Buddhism and Theosophy

Founders of the Theosophical Society

On May 25, 1880, G.S. Olcott ^[1] and E.P.Blavatskaya ^[2] , kneeling in front of the Buddha statue in the presence of Buddhist priests of the temple in Galle , underwent the rite of accepting the Buddhist faith, receiving the Three Jewels and taking the Five Vows ^{[ K 1]} . Olcott and Blavatsky (formerly granted American citizenship) were the first Americans who converted to Buddhism in its traditional sense ^[4] .

In Buddhology , the notion that "theosophicalists" were the forerunners of all the following Western, or, as they began to be called, "white" Buddhists, was formed. In addition, they rationalized Buddhism and, in an effort to purify the teaching, removed elements of popular "superstition" from it. In addition, they tried to identify Buddhism with the esoteric doctrine , treating the Lord Buddha as an “adept teacher” ^{[K 2] [K 3]} . And finally, they considered it their duty to provide assistance and political support to the oppressed Sinhalese Buddhists ^{[7] [8] [K 4]} .

As President of the Theosophical Society, Olcott initiated the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka: The Theosophical Society founded more than two hundred Buddhist schools and several colleges here, the most famous of which are Mahinda College , Ananda College , Dharmaraja College , Maliadeva College ^{[K 5]} . He united various Sri Lankan sects into the Buddhist section of the Theosophical Society (1880); 12 sects of Japan - in the joint committee on the dissemination of Buddhism (1889); Buddhists of Burma , Thailand and Sri Lanka - in the Collection of Southern Buddhists (1891) ^[10] . And, in conclusion, in 1891, Northern and Southern Buddhism were reunited through the signing of the fourteen Provisions of Buddhism ^[11] .

Anagarika Dharmapala

An important part of Olcott's work in Ceylon was the patronage of the young Buddhist Don David Khevavitkharana, who subsequently took the name of Anagarik Dharmapala ^{[4] [K 6]} .

Anagarika Dharmapala ^[14] , the founder of the Mahabodhi Society , the national hero of Sri Lanka, was one of the main figures in the movement for the revival of Buddhism in Ceylon during the period of British colonial rule ^{[15] [K 7]} . In December 1884, E. P. Blavatsky, accompanied by Charles U. Leadbeater ^[17] and two other Theosophists, arrived in Ceylon. Leadbeater, following the example of the leaders of the Theosophical Society, officially became a Buddhist, without renouncing Christianity (he was an English priest) ^[18] . Don David joined the Blavatsky team to sail to India ^{[K 8]} .

Upon arrival in India, Dharmapala worked as a member of the Theosophical Society with Blavatsky and Olcott. They advised him to devote himself to serving "for the good of mankind" and to begin the study of Pali and Buddhist philosophy ^{[20] [13]} . Sangharakshita wrote that in his 20 years Dharmapala was equally fascinated by Buddhism and Theosophy ^[21] .

After returning from India, Dharmapala worked in Colombo as general secretary of the Buddhist section of the Theosophical Society, led the Buddhist press ^{[20] [22]} . In 1886, he was a translator when he, along with Olcott and Leadbeater, performed a lecture tour of the island ^[23] . He helped Olcott in his work on the organization of Buddhist schools ^[20] . When Olcott instructed Ledbeater to prepare a shortened version of the Buddhist Catechism, Dharmapala undertook to translate it into Sinhalese ^{[24] [K 9]} . The work of Dharmapala and theosophists contributed to the rebirth of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and other countries of Southern Buddhism ^[26] .

Leadbeater initiated a large number of Buddhist Sunday schools in various parts of Colombo. He also founded an English school, which later became known as Ananda College (one of the most famous educational institutions in Ceylon). Among the students of this school was a young Buddhist C. Jinarajadas , who later served as (the fourth) President of the Theosophical Society (with headquarters in Adyar) ^{[27] [K 10] [K 11]} .

