Order of the Star in the East
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Star in the East (OSE) was an organization established by the leadership of the Theosophical Society
at Adyar, India, from 1911 to 1927. Its mission was to prepare the world for the expected arrival of a messianic
entity, the so-called World Teacher or Maitreya
.
discovered a likely "vehicle" for the Messiah in the person of Jiddu Krishnamurti
, an adolescent South India
n Brahmin
. The founding of these organizations, as well as the disbanding of the OSE's successor in 1929 by Krishnamurti himself, led to crises in the Theosophical Society and to schism
s in Theosophy.
as promoted by the Theosophical Society
was the complex doctrine
of The Intelligent Evolution of All Existence, occurring on a Cosmic
scale, incorporating both the physical and non-physical aspects of the known and unknown Universe, and affecting all of its constituent parts regardless of apparent size or importance. The theory was originally promulgated in the Secret Doctrine, the 1888 magnum opus
of Helena Blavatsky, one of the founders of contemporary Theosophy and of the Theosophical Society.
According to this view, Humankind's evolution on Earth (and beyond) is part of the overall Cosmic evolution. It is reputedly overseen by a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy
, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
, whose upper echelons consist of advanced spiritual beings. Blavatsky portrayed the Theosophical Society as being part of one of many attempts (or "impulses") by this hidden Hierarchy throughout the millennia to guide Humanity in concert with the scheme towards its ultimate, immutable evolutionary objective: the attainment of perfection and the conscious, willing participation in the evolutionary process. Blavatsky stated that these attempts require an Earth-based infrastructure (such as the Theosophical Society), to pave the way for the Hierarchy's physically appearing emissaries, "the torch-bearer[s] of Truth". The mission of these reputedly regularly appearing emissaries is to practically translate, in a way and language understood by contemporary humanity, the knowledge required to propel it to a higher evolutionary stage.
:
Following the original publication of the work, and based on this and other Blavatsky writings, Theosophists expected the future advent of the aforementioned "next impulse"; additional information about this was the purview of the Society's so-called Esoteric Section, which Blavatsky had founded and originally led.
After Blavatsky’s death in 1891, influential Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater
expanded on her writings about the Hierarchy and the Masters. He formulated a Christology
in which he identified Christ with the Theosophical representation
of the Buddhist
concept of Maitreya
. Leadbeater believed that had in several previous occasions manifested on Earth, in each case using a specially prepared person as a "vehicle". The incarnated Maitreya then assumed the role of World Teacher of Humankind, dispensing knowledge regarding underlying truths of Existence.
Annie Besant
, another well-known and influential Theosophist (and eventual close associate to Leadbeater), had also developed an interest on the advent of the next emissary from the Spiritual Hierarchy. In the decades of the 1890s and 1900s, along with Leadbeater and others, she became progressively convinced that this advent would happen sooner than Blavatsky's proposed timetable. They came to believe it would involve the imminent reappearance of Maitreya as World Teacher a monumental event in the Theosophical worldview. However not all Theosophical Society members accepted Leadbeater's and Besant's ideas on the matter; the dissidents charged them with straying from Theosophical orthodoxy
and, along with other concepts developed by the two, Leadbeater's and Besant's writings on the Theosophical Maitreya were derisively labeled Neo-Theosophy
by their opponents.
Besant became President of the Theosophical Society in 1907, and added considerable weight to the belief of Maitreya's imminent manifestation; this eventually became a commonly held expectation among Theosophists. Besant had started commenting on the possible imminent arrival of the next "emissary" as early as 1896; by 1909 the "coming Teacher" was a main topic of her lectures and writings.
on the private beach of the Theosophical Society Headquarters at Adyar. At the time, Krishnamurti's father (who had been a longtime Theosophist) was employed by the Society, and the family lived next to the compound. Leadbeater, whose knowledge on occult
matters was highly respected by the Society's leadership, came to believe young Krishnamurti was a suitable candidate for the "vehicle" of the World Teacher, and soon placed the boy under his and the Society's wing. In late 1909, Annie Besant, by then President of the Society and head of its Esoteric Section, admitted Krishnamurti into both, and in March 1910 she became his legal guardian.
