First Thought Best Thought

Here is a unique contribution to the field of poetry: a new collection of works by America's foremost Buddhist meditation master, Chouml;gyam Trungpa. These poems and songs-most of which were written since his arrival in the United States in 1970-combine a background in classical Tibetan poetry with Trungpa's intuitive insight into the spirit of America, a spirit that is powerfully evoked in his use of colloquial metaphor and contemporary imagery. Most of the poems were originally written in English-clearly the result of the author's own perceptions of new forms and media offered to him by a different culture. Each poem has its own insight and power, which come from a skillful blend of traditional Asian subtlety and precision combined with a thoroughly modern vernacular. Several of the author's calligraphies accompany the collection.

Master of meditation, social visionary, author, artist, poet—Ch÷gyam Trungpa (1939–1987) founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and Vajradhatu, an international association of meditation centers (now known under the name Shambhala International).