Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight and Awakening

(Paperback)

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A remarkable collection of Tibetan religious verse--of interest to students of any spiritual tradition. A remarkable collection of Tibetan religious verse--of interest to students of any spiritual tradition. The first major anthology of Tibetan spiritual poetry available in the West, Songs of Spiritual Experience offers original translations of fifty-two poems from all the traditions and schools of Tibetan Buddhism, spanning the eleventh to the twentieth centuries. These poems communicate spiritual insight with grace and precision, addressing the themes of impermanence, solitude, guru devotion, emptiness, mystic consciousness, and the path of awakening. Also included here is a thorough introduction exploring the characteristics of Tibetan verse and its role in Buddhism and a glossary containing notes on the poems.

Reviews

This collection presents poems from the 11th Century through today. These 52 poems are broken down into thematic sections, so you can find a theme that strikes you rather than follow a chronology. You can choose from the transience of life, solitude, finding a guru, emptiness, awakenings, and mystic visions. Theres also a section of poems that focus on the life of the poets in a Buddhist, reflective way. To help along with understanding the philosophies in the verses, there are several introductions, a glossary, and notes. Basically, this book can act as a class in Tibetan Buddhism and poetry all at once.Book Riot

Author Bio

THUPTEN JINPA is the principal English translator for the Dalai Lama. He holds a PhD in religious studies from Cambridge University, as well as a Lharam degree, the Tibetan equivalent to a doctorate in divinity. He is president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, an organization dedicated to translating key classical Tibetan texts into contemporary languages. JA_x015A_ ELSNER is a senior research fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University. He has published widely on the topics of art and religion.