Following the "discovery", Leadbeater began occult investigations of Krishnamurti to whom he had assigned the pseudonym
Alcyone the name of a star
in the Pleiades star cluster
, and of characters from Greek mythology
. Leadbeater's belief about the boy's suitability as the "vehicle" was strengthened by clairvoyance
-related revelations of Krishnamurti's reputed past and future lives
. These were recorded and eventually published in Theosophical magazines starting April 1910 and in a book in 1913. They were voraciously read and commented on in the Society, as according to Leadbeater, many Theosophists were contemporaneously involved in various "lives of Alcyone". Such involvement became a matter of status and prestige among Theosophists; it also contributed to factionalism within the Society.
(the official founding date was in January 1911). The organization was formed around a pre-existing study group of disciples headed by Krishnamurti, and was generally focused on the expected World Teacher; yet the newly "discovered" Krishnamurti was somewhat obliquely at the center of its attention. In the meantime, the activities and proclamations of Leadbeater, Besant, and other senior Theosophists regarding Krishnamurti and the expected Teacher became entangled in prior disputes within and without the Theosophical Society, and also became subjects of new controversies.
In December 1911, during a ceremony officiated by Krishnamurti at the close of the annual Theosophical Convention (held that year at Benares
), those present were reported to be suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling of "tremendous power", that seemed to be flowing through Krishnamurti. In Leadbeater's description, "it reminded one irresistibly of the rushing, mighty wind, and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost
. The tension was enormous, and every one in the room was most powerfully affected." The next day, at a meeting of the Esoteric Section, Annie Besant for the first time announced that it was now obvious Krishnamurti was indeed the chosen "vehicle".
In 1912, Krishnamurti's father sued Annie Besant in order to annul her guardianship of his son, which he had previously granted. Among other reasons stated in his deposition was his objection to the "deification"
of Krishnamurti caused by Besant's "announcement that he was to be the Lord Christ
, with the result that a number of respectable persons had prostrated before him." Besant eventually won the case on appeal.
Also in 1912, the majority of the members of the German
Section of the Theosophical Society followed its head, Rudolf Steiner
, in splitting from the parent Society partly due to disagreement over Besant's and Leadbeater's proclamations regarding Krishnamurti's messianic
status.
Controversy regarding the OSE and Krishnamurti spread to the Central Hindu College
(CHC) in Varanasi
, which had been founded by Annie Besant and counted several prominent Theosophists in its faculty and staff including George Arundale, appointed its Principal in 1909. In 1913, a number of OSE supporters resigned their positions at the school, following opposition to the Order by the school's administration and Trustees, who considered its activities unacademical.
The goal of the Order was to remove the mechanical, material obstacles and difficulties from the path of the World Teacher. By late 1913, the Order had about 15,000 members worldwide; most of them were also members of the Theosophical Society. However membership was open to anyone, the only precondition being acceptance of the Order's Six Principles.
During the existence of the OSE, Krishnamurti held many discourses and lectures in several countries, and had a large following among the membership of the Theosophical Society. National Sections of the Order were organized in as many as forty countries. In 1921, the first International Star Congress was held in Paris, France, attended by 2,000 members out of then about 30,000 worldwide. At the Congress it was decided that there would be no special ceremonies or ritual
s associated with the Order or with the World Teacher. Regularly scheduled multiday Star Camps, supported by well-organized facilities, were held for members in the Netherlands
, the United States
, and India
, attended by thousands, with coverage provided by local and international media.
In 1926 the OSE, which in affiliation with the Theosophical Society was by then producing a fair number of publications and propaganda material, organized its own publishing arm: the Star Publishing Trust, based in Eerde, Ommen, the Netherlands. Along with an official international bulletin published in Ommen, national bulletins eventually appeared in twenty-one countries, and in fourteen different languages. Also in 1926 it was reported that the Order's membership had reached about 43,000, two thirds of which were also members of the Theosophical Society.
