A beautiful, evocative, and eminently useful array of texts sharing the foundational practices from Jigme Lingpa's Heart Essence transmission.

These foundational practices have for over three centuries been one of the most widely practiced and beloved gateways to Dzogchen in Tibet. Like most Tibetan practices, these are chanted in solitary practice or in groups, their words supporting the vision, emotion, and understanding being cultivated. This compilation of texts includes the story, history, music, and commentaries to help practitioners more fully understand the elements of the practice. A link to downloadable audio of the chants in English is included, so that practitioners can absorb the meaning while also following along with the chants written in English and Tibetan.

Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse: Foundational Practices and Transmission of the Longchen Nyingthig, Anne Carolyn Klein, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 2020, 231 Pages, $29.95

Anne Carolyn Klein is Professor and a former Chair of the Department of Religion at Rice University. She is also a cofounding director of the Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Community Center, and Research Institute. Her publications include Path to the Middle (SUNY Press), Unbounded Wholeness, coauthored with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (Oxford University Press), and Knowledge and Liberation (Snow Lion Publications).