Review: Tree of Wisdom offers deeply rooted spirituality
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 5, 2012
While I've been familiar with Lao Tzu and teachings of the Tao for decades, I'd never heard of Nagarajuna until finding this gem from Dennis Waller. The text of the Tree of Wisdom reads similar to the biblical book of Proverbs. With 260 verses, this is a great resource to use for daily journaling and reflection, contemplating a verse a day to let its meaning soak in and then writing the insights that may come to mind. Waller's translation/interpretation is easy to read though the meaning is timelessly evasive as Buddhist teachings are. It is striking how similar some of these teachings are to some of the sayings of Jesus. For example, verse 253 talks about a wise person loving one's enemies even though they may destroy him, whereas Jesus taught that one must forgive one's enemies not seven times, but seventy times seven. Some of these concepts are universal to any spiritual path and Waller brings them to light in a way that make their use workable and accessible. This is a must-have for your library if you are a student of Eastern spirituality.