At the opening of the annual Star Congress at Adyar on 28 December 1925, following the much anticipated but uneventful 1925 Theosophical Convention, an event reminiscent of the one that happened in December 1911 occurred. Krishnamurti had been giving a speech about the World Teacher and the significance of his coming, when "a dramatic change" took place: his voice suddenly altered and he switched to first person, saying "I come for those who want sympathy, who want happiness, who are longing to be released, who are longing to find happiness in all things. I come to reform and not to tear down, I come not to destroy but to build." For many of the assembled who noticed, it was a "spine-tingling" revelation, "felt ... instantly and independently" confirmation, in their view, that the manifestation of the Lord Maitreya through his chosen vehicle had begun.
In related developments following the perceived manifestation, Besant announced in January 1927, "The World Teacher is here", and many members expected Krishnamurti's unequivocal public proclamation of his messianic status. Reflecting the new situation, in June 1927 the name of the organization was changed to Order of the Star, headquartered in Eerde, with close Krishnamurti associate and friend D. Rajagopal serving as the Chief Organizer. The renamed order had two objectives:
Complementing the reorganization and the proclamations of the World Teacher's manifestation, in 1928 the so-called World Mother Project, headed by Rukmini Devi Arundale
(George Arundale's young wife), was put in motion by Theosophical leaders. Krishnamurti again distanced himself from this project, which the Indian and international press dubbed "Mrs. Besant's New Fad", and it was to be short-lived.
Despite the changes in Krishnamurti's outlook and pronouncements during the years leading to these events, the Dissolution of the Order and the ending of the World Teacher Project were unexpected by the great majority of their supporters and by Theosophists in general, and came as a complete shock. Following the Dissolution, prominent Theosophists openly or under various guises turned against Krishnamurti including Leadbeater, who reputedly stated that "the Coming had gone wrong".
Soon after the Dissolution Krishnamurti severed his ties to Theosophy and the Theosophical Society. He denounced the concept of saviors, leaders and spiritual teachers. Vowing to work towards setting humankind "absolutely, unconditionally free", he repudiated any and all doctrines or theories of inner, spiritual and psychological evolution like those implied in the Theosophical tenets described above. He instead posited that his goal of complete psychological freedom can be realized only through the understanding of individuals' actual relationships with themselves, society, and nature.
Krishnamurti returned to the donors the estates, property, and funds that had been gifted to the Order in its various incarnations, and spent the rest of his life promoting his post-Theosophical message around the world as an independent speaker and writer. He became widely known as an original, influential thinker on philosophical, psychological, and religious subjects.
The failed project lead to considerable analysis and retrospective evaluations by the Society and by well-known Theosophists, at that time and since. It also resulted in governance changes in the Theosophical Society Adyar
, a reorientation of its Esoteric Section, reexamination of parts of its doctrine
, and reticence to outside questions regarding the OSE and the World Teacher Project. In the opinion of one observer, Theosophical organizations, especially the Theosophical Society Adyar
, by the close of the 20th century had yet to recover from Krishnamurti's rejection and the entire World Teacher affair, and entered the 21st still dealing with their effects.
. Scroll to section "Material from before the of the order of the star". Katinka Hesselink.
Extensive information on the relationship between Krishnamurti and the Theosophical Society from Alpheus, an independent website. "Alpheus is a Web site dedicated to esoteric and other alternative interpretations of history." Govert W. Schuller
.
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
at Adyar, India, from 1911 to 1927. Its mission was to prepare the world for the expected arrival of a messianic
Messianic
Messianic primarily means 'of the Messiah .Messianic may also mean:*Messianic Complex, a psychological state of mind*Messianic democracy, democracy by force*Messianic prophecies*MessianismMessianic may refer to:...
entity, the so-called World Teacher or Maitreya
Maitreya (Theosophy)
Maitreya or Lord Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as an advanced spiritual entity and high-ranking member of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom...
.
