Misplaced Pages

#188811

68-521: Olcott was the first well-known American of European ancestry to make a formal conversion to Buddhism . His subsequent actions as president of the Theosophical Society helped create a renaissance in the study of Buddhism. Olcott is considered a Buddhist modernist for his efforts in interpreting Buddhism through a Europeanized lens. Olcott was a major revivalist of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and he

136-611: A child, Olcott lived on his father's New Jersey farm. During his teens he attended first the College of the City of New York and later Columbia University , where he joined the St. Anthony Hall fraternity, a milieu of well-known people. In 1851 his father's business failed and he had to leave the university. While living in Amherst, Ohio , Olcott was introduced to spiritualism by relatives who had formed

204-461: A deep impression on his mind. 27. Q: Why had he not also seen them? A: The astrologers had foretold at his birth that he would one day resign his kingdom and become a Buddha. The King, his father, not wishing to lose his son, had carefully prevented his seeing any sights that might suggest to him human misery and death. No one was allowed even to speak of such things to the Prince. He was almost like

272-519: A lawyer during the first few years of the establishment of the Theosophical Society , in addition to being a financial supporter of the new religious movement . In early 1875 Olcott was asked by prominent Spiritualists to investigate an accusation of fraud against the mediums Jenny and Nelson Holmes, who had claimed to materialize the famous "spirit control" Katie King (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 269–277). In 1880 Helena Blavatsky and Olcott became

340-597: A life with the Triple Gem at its core. In early Buddhist scriptures, taking refuge is an expression of determination to follow the Buddha's path, but not a relinquishing of responsibility. Refuge is common to all major schools of Buddhism. Since the period of Early Buddhism , all Theravada and mainstream Mahayana schools only take refuge in the Triple Gem. However, the Vajrayana school includes an expanded refuge formula known as

408-464: A person a Buddhist who has merely been born of Buddhist parents? A. Certainly not. A Buddhist is one who not only professes belief in the Buddha as the noblest of Teachers, in the Doctrine preached by Him, and in the brotherhood of Arhats , but practices his Precepts in daily life. Q. What is Karma? A. A causation operating on the moral, as well as physical and other planes. Buddhists say there

476-562: A pity and love as that. 55. Q. Why does ignorance cause suffering? A. Because it makes us prize what is not worth prizing, grieve for that we should not grieve for, consider real what is not real but only illusory, and pass our lives in the pursuit of worthless objects, neglecting what is in reality most valuable. 56. Q. And what is that which is most valuable? A. To know the whole secret of man's existence and destiny, so that we may estimate at no more than their actual value and this life and its relations; so that we may live in

544-414: A prisoner in his lovely palaces and flower gardens. They were surrounded with high walls; and inside everything was made as beautiful as possible, so that he might not want to go and see the sorrow and distress that are in the world. 28. Q: Was he so kind-hearted that his father feared he might really want to sacrifice himself for the world's sake? A: Yes; he seems to have felt for all being so strong

612-659: A religious practice which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Its object is typically the Three Jewels (also known as the Triple Gem or Three Refuges , Pali : ti-ratana or ratana-ttaya ; Sanskrit : tri-ratna or ratna-traya ), which are the Buddha , the Dharma , and the Sangha . Taking refuge is a form of aspiration to lead

680-625: A spiritualist circle after seeing the Fox sisters on tour in Cleveland. During this period, Olcott became interested in studies of " psychology , hypnotism , psychometry , and mesmerism " In 1853, after returning to New York, Olcott became a founding member of the New York Conference of Spiritualists. He also published letters and articles on spiritualist topics in the Spiritual Telegraph under

748-455: A statue of Colonel Olcott was unveiled at a Buddhist temple near Princeton, New Jersey. He is still remembered fondly by many Sri Lankans today. The date of his death is often remembered by Buddhist centers and Sunday schools in present-day Sri Lanka , as well as in Theosophical communities around the globe. Olcott believed himself to be Asia's savior, the outsider hero who would sweep in at

SECTION 10

#1732858489189

816-405: A way to insure the greatest happiness and the least suffering for our fellow-men and ourselves Olcott's catechism reflects a new, post-Enlightenment interpretation of traditional Buddhist tenets. As David McMahan stated, "[Olcott] allied Buddhism with scientific rationalism in implicit criticism of orthodox Christianity, but went well beyond the tenets of conventional science in extrapolating from

