This personal diary that the renowned Dzogchen master Khenpo Sodargye kept for one year gives serious Dharma practitioners a lifetime of inspiring, wise guidance for practicing right conduct on the path. The backdrop is the Tibetan plateau, from which Khenpo invites us to see the world--from native people to a spider, from vast galaxies to a water droplet--as he does, with candor and humor, and with a Dzogchen master's sharp analysis. He shares with us his perceptions of this world, describing his ups and downs in a way that we can relate to and be inspired by, even if we do not have the fortitude to stand up to the oppression of crustaceans or to ransom yaks from the slaughterhouse. Spontaneous and lively, the entries play out the vicissitudes of his life throughout a challenging year, tracking the passage of his thoughts and actions, leaving footprints for whoever is able to follow.

Footprints on the Journey: One Year Following the Path of Dzogchen Master Khenpo Sodargye, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 344 pages, $29.95

Khenpo Sodargye was born in Tibet in 1962 in what is today the Sichuan province of China. After spending his early years herding yaks, he entered the Buddhist monastery and went on to become the preeminent scholar of Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Serthar. He has been especially effective at popularizing Tibetan Buddhism among Chinese communities and regularly speaks at universities in Asia and the West.