Music in the Sky
by Michele Martin

This book offers the biography and the teachings of the 17th Karmapa, who escaped from Chinese-occupied Tibet three years ago and is now living in exile in northern India. The biography offers numerous miracle stories, tales of wisdom beyond the boy's years and other extraordinary accomplishments. It also presents a dramatic account of the Karmapa's flight from Tibet at the tender age of 14. Other sections contain some of his public addresses and poetry. If the teachings seem precocious for a boy who is still just 17 years old, remember that according to Tibetan tradition, he embodies the knowledge of all of the buddhas of the past, present and future. Although it can be labored and a bit esoteric at times, this book is the first collection of the Karmapa's teachings to be published in North America, and offers an important window into his early thought.