennium drew to a close, the Seventeenth Karmapa leapt from a roof of his monastery in Tibet. Evading his Chinese guards, the 14-year-old spiritual leader began a grueling, dangerous journey to India. The Karmapa's picture has appeared all over the world since then -- yet his own words are hard to find. Now, for the first time in print, Music in the Sky offers a series of the Karmapa's profound teachings, an extensive selection of his poetry, and a detailed account of his life and flight from his homeland. The amazing teaching and writing skills evident in this work -- particularly in light of the fact that the Karmapa is still only 17 years old -- will captivate readers.

Music in the Sky concludes with brief biographies of all sixteen previous Karmapas, specially composed for this collection by the highly respected Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Here, the reader will discover the compelling histories of the first Tibetan masters to be recognized as reincarnate lamas. Music in the Sky presents a definitive portrait of the Seventeenth Karmapa, strengthened and illuminated by an authoritative depiction of his place in the world's most revered lines of spiritual teachers.
Music in the Sky, Michele Martin, New Age Books, Paperback, 40 color plates, 351 pages, $15.00

Michele Martin has been a Buddhist practitioner for over thirty years and has spent the last fifteen years based in Nepal and India studying with Tibetan lamas and working as a translator of oral and written Tibetan. Her publications include numerous translations from Tibetan texts on philosophy and meditation, and also articles on Buddhism. For the last two years she has translated for the Karmapa and currently lives in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

CONTENTS: Music in the Sky
Acknowledgments		9
Introduction		11
PART I: The Life Story of the Seventeenth Karmapa		15
	One: The Discovery	17
	Two: Return to Tsurphu	35
	Three: Visions and Rainbows	53
	Four: "It's Now or Never"	73
	Five: Escape from Tsurphu	89
	Six: Over the Highest Mountains	97
	Seven: Times of Uncertainty	115
	Eight: Life Unfolds in India	127
PART II: The Teachings of the Seventeenth Karmapa		145
PART III: The Poetry of the Seventeenth Karmapa		221
PART IV: The History of the Karmapas		267
	Introduction to the History of the Karmapas	269
	A Traditional Narrative of the Karmapas	271
	Brief Histories of the Sixteen Karmapas	277
	Songs of the Sixteenth Karmapa	295
Appendix: Tibetan Names		309
Notes		311
Glossary		333
Bibliography		345