"A paragraph on the series: Sounds of Innate Freedom: The Indian Texts of Mahamudra is an historic five volume series containing many of the first English translations of the classic mahamudra literature. The texts and songs in these volumes are excerpted from the large compendium of texts called The Indian Texts of the Mahamudra of Definitive Meaning, compiled by the Seventh Karmapa, Chötra Gyatso (1456-1539). In its modern Tibetan edition, this collection consists of five volumes containing seven kinds of texts: the Anavilatantra (as a tantric source of Mahamudra attributed to the Buddha himself) and its commentary, songs of realization (doha, caryagiti, and vajragiti), commentaries on songs of realization and other texts, independent tantric treatises, nontantric treatises, edifying stories, and doxographies (presenting hierarchies of different Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical systems). The collection offers a brilliant window into the richness of this vast ocean of Indian Mahamudra texts in the Kagyü tradition, as well as a clear view of the sources of one of the worlds great contemplative traditions. It is for meant for anyone who appreciates Buddhist literature and Buddhist tantric practice. Reading these songs and texts that express the inexpressible and contemplating their meaning in meditation will open doors to experience, and possibly even awakening, just as they did for practitioners in the past. Description of volume 5: Volume 5 most closely follows Luminous Melodies and contains the most versified songs of realization, consisting of dohas (couplets), vajragitis (vajra songs), and caryagitis (conduct songs), all luminously expressing the inexpressible, as well as commentary. The doha lineage in tantric Buddhism began when Saraha (known as "the Great Brahmin") started singing songs of realization to his disciples: the royal family and the people of the kingdom.

Since then, the great Mahamudra siddhas have continued to express their realization and instructions to their disciples in pithy songs composed and sung spontaneously. These songs display a vast range of styles, themes, and metaphors-providing readers a feast offering of profound pith instructions of great power that were uttered by numerous male and female mahasiddhas, siddhas, yogis, and dakinis, often in the context of ganacakras and initially kept in their secret treasury. This volume can stand on its own, at the same time as it provides a taste of the entire collection, offering a window into the richness of this vast ocean of Indian Mahamudra texts in the Kagyü tradition. The majority of songs and their commentaries are translated for the first time into English by Karl Brunnhölzl, brilliantly capturing the wordplay, mystical wonder, bliss, and ecstatic sense of freedom expressed by awakened Mahamudra masters of India such as Saraha, Luhipa, Krsna (alias Kanhapa), Jaganmitrananda (alias Mitrayogi), Virupa, Tilopa, Naropa, Maitripa, Nagarjuna, the female mahasiddhas princess Laksmimkara, and Dombiyogini, as well as many otherwise unknown figures of this rich Buddhist tradition. Karl Brunnhölzls learned and lucid introduction situates the songs in their social, religious, and literary context. Mahamudra refers to perfect buddhahood in a single instant, the omnipresent essence of all phenomena that is nondual and devoid of all obscurations. Reading these songs that express the inexpressible and contemplating their meaning in meditation will open doors to experience, and possibly even awakening, just as they did for practitioners in the past. For besides the officially recognized mahasiddhas, there were many other varieties of practitioners, and many lived and taught outside of the framework of institutionalized Buddhism in their time-evidence that the teachings and the path of mahamudra are accessible to and can be practiced by anyone from any walk of life, whether a king, a servant in a brothel, or a housewife, often without having to renounce their day jobs"--.