884-418: Is a powerful and communicative spirit that organizes the appearance of other spirits at a séance. John King claimed to be the spirit of Henry Morgan , the buccaneer (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 241, 277). Florence Cook (ca 1856 – 1904) was a teenage girl who started to claim mediumistic abilities in 1870 and in 1871-2 she developed her abilities under the established mediums Frank Herne and Charles Williams. Herne

952-435: Is clearly seen in a chapter of his "Buddhist Catechism", entitled "Buddhism and Science". Notably, his efforts represent one of the earliest attempts to combine scientific understanding and reasoning with Buddhist religion. The interrelationship he saw between Buddhism and Science paralleled his Theosophical approach to show the scientific bases for supernatural phenomena such as auras, hypnosis, and Buddhist "miracles". Olcott

1020-513: Is no miracle in human affairs: what a man sows that he must still reap. Q. What other good words have been used to express the essence of Buddhism? A. Self-culture and universal love. Concerning the Four sights and how they impacted the Buddha: 26. Q: Why should these sights, so familiar to everybody, have caused him to go into the jungle? A. We often see such signs. He had not; and they made

1088-676: Is still honored in Sri Lanka for these efforts. Vice President of the Ananda College Old Boys Association Samitha Seneviratne has said that "Col. Olcott's contribution towards the betterment of our country, nation, religion, justice and good conduct has been so great that he remains in our hearts forever". Olcott was born on 2 August 1832 in Orange, New Jersey , the oldest of six children, to Presbyterian businessman Henry Wyckoff Olcott and Emily Steele Olcott. As

1156-702: Is such that they are on the paths of learning and no more learning. Thus, for Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha jewel includes innumerable Buddhas (like Amitabha , Vajradhara and Vairocana ), not just Sakyamuni Buddha. Likewise, the Dharma jewel includes the Mahayana sutras and (for certain sects of Mahayana) may also include the Buddhist tantras , not just the Tipitaka . Finally, the Sangha jewel includes numerous beings that are not part of

1224-565: The Kalama Sutra , the Buddha explicitly argues against simply following authority or tradition , particularly those of religions contemporary to the Buddha's time. There remains value for a degree of trusting confidence and belief in Buddhism, primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvation or enlightenment . Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels. In Mahayana Buddhism,

1292-712: The New York Daily Graphic , republished it. His 1874 publication People from the Other World began with his early articles concerning the Spiritualist movement. Also in 1874, Olcott met Helena Blavatsky while both were visiting the Eddy farm. His foundational interest in the Spiritualist movement and his budding relationship with Blavatsky helped foster his development of spiritual philosophy. Olcott continued to act as

1360-513: The Brahmanical motif of a group of three refuges, as found in Rig Veda 9.97.47, Rig Veda 6.46.9 and Chandogya Upanishad 2.22.3-4. Lay followers often undertake five precepts in the same ceremony as they take the refuges. Monks administer the precepts to the laypeople, which creates an additional psychological effect. The five precepts are: A layperson who upholds the precepts is described in

1428-591: The Dhamma wheel . The Triratna can be found on frieze sculptures at Sanchi as the symbol crowning a flag standard (2nd century BCE), as a symbol of the Buddha installed on the Buddha's throne (2nd century BCE), as the crowning decorative symbol on the later gates at the stupa in Sanchi (2nd century CE), or, very often on the Buddha footprint (starting from the 1st century CE). The triratna can be further reinforced by being surmounted with three dharma wheels (one for each of

SECTION 20

#1732858489189

1496-559: The Noble Eightfold Path to liberation. The taking of refuge ends with the acceptance of worthiness of the community of spiritually developed followers (the saṅgha), which is mostly defined as the monastic community, but may also include lay people and even devās provided they are nearly or completely enlightened . Early Buddhism did not include bodhisattvas in the Three Refuges, because they were considered to still be on

1564-419: The Three Jewels and Three Roots . In 1880, Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Blavatsky went through a ceremony called "the Three Refuges and Five Precepts " to become Buddhist. Since the period of Early Buddhism , devotees expressed their faith through the act of taking refuge, which is threefold. These are the three supports or jewels in which a Sutrayana Buddhist takes refuge: In this, it centres on

1632-944: The University of Oxford . Olcott's main religious interest was Buddhism, and he is commonly known for his work in Sri Lanka . After a two-year correspondence with Sri Piyaratana Tissa Mahanayake Thero , he and Blavatsky arrived in the then capital Colombo on May 16, 1880. Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steele Olcott took Five Precepts at the Wijayananda Viharaya located at Weliwatta in Galle on May 19, 1880. On that day Olcott and Blavatsky were formally acknowledged as Buddhists, although Olcott noted that they had previously declared themselves Buddhists, while still living in America. During his time in Sri Lanka Olcott strove to revive Buddhism within