In 1893, Dharmapala went to the West, first to England and then to Chicago , where he represented Buddhism at the World Parliament of Religions. Although he was only 29 years old, he was the most famous representative of Buddhism in parliament. At the conference he made several presentations on three main topics. First, he said that Buddhism is a religion that agrees perfectly with modern science, because Buddhist teachings are fully compatible with the doctrine of evolution. He expounded the Buddhist idea that space is a consistent process of deployment in accordance with the laws of nature. Secondly, Dharmapala stated that in the ethics of Buddhism there is much more love and compassion than in the sermons of Christian missionaries working in Ceylon. The third point of his speeches was the statement that Buddhism is a religion of optimism and activity, but by no means pessimism and inaction ^{[30] [31]} .

Christmas Humphreys

In 1924, in London, Christmas Humphreys ^[32] founded the Buddhist Lodge of the Theosophical Society ^{[K 12]} . According to Humphreys, fundamentally, theosophy and Buddhism are identical. One life after many incarnations returns to the Unmanifested. All individual consciousnesses are unreal in comparison with the "I", which is a reflection of the Absolute . Karma and reincarnation - the basic laws. The path is through self-enlightenment , with Nirvana in the end. Thus, Humphreys wrote, the distinction between Theosophy and Buddhism is exclusively in accents ^{[34] [K 13]} .

Thanks to the missionary efforts of the Anagariki Dharmapala, in 1926 British Buddhists established their branch of the Mahabodhi Society ^[36] . At the same time, the Buddhist Lodge was transformed into the British Buddhist Society , whose president was Christmas Humphreys ^{[37] [38]} . Humphreys was a tireless worldly Buddhist as a lecturer, publicist, writer and organizer. He was the author and / or editor of The Buddhist Lodge Monthly Bulletin, Buddhism in England, The Middle Way and The Theosophical Review ^[37] .

Watts and Conze

The British philosopher and Buddhist author Alan Watts ^[39] became a member of the Buddhist Lodge of the Theosophical Society in London as a fifteen-year-old teenager. His first book, The Spirit of Zen, was published when he was 19 years old ^{[K 14]} .

Edward Konze was also an active member of the Society, who later became a famous Buddhologist ^{[40] [41] [K 15] [K 16]} .

D. Suzuki and B. Suzuki

The famous Zen Buddhist philosopher and popularist Daisetsu Suzuki ^{[43] [44] [45]} and his wife Beatrice Suzuki became members of the Theosophical Society in Tokyo in 1920. The list of members of the Society, sent to Adyar on May 12, 1920, contained twenty-one names, including D. Suzuki and B. Suzuki. After moving to Kyoto in 1924, the Suzuki couple formed a new branch of the Theosophical Society, which was called the Mahayana Lodge. Most of the members of the Lodge were university professors. In 1937, C. Jinarajadas (the future president of the Theosophical Society) gave two lectures in Tokyo, which Dr. Suzuki translated into Japanese ^[46] .

Evans-Wentz and David-Neel

American theosophist Walter Evans-Wentz ^{[47] is} best known as the editor of the translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead , made by KD Samdub and published in 1927 ^{[K 17]} . Despite the criticisms to which this translation was made, it can be said that such a great work was first done to familiarize the Western audience with Tibetan texts ^{[48] [K 18] [K 19]} .

Tibetan Buddhist researcher Alexandra David-Neel ^[51] joined the Theosophical Society when she was at Adyar ^{[52] [53]} .

In the opinion of Buddhologists David Reigle and Richard Taylor, both E. Blavatskaya herself, and her immediate mahatma teachers, and the teacher of her teachers were Buddhists in faith and vocabulary, firmly linked by the “student-teacher” relationship. In his writings, Blavatsky often refers to Buddhism, especially to the teachings of Mahayana, while in the Mahatma letters Buddhism is present on virtually every page, and this is immediately evident from the frequent use of specific terminology from Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian ^{[54] [55]} .

