Journey to Distant Groves- The Profound Songs of the Tibetan Siddha Kalden Gyatso

About the Book These deeply profound songs experience Gelukpa scholar Kälden Gyatso (1607-1677) express high he attains and points inner struggles along spiritual path. Drawn from Collected Gur, hundred and forty-two songs, they been thematically reflect his rigorous quest Buddhahood. Tibetology, lovers poetry, and spiritual seekers from any will uplifted these songs.

superb translations are enhanced by Tibetan script, copious notes, glossary Buddhist terms, maps, fifty full-size photos taken around his hermitages Amdo on the very edge of Tibetan plateau.

Preface My introduction to Tibet took place at the New England Conservatory of Music in the late 1970's, where I studied many kinds of non-Western music, one of which was the mysterious and profound chanting of the Tibetan Gyütö monks. In the 1980s, I began visiting a few countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East every year, in order to hear the outstanding music of each, within the context of its indigenous arts, religion, and healing traditions, on its own soil. This project first led me to the Tibetan cultural region in 1988, when I began what has turned out to be a long series of yearly summer visits, by staying in a number of monasteries in western Tibet and hiking for a month in the Himalayas.

Each time I visited the Tibetan cultural region-whether Ladakh in the west, the Himalayas to the south, Central Tibet, or Amdo to the northeast-my experiences were better. This consistent reinforcement of Tibet as a place of such richness kindled my enthusiasm to always try to do more there-visit more holy sites, and spend more time with more people, with whom I experienced a deep mutual connection and unconditional acceptance. I also met Michael Aris, an extremely char Esmatic visiting professor of Tibetan and Himalayan studies at Harvard University, and found myself irresistibly swept into doing graduate.

**Contents and Sample Pages**