1700-535: The assassination of Abraham Lincoln , assisted in the investigation of the assassination. In 1868 he became a lawyer specializing in insurance, revenue, and fraud. In 1874 he became aware of the séances of the Eddy Brothers of Chittenden, Vermont . His interest aroused, Olcott wrote an article for the New York Sun , in which he investigated Eddy Farms. His article was popular enough that other papers, such as

1768-540: The American Protestant grammars of his youth and the Asian Buddhist lexicon of his adulthood was able to conjure traditional Sinhalese Buddhism, Protestant modernism, metropolitan gentility, and academic Orientalism into a decidedly new creole tradition. This creole tradition Olcott then passed on to a whole generation of Sinhalese students educated in his schools. Olcott is probably the only major contributor to

1836-550: The Mahayana approach, the buddha is the totality of the three kayas ; the dharma encompasses scriptural transmission (contained in the sutras and tantras) and the realization of one’s self-knowing timeless awareness (including the views, states of meditative absorption, and so forth associated with stages such as those of development and completion); and the sangha is made up of bodhisattvas , masters of awareness , and other spiritually advanced beings (other than buddhas) whose nature

1904-704: The Romantic- and Transcendentalist -influenced 'occult sciences' of the nineteenth century." The Theosophists combination of spiritualism and science to investigate the supernatural reflected the society's desire to combine religion and reason and to produce a rationally spiritual movement. This "occult science" within the Theosophical Society was used to find the "truth" behind all of the world's major religions. Through their research, Olcott and Blavatsky concluded that Buddhism best embodied elements of what they found significant in all religions. Olcott utilized scientific reasoning in his synthesis and presentation of Buddhism. This

1972-531: The Saṅgha. Dutiyampi Buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For the second time, I take refuge in the Buddha. Dutiyampi Dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For the second time, I take refuge in the Dharma. Dutiyampi Saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For the second time, I take refuge in the Saṅgha. Tatiyampi Buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For

2040-437: The Theosophical Society would still be as president, but the induction of Annie Besant sparked a new era of the movement. Upon his death, the Theosophical Society elected her to take over as president and leader of the movement. Olcott's "Buddhist Catechism", composed in 1881, is one of his most enduring contributions to the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and remains in use there today. The text outlines what Olcott saw to be

2108-548: The Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana tradition. The Triratna ( Pali : ti-ratana or ratana-ttaya ; Sanskrit : tri-ratna or ratna-traya ) is a Buddhist symbol , thought to visually represent the Three Jewels of Buddhism (the Buddha , the Dhamma , the Sangha ). The Triratna symbol is composed of: On representations of the footprint of the Buddha , the Triratna is usually also surmounted by

Henry Steel Olcott - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-582: The audience would be shown a figure, apparently Florence, lying on the floor of the bedroom with her head covered by a shawl while Katie King was still visible in the parlour. A number of the witnesses, such as Edward W. Cox , recorded their doubts about the proceedings, while others claimed that they had seen the two clearly, such as Crookes and Florence Marryat , who claimed that she had seen Katie naked in Florence's company. Crookes's report, published in 1874, contained his assertion that Florence Cook, as well as

2244-468: The authority of a Buddha as a supremely awakened being, by assenting to a role for a Buddha as a teacher of both humans and devās (heavenly beings). This often includes other Buddhas from the past, and Buddhas who have not yet arisen. Secondly, the taking of refuge honours the truth and efficacy of the Buddha's spiritual doctrine , which includes the characteristics of phenomenon ( Pali : saṅkhāra ) such as their impermanence ( Pali : anicca ), and

2312-443: The basic doctrines of Buddhism, including the life of the Buddha , the message of the Dharma , the role of the Sangha . The text also treats how the Buddha's message correlates with contemporary society. Olcott was considered by South Asians and others as a Buddhist revivalist. It is presented in the same format of question and answer used in some Christian catechisms . Here are a few examples from that text: Q. Would you call

2380-502: The canon are mentioned of well-behaved monks, there are also cases of monks misbehaving. In such cases, the texts describe that the Buddha responds with great sensitivity to the perceptions of the lay community. When the Buddha sets out new rules in the monastic code to deal with the wrongdoings of his monastics, he usually states that such behavior should be curbed, because it would not "persuade non-believers" and "believers will turn away". He expects monks, nuns and novices not only to lead

