“How is it these songs are getting better, stronger, more alive than ever, more necessary than ever . . . or is it because I just need to hear them more than ever?”

“What a wonderful difference it makes when real poets translate poetry! Schelling’s renderings read like those of an old, wise Zen vagabond. Waldman’s sparkle, crisp and sharp. These verses soar, traversing the expansive reaches of human experience and triumph. Truly, in these two poets’ hands, these songs of the sons and daughters of the Buddha sing.”

“These enlightenment songs of the earliest disciples of the Buddha are vibrant, celebratory, and very human. I see my own path reflected in their search, my own highest aspirations reflected in their awakening. This wonderful translation brings these people to life in a way that reminds us that freedom is truly possible.”

“These are earthy, courageous translations of the most ancient Buddhist poems. How honest the struggle of these practitioners with death and lust and self-doubt (just like us); how beautiful their moments of release.”

“Songs of the Sons and Daughters of Buddha are songs of enlightenment, and some of them are very well known; but these translations are especially fresh, ballsy, spontaneous, and timeless, and they capture people working genuinely on themselves. I’m so enjoying reading it.”