The precursor of the OSE was the Order of the Rising Sun (1910–11) and the successor was the Order of the Star (1927–29). The precursor organization was formed after leading Theosophists
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
discovered a likely "vehicle" for the Messiah in the person of Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
, an adolescent South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
. The founding of these organizations, as well as the disbanding of the OSE's successor in 1929 by Krishnamurti himself, led to crises in the Theosophical Society and to schism
Schism
- Religion :* Schism , a division or a split, usually between people belonging to an organization or movement, most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body...
s in Theosophy.
One of the central tenets of late 19th-century Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
as promoted by the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
was the complex doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
of The Intelligent Evolution of All Existence, occurring on a Cosmic
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
scale, incorporating both the physical and non-physical aspects of the known and unknown Universe, and affecting all of its constituent parts regardless of apparent size or importance. The theory was originally promulgated in the Secret Doctrine, the 1888 magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
of Helena Blavatsky, one of the founders of contemporary Theosophy and of the Theosophical Society.
According to this view, Humankind's evolution on Earth (and beyond) is part of the overall Cosmic evolution. It is reputedly overseen by a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy
Spiritual Hierarchy
Spiritual Hierarchy is a term often used in Neo-Theosophy, and the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy. It represents the concept of a group of self-realised Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, referred to by those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings as Ascended...
, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are reputed to be enlightened beings originally identified by the Theosophists Helena Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, Alfred P. Sinnett, and others. These Theosophists claimed to have met some of the so-called Masters during their lifetimes in different parts of the...
, whose upper echelons consist of advanced spiritual beings. Blavatsky portrayed the Theosophical Society as being part of one of many attempts (or "impulses") by this hidden Hierarchy throughout the millennia to guide Humanity in concert with the scheme towards its ultimate, immutable evolutionary objective: the attainment of perfection and the conscious, willing participation in the evolutionary process. Blavatsky stated that these attempts require an Earth-based infrastructure (such as the Theosophical Society), to pave the way for the Hierarchy's physically appearing emissaries, "the torch-bearer[s] of Truth". The mission of these reputedly regularly appearing emissaries is to practically translate, in a way and language understood by contemporary humanity, the knowledge required to propel it to a higher evolutionary stage.
Describing further the role of Theosophy and the Theosophical Society in the affairs of humankind, Blavatsky wrote about the possible future in her 1889 book The Key to Theosophy
The Key to Theosophy
The Key to Theosophy is a popular book by Helena Blavatsky first published in 1889 and still in print today, expounding the principles of theosophy in a readable question-and-answer manner...
:
Following the original publication of the work, and based on this and other Blavatsky writings, Theosophists expected the future advent of the aforementioned "next impulse"; additional information about this was the purview of the Society's so-called Esoteric Section, which Blavatsky had founded and originally led.
After Blavatsky’s death in 1891, influential Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Charles Webster Leadbeater was an influential member of the Theosophical Society, author on occult subjects and co-initiator with J. I. Wedgwood of the Liberal Catholic Church...
expanded on her writings about the Hierarchy and the Masters. He formulated a Christology
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
in which he identified Christ with the Theosophical representation
Maitreya (Theosophy)
Maitreya or Lord Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as an advanced spiritual entity and high-ranking member of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom...
of the Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
concept of Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
. Leadbeater believed that had in several previous occasions manifested on Earth, in each case using a specially prepared person as a "vehicle". The incarnated Maitreya then assumed the role of World Teacher of Humankind, dispensing knowledge regarding underlying truths of Existence.
Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
, another well-known and influential Theosophist (and eventual close associate to Leadbeater), had also developed an interest on the advent of the next emissary from the Spiritual Hierarchy. In the decades of the 1890s and 1900s, along with Leadbeater and others, she became progressively convinced that this advent would happen sooner than Blavatsky's proposed timetable. They came to believe it would involve the imminent reappearance of Maitreya as World Teacher a monumental event in the Theosophical worldview. However not all Theosophical Society members accepted Leadbeater's and Besant's ideas on the matter; the dissidents charged them with straying from Theosophical orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
and, along with other concepts developed by the two, Leadbeater's and Besant's writings on the Theosophical Maitreya were derisively labeled Neo-Theosophy
Neo-Theosophy
The term Neo-Theosophy is a term, originally derogatory, used by the followers of Blavatsky to denominate the system of Theosophical ideas expounded by Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater following the death of Madame Blavatsky in 1891...
by their opponents.