2448-529: The coins of Abdagases I of the Indo-Kingdom of the first century CE and on the coins of the Kushan Empire , such as those coined by Vima Kadphises , also of the first century. Katie King (spirit) Katie King was the name given by Spiritualists in the 1870s to what they believed to be a materialized spirit. The question of whether the spirit was real or a fraud was a notable public controversy of

2516-575: The committee appointed to design a Buddhist flag in 1885. The Buddhist flag designed with the assistance of Olcott was later adopted as a symbol by the World Fellowship of Buddhists and as the universal flag of all Buddhist traditions . Helena Blavatsky eventually went to live in London, where she died in 1891, but Olcott stayed in India and pursued the work of the Theosophical Society there. Olcott's role in

2584-678: The divide between East and West—as seen in their presentation of Buddhism to Europe. Olcott helped financially support the Buddhist presence at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, 1893. The inclusion of Buddhists in the Parliament allowed for the expansion of Buddhism within Europe in general and in America specifically, leading to other Buddhist Modernist movements. As Stephen Prothero wrote, It

2652-476: The end of the drama to save a disenchanted subcontinent from spiritual death. The effort to revitalize Buddhism within Sri Lanka was successful and influenced many native Buddhist intellectuals. Sri Lanka was dominated by British colonial power and influence at the time, and many Buddhists heard Olcott's interpretation of the Buddha's message as socially motivating and supportive of efforts to overturn colonialist efforts to ignore Buddhism and Buddhist tradition. This

2720-464: The first Westerners to receive the Three Refuges and Five Precepts , the ceremony by which one traditionally becomes a Buddhist; thus Blavatsky was the first Western woman to do so. Olcott once described his adult faith as "pure, primitive Buddhism", but his was a unique sort of Buddhism. From 1874 on, Olcott's spiritual growth and development with Blavatsky and other spiritual leaders would lead to

2788-601: The founding of the Theosophical Society . In 1875, Olcott, Blavatsky, and others, notably William Quan Judge , formed the Theosophical Society in New York City, USA. Olcott financially supported the earliest years of the Theosophical Society and was acting president while Blavatsky served as the Society's Secretary. In December 1878, they left New York in order to move the headquarters of the Society to India. They arrived at Bombay on February 16, 1879. Olcott set out to experience

Henry Steel Olcott - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-618: The grounds that he had broken his agreement to proper etiquette required in the séance, thus negating his credibility as an investigator: Volckman was associated with another medium, Mrs Guppy, who might have wished to denigrate her rival. Moreover, it was argued that since spirits borrowed energy and matter from their medium, it was not surprising that Katie King resembled Cook. Despite the defence of their position, Cook and her supporters were hurt by this incident — newspapers were referring to it as an "exposure" — and sought further support for their position. To this end, they turned to Crookes, who

2924-437: The medium secluded in the dark, because Spiritualists believe that materialization requires very dim surroundings to succeed, though occasionally the spirits materialised in the light and some photographs were taken. As is apparently typical of materialized spirits, Katie's exact height and weight varied, though Katie was always taller than Florence Cook, with a larger face, and different hair and skin. According to those present,

2992-581: The mediums Kate Fox and Daniel Dunglas Home , were producing genuine preternatural phenomena (Crookes 1874). The publication caused an uproar, and his testimony about Katie King was considered the most outrageous and sensational part of the report. Her story was told in season 21, episode 8 of Mysteries at the Museum . After news of Katie King had spread abroad, the American mediums Jennie and Nelson Holmes also claimed to have materialized her. Robert Dale Owen ,

3060-509: The mid-1870s. The spirit was said to have appeared first between 1871 and 1874 in séances conducted by Florence Cook in London, and later in 1874–1875 in New York in séances held by the mediums Jennie Holmes and her husband Nelson Holmes . Katie King was believed by Spiritualists to be the daughter of John King, a spirit control of the 1850s through the 1870s that appeared in many séances involving materialized spirits. A spirit control

3128-489: The monastic sangha proper, including high level bodhisattvas like Avalokiteshvara , Vajrapani , Manjushri and so on. The most used recitation in Pali : Buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       I take refuge in the Buddha. Dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       I take refuge in the Dharma. Saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       I take refuge in