Mahatm Letters

K. Humphreys wrote: “Our theosophical knowledge was obtained from two Masters who prepared E. Blavatsky for her mission in the world. Later, this knowledge became available after the publication in 1923 of "Letters of the Mahatm by A. P. Sinnett" ” ^{[56] [K 20]} . Humphreys noted that both founders of the Theosophical Society had become Buddhists, and most importantly: “Two Masters who initiated the Theosophical movement declared that their Great Leader taught Nirvana and the Law , and their immediate Teacher, Makhachokhan, spoke of Gautam Buddha as embodied spirit absolute self-sacrifice and love of mankind on this earth of sorrow ” ^{[58] [59]} . Continuing the conversation about the Buddha, Humphreys repeatedly quoted Teacher Kut Humi ^{[K 21]} :

• “Our great Buddha is the patron of all adepts, a reformer and a legislator of the occult system” ^{[61] [62]} .
• “In our temples, neither God nor gods are worshiped, but only the thrice-sacred memory of the highest and holiest man ever lived” ^{[63] [64]} .

According to Humphreys, those who call themselves Theosophists or Buddhists should study themselves and teach others using the “greatest treasures of wisdom” at their disposal ^[58] .

"Secret Doctrine"

Harry Oldmedow wrote that Blavatsky’s second big book, The Secret Doctrine , contains elements of the Vajrayana , often combined with ideas from Vedanta . He noted: “Lama K.D. Samdub was sufficiently informed to assert that the bard descriptions in the works of E. P. Blavatsky confirm her statements that she was devoted to the innermost teachings of Tibetan Buddhism . This is no less authoritative than D.T. Suzuki’s statement that her understanding of the Buddhist teachings in “The Voice of Silence” indicates her dedication to the innermost sections of the Mahayana teachings ” ^{[65] [K 22]} .

Humphreys in his autobiography praised Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine. At one time he published the outline of this book ^{[57] [K 23]} .

Studies on the identification of the books of Kiu-Te mentioned in the Secret Doctrine, which, as it turned out, together with the Book of Dzyan, the tantric section of the Tibetan Buddhist canon , were conducted by David Reigl ^{[67] [68]} .

"Voice of Silence"

About the book "The Voice of Silence ", which Blavatsky called translation from a secret language senzar , Suzuki said: "Here is real Mahayana Buddhism." Humphreys' anthology “The Wisdom of Buddhism” contains only five works related to Tibet, and the last and most voluminous is the extensive excerpt from the Voice of Silence ^[42] . According to Evans-Wentz, Lama K.D. Samdub believed that, despite criticism of the works of E.P.Blavatsky, she was obviously familiar with the teachings of higher Lamaism , to which, according to her, she was devoted ^{[69 ]} .

Humphreys argued that the Theosophists and Buddhists of the West, often from other confessions, have a lot in common: "This is the Voice of Silence," certainly a Buddhist work, as Anylonika Dharmapala wrote to me from Ceylon, and the Dalai Lama much later noted this on my copy of the book, and the Buddhist Catechism of Colonel Olcott " ^[58] .

Arnold Kalnitsky wrote in his work on the theosophical movement that the statement of E. Blavatsky about her physical presence and life in Tibet for a long time was questioned, but the content of her book "reflects the true feelings of a Buddhist", even if it is not created based on a genuine Buddhist source ^[70] .

Esoteric Buddhism

According to the tibetologist Donald Lopez , the author of the book “ Esoteric Buddhism ”, A. P. Sinnett, had a broader view of the founder of Buddhism than that of Western Orientalists and Buddhologists. For him, Buddha is only one in a row of adepts who have been throughout the centuries. His next incarnation, which happened about sixty years after the death of Gautama, was Shankara , the great Vedanta philosopher. Sinnett writes that this statement is extremely absurd for the "uninitiated", who know that Shankara was born more than a thousand years after the death of the Buddha and was hostile to Buddhism. He reports that the Buddha appeared as Shankar, "in order to fill in a few spaces and correct some mistakes in his own previous teaching." ^{[K 24]} The fact is that the Buddha changed the practice of the early adepts, opening the way for dedication to all castes . Despite good intentions, this led to the degradation of occult knowledge when they fell into the hands of the unworthy. Thus, it became necessary to further “elect candidates only from the social class that, due to its hereditary advantages, was best prepared for the education of suitable candidates.” ^{[K 25]}
Sinnett argues that by the XIV century a brotherhood of adepts was formed in Tibet, and the Tibetan reformer Tsongkhapa was the next incarnation of Buddha after Shankara. ^[71]

In 1887, V.V. Lesevich wrote that the “New York Theosophical Society” considered itself to possess some kind of “mysterious knowledge” that had been preserved from ancient times by some “Buddhist clergymen”. An extremely curious document, as he put it, “of this mysterious Buddhism” is the catechism compiled by Olcott, in which he outlined the basics of “Theosophical Buddhist teaching”. Lesevich put the dots on "and" in this question, making the following remark: "What kind of public they [theosophists] can catch, here you can see from the ingenious exposure of Ms. Blavatskaya’s charlatan tricks, who undertook to interpret Plato ’s philosophy and leaped a whole lot of all kinds of nonsense " ^[72] .

