Book excerpt: The act of committing one's life to Buddhism and its three central tenets, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is known as many traditions as 'going for refuge'. Tracing his own path of discovery, Sangharakshita shows the importance of commitment to these three spiritual ideals and how this commitment provides a basis of unity among all Buddhists. In so doing he also tells the story of the founding of the Triratna Buddhist Community, an international Buddhist movement. Featuring a new additional foreword by Maitreyi, The History of My Going for Refuge makes essential reading for anyone interested in the history and development of Buddhism in the West.