Each of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug) has its own Refuge Tree to display the lineage of its masters. The Refuge Tree is important to the practitioner not only as a support for the practice known as “going for refuge,” in which a commitment to the path is made before the vast lineage of teachers, but also as an object of visualization and meditation, practices that nourish faith, inspire efforts, and impart blessings for spiritual progress.

In this Gelugpa Refuge Tree Tsongkhapa, who is the founder of the lineage, is surrounded by a host of figures of refuge, including bodhisattvas, meditation deities (Tib. yidams), and guardians. Directly above Tsongkhapa’s head, the succession of lineage gurus is portrayed, culminating with the central blue figure at the top, Vajradhara, the Primordial Buddha, who is the ultimate source of refuge within the Gelugpa tradition.