In 1890, V.S. Solovyov wrote that the book of Blavatsky, The Key to Theosophy , as well as her other works and those of like-minded people, "represents Buddhism from a new side, which it was hardly suspected by anyone before — namely, religion, albeit without solid dogmas, but with a very definite and, in essence, an exclusive tendency toward self-deification of man ” ^[73] . In 1892, Solovyov, as if summing up the activities of Blavatsky, concluded that in her books “ Exposed Isis ”, “The Secret Doctrine” and “The Key to Theosophy”, she tried “in three ways” to state the essence of esoteric Buddhism:

The first of these works is replete with names, extracts and quotations. Although most of this material was taken, obviously, not from the first sources, but the author cannot be denied extensive reading. But the systematic and consistent thinking is completely absent. I have not read a more vague and incoherent book in my whole life. And most importantly, there is no clear-minded conviction here, there is no clear questioning and no diligent resolution. <...> On what, however, is this anti-religious, anti-philosophical and anti-scientific doctrine based? Only on the assumption of the existence of some secret wisdom, the grains of which are among the mystics of all times and peoples, but which is kept intact by some over-Himalayan brotherhood, whose members live for a thousand years or more, can, without leaving their cells , to act on any part of the globe, etc. It is not at all denying, of course, the possibility of such things, we believe that a teaching that accepts their reality as their starting point , which is based on some supposed, unsubstantiated secret e , - for which no one and nothing can vouch, - can in no way be recognized as sincere and serious doctrine. ^[74]

In 1893, Max Muller noted:

It is impossible to study Buddhism without first mastering Sanskrit and have fallen, otherwise one cannot read canonical books or even write the names correctly. Madame Blavatsky did not do this, although she had enough abilities to learn Sanskrit or Pali. But even her informants, apparently, were almost completely ignorant of these languages, or perhaps they used her credulity in the most shameless way. ^[75]

In 1921, Rene Guenon wrote that the Theosophists represent the “Mahatmas” as the heirs of the Arhats of the original Buddhism, without having any substantial information about it, but they use these false representations to attribute some of the Arhats' qualities to their “teachers” ^[76] . He further noted that “ Theosophism is a wild mixture of Neo-Platonism , Gnosticism , Kabbalah , Hermeticism and Occultism ” and that this “colorful mix” was called “Esoteric Buddhism”, which has a “very remote relationship” to true Buddhism ^[77] . The existence of secret or esoteric teachings in Buddhism is not recognized by orthodox Buddhists. So Rice Davids wrote:

“Now I want to say a few more words about Theosophy, if only for the sake of the fact that one of the books about this widespread and curious teaching was called“ Esoteric Buddhism. ” For me, it remains a mystery why the author chose this strange name for his work, especially since the book does not concern anything esoteric and does not fit the name "Buddhism." True Buddhism was hostile to everything esoteric. ” ^{[78] [K 26] [K 27]}

Harry Oldmedow was convinced that "contrary to the legend composed by Blavatsky herself and distributed by her numerous hagiographers ", she had never been to Tibet. Her statements that she received her knowledge from the “Himalayan mahatmas, who are members of a kind of brotherhood, living in a remote region of Tibet and having access to certain sources of secret wisdom, cannot be seriously considered” ^[82] .

In 2015, Uditha Devapraya wrote that Olcott composed his “Buddhist catechism” in the image of the Catholic catechism, after which he established Buddhist schools, the curricula of which were copied in the form of a program of Christian missionaries. As a result, everything returned to the order with which he fought, so Buddhism, "founded" by Olcott, was not true Buddhism ^[83] .