Besant became President of the Theosophical Society in 1907, and added considerable weight to the belief of Maitreya's imminent manifestation; this eventually became a commonly held expectation among Theosophists. Besant had started commenting on the possible imminent arrival of the next "emissary" as early as 1896; by 1909 the "coming Teacher" was a main topic of her lectures and writings.
Sometime in late April 1909, Leadbeater encountered fourteen-year-old Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
on the private beach of the Theosophical Society Headquarters at Adyar. At the time, Krishnamurti's father (who had been a longtime Theosophist) was employed by the Society, and the family lived next to the compound. Leadbeater, whose knowledge on occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
matters was highly respected by the Society's leadership, came to believe young Krishnamurti was a suitable candidate for the "vehicle" of the World Teacher, and soon placed the boy under his and the Society's wing. In late 1909, Annie Besant, by then President of the Society and head of its Esoteric Section, admitted Krishnamurti into both, and in March 1910 she became his legal guardian.
Following the "discovery", Leadbeater began occult investigations of Krishnamurti to whom he had assigned the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Alcyone the name of a star
Alcyone (star)
Alcyone is a star system in the constellation Taurus. It is the brightest star in the Pleiades open cluster, which is a young cluster, aged at less than 50 million years. Alcyone is approximately 370 light years from Earth. It is named after the mythological figure Alcyone, one of the...
in the Pleiades star cluster
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
, and of characters from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Leadbeater's belief about the boy's suitability as the "vehicle" was strengthened by clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
-related revelations of Krishnamurti's reputed past and future lives
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. These were recorded and eventually published in Theosophical magazines starting April 1910 and in a book in 1913. They were voraciously read and commented on in the Society, as according to Leadbeater, many Theosophists were contemporaneously involved in various "lives of Alcyone". Such involvement became a matter of status and prestige among Theosophists; it also contributed to factionalism within the Society.
In late 1910 the Order of the Rising Sun was founded by prominent Theosophist George Arundale
George Arundale
Dr. George Sidney Arundale was a theosophist, freemason, president of the Theosophical Society Adyar and bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church...
(the official founding date was in January 1911). The organization was formed around a pre-existing study group of disciples headed by Krishnamurti, and was generally focused on the expected World Teacher; yet the newly "discovered" Krishnamurti was somewhat obliquely at the center of its attention. In the meantime, the activities and proclamations of Leadbeater, Besant, and other senior Theosophists regarding Krishnamurti and the expected Teacher became entangled in prior disputes within and without the Theosophical Society, and also became subjects of new controversies.
In April 1911 Besant founded the Order of the Star in the East(OSE), which replaced the Order of the Rising Sun. The High Offices of the organization were filled: "Mrs Besant and Leadbeater were made Protectors of the new Order of which Krishna was the Head, Arundale Private Secretary to the Head, and Wodehouse Organizing Secretary". News regarding Krishnamurti, the Order, and its mission received widespread publicity and worldwide press coverage.
In December 1911, during a ceremony officiated by Krishnamurti at the close of the annual Theosophical Convention (held that year at Benares
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
), those present were reported to be suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling of "tremendous power", that seemed to be flowing through Krishnamurti. In Leadbeater's description, "it reminded one irresistibly of the rushing, mighty wind, and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
. The tension was enormous, and every one in the room was most powerfully affected." The next day, at a meeting of the Esoteric Section, Annie Besant for the first time announced that it was now obvious Krishnamurti was indeed the chosen "vehicle".
In 1912, Krishnamurti's father sued Annie Besant in order to annul her guardianship of his son, which he had previously granted. Among other reasons stated in his deposition was his objection to the "deification"
Apotheosis
Apotheosis is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature...
of Krishnamurti caused by Besant's "announcement that he was to be the Lord Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, with the result that a number of respectable persons had prostrated before him." Besant eventually won the case on appeal.
