Between 1975 and 1989, articles on great thinkers and teachers were published monthly in Hermes, the organ of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, California. The articles in this volume consist of a selection of remarkable Buddhist teachers and promulgators of the Bodhisattva Path, the path of service to all humanity. There are many illustrious teachers of this path who have labored for the world in the last two and a half millennia, and this selection is designed to give a sense of the immense range and richness of the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This is the second volume in the collection of teachers from diverse spiritual schools of thought. The first volume presented those figures associated with the Seven-Century Plan initiated by Tsong Kha Pa for the Western world, culminating in the founding of the Theosophical Movement. There Tsong Kha Pa was discussed in terms of this Plan and its esoteric meaning. In this volume, Tsong Kha Pa is presented as the Buddhist teacher who rejuvenated Buddhism in Tibet, creating the Gelukpa Order, of which the Dalai Lamas are spiritual leaders. The third volume will focus on Chinese teachers-Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist-and Japanese Buddhist exemplars.Since these articles were written, an enormous amount of scholarship has emerged, especially regarding the teachers and schools found in this volume. Many Tibetan texts have been carefully translated into English by highly trained individuals and teams of translators, thanks to the spread of Tibetan centers across the globe. Much of this ocean of material is profound but quite technical. The articles in this volume can serve as a general introduction to what is rapidly becoming a vast library of Buddhist history, teaching and knowledge. And they intimate the deeper meanings of the Bodhisattva Path which become clear only as a student or disciple assimilates the Teachings over a lifetime of study, self-examination, and self-sacrifice.In addition to the articles on these remarkable individuals, there are articles by the great Theosophical teachers Helena Blavatsky and Raghavan Iyer which place fundamental Buddhist ideas in a broad context. These include essays on the Bodhisattva Ideal, esoteric Buddhism, reincarnation in Tibet, and the soul of Tibet, among others. Taken together, the intuitive reader will not only gain a sense of the magnificent heritage of Buddhist thought over 2500 years but also glimpse the deep spiritual impulse working its way in and through the strivings of humanity. Contemplation of the core ideas in these articles will nurture the deepest aspirations of each individual who is actively seeking Buddha’s Path to Enlightenment. One’s perspective on the world and reality will be radically altered through a mature study and reflection on Buddhist thought in these essays.