Tibetologist Donald Lopez categorically described the theosophist Walter Evans-Wentz as “a great collector of texts written in languages ​​that he had never studied” ^{[42] [K 28]} .

• " Buddhist Catechism "
• " Voice of Silence "
• Western philosophy and theosophy
• Hinduism and Theosophy
• History of buddhism
• Literature and Theosophy
• Politics and Theosophy
• “ Is theosophy a religion? "
• Theosophy and Science
• Christianity and Theosophy
• “ What is theosophy? "
• " Esoteric Buddhism "

Scientific publications

• Bowden HW Dictionary of American Religious Biography . - Second edition. - Westport, Ct: Greenwood Press , 1993. - 686 p. - ISBN 0313278253 .
• Burgan M. Buddhist Faith in America / Melton JG , ed. - New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. - 112 p. - (Faith in America). - ISBN 9781438102511 .
• Buswell RE, Lopez DS The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism . - Princeton: Princeton University Press , 2013. - 1304 p. - ISBN 9781400848058 .
• Guenon Rene . Le Theosophisme: Histoire d'une Pseudo-Religion . - Paris: Nouvelle Librairie Nationale, 1921. - 310 p.
• Hurst Jane. Buddhism in America // America's Alternative Religions / Ed. Timothy Miller . - Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 1995. - P. 161-172. - 474 p. - (SUNY series in religious studies). - ISBN 9780791423974 .
• Kalnitsky Arnold. The Theosophical Movement Of The Nineteenth Century: The Legitimation Of The Disputable . - Pretoria: University of South Africa , 2003. - 443 p.
• Keown Damien, Prebish Charles S. Encyclopedia of Buddhism / Keown D., ed., Prebish C., ed .. - London: Routledge , 2013. - 952 p. - ISBN 9781136985881 .
• Lopez Donald S. Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed . - Reprint. - Chicago: University of Chicago Press , 2008. - 278 p. - (Buddhism and Modernity). - ISBN 9780226493121 .
• Lopez Donald S. Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West . - Reprint. - Chicago: University of Chicago Press , 1999. - 283 p. - (Tibetan Buddhism and the West). - ISBN 9780226493114 .
• Lopez Donald S. "The Tibetan Book of the Dead": A Biography . — Princeton: Princeton University Press , 2011. — 192 p. — (Lives of Great Religious Books). — ISBN 9781400838042 .
• Melton JG Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America . — First published in 1992. — New York: Routledge , 2014. — 424 p. — ISBN 9781135539986 .
• Melton JG et al. New Age Encyclopedia . — Gale Research, 1990.
• Müller M. Esoteric Buddhism (англ.) // The Nineteenth Century: a monthly review : журнал. — 1893. — Vol. 33. — P. 767—788. — ISSN 2043-5290 .
• Obeyesekera G. Colonel Olcott's reforms of the 19th Century and their Cultural Significance (англ.) // Aryasangha : сайт. — Colombo, 1992.
• Oldmeadow H. Journeys East: 20th Century Western Encounters with Eastern Religious Traditions . — Bloomington: World Wisdom, Inc, 2004. — 505 p. — (The library of perennial philosophy). — ISBN 9780941532570 .
• Prebish Charles S., Tanaka Kenneth K. The Faces of Buddhism in America . — Berkeley: University of California Press , 1998. — 370 p. — ISBN 9780520213012 .
• Prothero S. Henry Steel Olcott (1832—1907) and the Construction of "Protestant Buddhism". — Harvard University, 1990. — 644 p.
• Prothero S. The White Buddhist: Henry Steel Olcott and the Sinhalese Buddhist Revival // The white Buddhist: the Asian odyssey of Henry Steel Olcott. — Bloomington: Indiana University Press , 1996. — 242 p. — (Religion in North America). — ISBN 9780585109503 .
• Reigle David. Theosophy and Buddhism (англ.) // Fohat : журнал. — 2000. — P. 14—17, 22—23.
• Reigle David. The Books of Kiu-te, or, The Tibetan Buddhist tantras . — San Diego: Wizards Bookshelf, 1983. — 68 p. — (Secret doctrine reference series). — ISBN 0913510491 .
• Reigle D., Reigle N. Blavatsky's Secret Books: Twenty Years' Research . — San Diego: Wizards Bookshelf, 1999. — 181 p. — ISBN 9780913510766 .
• Reynolds JM Self-Liberation Through Seeing With Naked Awareness . — Barrytown, New York: Station Hill Press, 1989. — 170 p. — ISBN 9780882680583 .
• Taylor RP Blavatsky and buddhism . — Berkeley: University of California, 1999.
• Tillett GJ Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854—1934), a biographical study . — Sydney: University of Sydney , 1986. — 1169 p.
• Wimalawansa S. Revival of Buddhism in Asia: Legacy of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. — Karunaratne & Sons, 2011. — 84 p. — ISBN 9789559098911 .