Also in 1912, the majority of the members of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Section of the Theosophical Society followed its head, Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner and the Theosophical Society
The relationship between Rudolf Steiner and the Theosophical Society founded by H.P. Blavatsky was a complex and changing one.In 1899, Steiner decided to publish an article in the Magazin für Literatur, titled "Goethe's Secret Revelation", on the esoteric nature of Goethe's fairy tale, The Green...
, in splitting from the parent Society partly due to disagreement over Besant's and Leadbeater's proclamations regarding Krishnamurti's messianic
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
status.
Controversy regarding the OSE and Krishnamurti spread to the Central Hindu College
Central Hindu College
Central Hindu School, formerly known as Central Hindu College, is one of India's largest schools which is situated in the heart of the city at Kamachha Varanasi in India. This school provides the education to all societies of people having highly qualified faculties and aboratory and a SARGA HALL...
(CHC) in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, which had been founded by Annie Besant and counted several prominent Theosophists in its faculty and staff including George Arundale, appointed its Principal in 1909. In 1913, a number of OSE supporters resigned their positions at the school, following opposition to the Order by the school's administration and Trustees, who considered its activities unacademical.
The goal of the Order was to remove the mechanical, material obstacles and difficulties from the path of the World Teacher. By late 1913, the Order had about 15,000 members worldwide; most of them were also members of the Theosophical Society. However membership was open to anyone, the only precondition being acceptance of the Order's Six Principles.
The Six Principles of the Order of the Star in the East were:
- We believe that a great Teacher will soon appear in the world, and we wish so to live now that we may be worthy to know Him when He comes.
- We shall try, therefore, to keep Him in our minds always, and to do in His name, and therefore to the best of our ability, all the work which comes to us in our daily occupations.
- As far as our ordinary duties allow, we shall endeavour to devote a portion of our time each day to some definite work which may help to prepare for His coming.
- We shall seek to make Devotion, Steadfastness and Gentleness prominent characteristics of our daily life.
- We shall try to begin and end each day with a short period devoted to the asking of His blessing upon all that we try to do for Him and in His name.
- We regard it as our special duty to try to recognise and reverence greatness in whomsoever shown, and to strive to co-operate, as far as we can, with those whom we feel to be spiritually our superiors.
During the existence of the OSE, Krishnamurti held many discourses and lectures in several countries, and had a large following among the membership of the Theosophical Society. National Sections of the Order were organized in as many as forty countries. In 1921, the first International Star Congress was held in Paris, France, attended by 2,000 members out of then about 30,000 worldwide. At the Congress it was decided that there would be no special ceremonies or ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s associated with the Order or with the World Teacher. Regularly scheduled multiday Star Camps, supported by well-organized facilities, were held for members in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, attended by thousands, with coverage provided by local and international media.
In 1926 the OSE, which in affiliation with the Theosophical Society was by then producing a fair number of publications and propaganda material, organized its own publishing arm: the Star Publishing Trust, based in Eerde, Ommen, the Netherlands. Along with an official international bulletin published in Ommen, national bulletins eventually appeared in twenty-one countries, and in fourteen different languages. Also in 1926 it was reported that the Order's membership had reached about 43,000, two thirds of which were also members of the Theosophical Society.
By year-end 1925, the efforts of prominent Theosophists and their affiliated factions within the Society and the Order to favorably position themselves for the expected were reaching a climax. "Extraordinary" pronouncements of accelerated spiritual advancement were being made by various parties, privately disputed by others. Ranking members of the Order and the Society had publicly declared themselves to have been chosen as apostles of the new Messiah. The escalating claims of spiritual successes, and the internal (and hidden from the public) Theosophical politics, alienated an increasingly disillusioned Krishnamurti. He refused to recognize anyone as his disciple or apostle. Additionally, World Teacher-related spinoff projects proliferated: in August 1925 the establishment of a "World Religion" and a "World University" were announced by the Theosophical leadership. Both of them were later "quietly shelved".
