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.

Chogyam 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 university.

CONTENTS: The Rain of Wisdom
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 Khacho Wangpo	45
The Song of Konchok Yenlak	49
The Songs of Chokyi Wangchuk	54
The Song of Yeshe Nyingpo	58
The Song of Chokyi Tontrup	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 Jetsun 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 Jetsun 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