in Russian

• Венгерова З. А. , Соловьёв В. С. Блаватская Елена Петровна // Критико-биографический словарь русских писателей и учёных. - SPb. : Семёновская Типо-литография, 1892. — Т. 3. — С. 301—319. - 496 s.
• Лесевич В. В. Новейшие движения в буддизме, поддерживаемые и распространяемые европейцами // Русская мысль : журнал. — 1887. — Т. 8 . — С. 1—17 .
• Пахомов С. В. Судзуки: буддист и буддолог // Основные принципы буддизма махаяны / Пер. from English С. В. Пахомова. — Санкт-Петербург: Наука , 2002. — С. 362—380. — 382 с. — ISBN 5-02-026180-7 .
• Рис-Дэвидс Т. В. Буддизм / пер. from English О. П. Семёновой под ред. С. Ф. Ольденбурга . - SPb. : Контора изданий О. Н. Поповой, 1899. — 122 с.
• Соловьёв В. С. Рецензия на книгу Е. П. Блаватской «The Key to Theosophy» // Русское обозрение : журнал. — 1890. — № 8 .
• Уланов М. С. К вопросу о начале распространения буддизма на Западе // Современные научные исследования и инновации : журнал. — 2013. — № 11 . — ISSN 2223-4888 .

Прочие публикации

• Algeo Adele S. Beatrice Lane Suzuki: An American Theosophist in Japan (англ.) // Quest : журнал. - 2007. - Vol. 95. — P. 13—17.
• Barker AT The Mahatma Letters to AP Sinnett from the Mahatmas M. & KH / AT Barker, ed. — New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers, 1924. — 492 p.
• Devapriya Uditha. Colonel Olcott: Under Eastern Eyes (англ.) // Colombo Telegraph : сайт. — 2015.
• Epasinghe Premasara. Anagarika Dharmapala – a noble son of Sri Lanka (англ.) // Sunday Observer : газета. — 2011. Архивировано 25 июня 2016 года.
• Guruge A. Free at Last in Paradise . — AuthorHouse, 1998. — 716 p. — ISBN 9781585001361 .
• Humphreys C. Exploring Buddhism . — Reprint. First published in 1974. — London: Routledge, 2012. — 196 p. — (Routledge Revivals). — ISBN 9781136228773 .
• Humphreys C. Studies in the Middle Way . — Corrected edition. — London: Routledge, 2013. — 176 p. — ISBN 9781136772658 .
• Jinarajadasa C. Buddha and His Message . — Adyar: Theosophical Publishing House, 1948. — 30 p. — (Adyar Pamphlets).
• Jinarajadasa C. KH Letters to CW Leadbeater . — Reprint. Originally published in 1941. — Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2010. — 122 p. — ISBN 1162578084 .
• Rice Earle. Alexandra David-Neel: Explorer at the Roof of the World . — Infobase Publishing, 2004. — ISBN 9781438123967 .
• Sangharakshita. Anagarika Dharmapala . — Lulu.com, 2013. — 181 p. — ISBN 9781291430714 .
• Henry Steel Olcott (англ.) // The Theosophical Society, Adyar : сайт. — 2010.
• Col. Henry Steel Olcott: the great name in Buddhist History (англ.) // Daily News : газета. — 2009. Архивировано 18 февраля 2009 года.
• Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary . — Theosophical University Press, 1999. — ISBN 978-1-55700-141-2 .

• Madame Blavatsky, Buddhism and Tibet.