3196-530: The native country of his spiritual leader, the Buddha . The headquarters of the Society were established at Adyar , Chennai as the Theosophical Society Adyar , starting also the Adyar Library and Research Centre within the headquarters. While in India, Olcott strove to receive the translations of sacred oriental texts which were becoming available as a result of western researches. His intent

3264-566: The nineteenth-century Sinhalese Buddhist revival who was actually born and raised in the Protestant Christian tradition, though he had already left Protestantism for Spiritualism long before he became a Buddhist. His childhood Protestantism is a reason that many scholars have referred to the Buddhist modernism he influenced as "Protestant Buddhism". Refuge in Buddhism In Buddhism , refuge or taking refuge refers to

3332-448: The path to enlightenment. Early texts describe the saṅgha as a " field of merit ", because early Buddhists regard offerings to them as particularly karmically fruitful. Lay devotees support and revere the saṅgha, of which they believe it will render them merit and bring them closer to enlightenment. At the same time, the Buddhist monk is given a significant role in promoting and upholding faith among laypeople. Although many examples in

3400-507: The period (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 269–277). Investigations conducted by leading Spiritualist Henry Steel Olcott in 1875 re-established the credibility of the Holmeses in the eyes of many Spiritualists. The story eventually accepted by most Spiritualists was that Eliza White had been hired to pose as Katie King for a photograph to sell to the public. The Holmeses had not wanted to photograph the real Katie King, since bright light would have ruined

3468-739: The politician and avowed Spiritualist, had experienced this materialization and wrote about it in an article for the Atlantic Monthly in January 1875. Just as the article was going to press, however, a woman named Eliza White stepped forward and claimed to have masqueraded as Katie. White's face matched that of "Katie King" in photographs sold by the Holmeses and their agents. Both the Atlantic Monthly and Owen admitted in public to being duped. Arthur Conan Doyle maintains that this "exposure" did more damage to Spiritualism than any other exposure of

SECTION 50

#1732858489189

3536-553: The pseudonym "Amherst". From 1858 to 1860 Olcott was the agricultural correspondent for the New York Tribune and the Mark Lane Express , but occasionally submitted articles on other subjects. He was present for John Brown 's execution. He also published a genealogy of his family extending back to Thomas Olcott, one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut , in 1636. In 1860 Olcott married Mary Epplee Morgan, daughter of

3604-798: The rector of Trinity parish, New Rochelle, New York . They had four children, two of whom died in infancy. He served in the US Army during the American Civil War and afterward was admitted as the Special Commissioner of the War Department in New York. He was later promoted to the rank of colonel and transferred to the Department of the Navy in Washington, DC. He was well respected, and in 1865, following

3672-911: The region, while compiling the tenets of Buddhism for the education of Westerners. It was during this period that he wrote the Buddhist Catechism (1881), which is still used today. The Theosophical Society built several Buddhist schools in Ceylon, most notably Ananda College in 1886, Dharmaraja College Kandy in 1887, Maliyadeva College Kurunegala in 1888, Siddhartha Kumara Maha Vidyalaya (First named as "Buddhist boys' School") Gampaha in 1891, Dharmadutha College, Badulla in 1891, Mahinda College Galle in 1892, Nalanda College, Colombo in 1925, Musaeus College (Girls School) in Colombo and Dharmasoka College in Ambalangoda . Olcott also acted as an adviser to

3740-568: The spiritual life for their own benefit, but also to uphold the faith of the people. On the other hand, they are not to take the task of inspiring faith to the extent of hypocrisy or inappropriateness, for example, by taking on other professions apart from being a monastic, or by courting favours by giving items to the laypeople. Faith in the three jewels is an important teaching element in both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. In contrast to perceived Western notions of faith, faith in Buddhism arises from accumulated experience and reasoning . In

3808-550: The texts as a "jewel among laymen". In Tibetan Buddhism there are three refuge formulations, the Outer , Inner , and Secret forms of the Three Jewels. The 'Outer' form is the 'Triple Gem', (Sanskrit: triratna ), the 'Inner' is the Three Roots and the 'Secret' form is the 'Three Bodies' or trikaya of a Buddha . These alternative refuge formulations are employed by those undertaking deity yoga and other tantric practices within

3876-459: The third time, I take refuge in the Buddha. Tatiyampi Dhammaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For the third time, I take refuge in the Dharma. Tatiyampi Saṅghaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi.       For the third time, I take refuge in the Saṅgha. Except this there are various recitations mentioned in Pali literature for taking refuge in the Three Jewels. Brett Shults proposes that Pali texts may employ

