Required Reading:
Subhuti's paper Re-Imagining the Buddha
and you might like to listen to his talk The Five Aspects of Dharma Life - Spiritual Receptivity, available on freebuddhistaudio.com.
The Refuge Tree as Mythic Context Aloka (available from Padmaloka)
Background reading - Sangharakshita: Precious Teachers
Background reading - Sangharakshita: Wisdom Beyond Words p. 183-194 ('The Greater Mandala')
Background reading - Kulananda: Teachers of Enlightenment