Teachers of Enlightenment: The Refuge Tree of the Western Buddhist Order

The book is arranged in two major parts. Part One introduces the Refuge Tree of the Western Buddhist Order as a symbolic and practical focus for spiritual life. It explains the Refuge Tree and the prostration practice, then discusses visualization and imagination as essential means for engaging with sacred imagery. It next explores Going for Refuge as the central act of Buddhist commitment, before examining the relationship between the Refuge Tree, bodhicitta, and “other power.” Part Two presents the principal figures and categories represented in the Refuge Tree. It begins with the Buddhas of the Three Times, then considers the Jinas, Arhants, Bodhisattvas, Vajrasattva, and the Dharma texts. The book then turns to the teachers of the past, organized through major Buddhist cultural regions: India, Tibet, China, and Japan. Finally, it presents the teachers of the present and concludes by showing how the Refuge Tree expresses the heart-essence of the Western Buddhist Order: commitment to the Three Jewels, reverence for the whole Buddhist tradition, and the practical aspiration to transform one’s life through devotion, wisdom, and Enlightenment-oriented practice.