3944-443: The three jewels are understood in a different sense than in Sravakayana or non-Mahayana forms of Buddhism. For example, the Buddha is usually explained through the Mahayana doctrine of the three bodies ( trikaya ). According to the Mahayana treatise titled Ratnagotravibhāga ( Analysis of the Jeweled Lineage ), the true meaning of the triple gem is as follows: According to the Tibetan Buddhist master Longchenpa : According to

4012-421: The three jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha). The triratna symbol is also called nandipada , or "bull's hoof", by Hindus . A number of examples of the triratna symbol appear on historical coins of Buddhist kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent . For example, the triratna appears on the first century BCE coins of the Kuninda Kingdom . It also surmounts the depictions of stupas , on some

4080-453: The two were both visible at the same moments, so that Florence could not have assumed the role of the spirit (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 235–240). The final appearances of Katie King in connection with Florence Cook took place in April and May 1874 at the Cook family home in Hackney. The audiences were invited to sit in a parlour opening onto a bedroom, in which Florence would start her trance. After some time Katie King would emerge. At some point

4148-415: Was Olcott who most eloquently articulated and most obviously embodied the diverse religious and cultural traditions that shaped Protestant Buddhism, who gave the revival movement both its organizational shape and its emphasis on education-as-character-building. The most Protestant of all early Protestant Buddhists, Olcott was the liminoid figure, the griot who because of his awkward standing betwixt and between

SECTION 60

#1732858489189

4216-420: Was President of the Theosophical Society until his death on February 17, 1907. Two major streets in Colombo and Galle have been named Olcott Mawatha, to commemorate him. Statues of him has been erected in Galle and Colombo. Many other Buddhist schools that he helped found or have been founded in his memory possess commemorative statues in honour of his contribution to Buddhist education. On September 10, 2011,

4284-502: Was a prominent and respected scientist. Between 1871 and 1874, Sir William Crookes investigated the preternatural phenomena produced by Spiritualist mediums. He described the conditions he imposed on mediums as follows: "It must be at my own house, and my own selection of friends and spectators, under my own conditions, and I may do whatever I like as regards apparatus" (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 177). A 15-year-old Cook, alone in Crookes's house with Crookes's friends and family as witnesses,

4352-410: Was associated with the spirit "John King", and Florence became associated with "Katie King", stated to be John King's daughter. Herne was exposed as a fraud in 1875. Katie King developed from appearing as a disembodied face to a fully physical materialisation. At Hackney on 9 December 1873, lawyer William Volckman attended a séance held by Florence Cook, during which Katie King materialized and, as

4420-462: Was customary, held the hands of participants. Suspicious of the spirit's similarity with Cook, Volckman seized the spirit's hand and waist, accusing it of being the medium masquerading as her ghost. The spirit was wrestled from Volckman's grasp by other participants and returned to a cabinet from which Cook emerged some minutes later. Volckman published his opinion that the spirit was a masquerade by Cook. Supporters of Miss Cook denounced Volckman on

4488-577: Was despite the fact that his re-interpretation of the Buddha was along modern liberal ideas promoted by the British in Sri Lanka. As David McMahan wrote, "Henry Steel Olcott saw the Buddha as a figure much like the ideal liberal freethinker – someone full of 'benevolence,' 'gratitude,' and 'tolerance,' who promoted 'brotherhood among all men' as well as 'lessons in manly self-reliance". His Europeanized view of Buddha influenced Sri Lankan leaders, such as Anagarika Dharmapala . Olcott and Anagarika Dharmapala were associates, which reflects both men's awareness of

4556-437: Was said to have materialized the spirit of Katie King, who walked about, talked, allowed herself to be weighed and measured, and even held the family's baby (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 241). On one occasion, at a joint seance in Crookes's home in March 1874, Katie King was seen in company with "Florence Maple", a spirit materialised by the medium Mary Showers who was exposed as a fraud shortly thereafter. The sessions were held with

4624-605: Was to avoid the Westernized interpretations often encountered in America, and to discover the pure message of texts from the Buddhist , Hindu , and Zoroastrian religions, in order to properly educate Westerners. Olcott's research and translation efforts put him in dialogue with early, ostensibly secular anthropologists and scholars of religion . He corresponded extensively with Max Müller , asking questions related to his interest in Hinduism and Buddhism and sharing discoveries from his travels in South Asia. He also personally met both Müller and Edward Burnett Tylor at least once at

#188811