At the opening of the annual Star Congress at Adyar on 28 December 1925, following the much anticipated but uneventful 1925 Theosophical Convention, an event reminiscent of the one that happened in December 1911 occurred. Krishnamurti had been giving a speech about the World Teacher and the significance of his coming, when "a dramatic change" took place: his voice suddenly altered and he switched to first person, saying "I come for those who want sympathy, who want happiness, who are longing to be released, who are longing to find happiness in all things. I come to reform and not to tear down, I come not to destroy but to build." For many of the assembled who noticed, it was a "spine-tingling" revelation, "felt ... instantly and independently" confirmation, in their view, that the manifestation of the Lord Maitreya through his chosen vehicle had begun.
The reputed manifestation of the World Teacher prompted a number of celebratory statements and assertions by prominent Theosophists that were not unanimously accepted by Society members. One result was the persistence of controversy regarding the project. Besant and the rest of the International Leadership of the Society largely managed to contain the dissenters and the controversy, but in the process sustained unflattering publicity. However the World Teacher Project was also receiving serious and neutral coverage in the global media, and according to reports it was followed sympathetically and with interest by non-Theosophists.
In related developments following the perceived manifestation, Besant announced in January 1927, "The World Teacher is here", and many members expected Krishnamurti's unequivocal public proclamation of his messianic status. Reflecting the new situation, in June 1927 the name of the organization was changed to Order of the Star, headquartered in Eerde, with close Krishnamurti associate and friend D. Rajagopal serving as the Chief Organizer. The renamed order had two objectives:
- To draw together all those who believe in the Presence of the World Teacher in the world.
- To work with Him for the establishment of His ideas.
Complementing the reorganization and the proclamations of the World Teacher's manifestation, in 1928 the so-called World Mother Project, headed by Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, and also an activist for animal rights and welfare....
(George Arundale's young wife), was put in motion by Theosophical leaders. Krishnamurti again distanced himself from this project, which the Indian and international press dubbed "Mrs. Besant's New Fad", and it was to be short-lived.
By the late 1920s, Krishnamurti's emphasis in public talks and private discussions had changed. He had been gradually discarding or contradicting Theosophical concepts and terminology, disagreeing with leading Theosophists, and talking less about the expected World Teacher. This shift in emphasis mirrored fundamental changes in Krishnamurti as a person, including his increasing disenchantment with the World Teacher Project, which led to a complete reevaluation of his continuing association with it, the Theosophical Society, and Theosophy in general. Finally, he disbanded the Order at Eerde, Ommen on 3 August 1929, in front of a radio audience, about 3,000 members, and Besant herself. The Order had about 60,000 members at the time. In his speech dissolving the organization, Krishnamurti said:
Despite the changes in Krishnamurti's outlook and pronouncements during the years leading to these events, the Dissolution of the Order and the ending of the World Teacher Project were unexpected by the great majority of their supporters and by Theosophists in general, and came as a complete shock. Following the Dissolution, prominent Theosophists openly or under various guises turned against Krishnamurti including Leadbeater, who reputedly stated that "the Coming had gone wrong".
Soon after the Dissolution Krishnamurti severed his ties to Theosophy and the Theosophical Society. He denounced the concept of saviors, leaders and spiritual teachers. Vowing to work towards setting humankind "absolutely, unconditionally free", he repudiated any and all doctrines or theories of inner, spiritual and psychological evolution like those implied in the Theosophical tenets described above. He instead posited that his goal of complete psychological freedom can be realized only through the understanding of individuals' actual relationships with themselves, society, and nature.
Krishnamurti returned to the donors the estates, property, and funds that had been gifted to the Order in its various incarnations, and spent the rest of his life promoting his post-Theosophical message around the world as an independent speaker and writer. He became widely known as an original, influential thinker on philosophical, psychological, and religious subjects.
In 1907 the first year for which reliable records were kept the worldwide membership of the Theosophical Society was estimated at over 15,000. During the following two decades years the membership suffered due to splits and resignations, but in the late 1920s it was steadily rising again; membership eventually peaked in 1928 at about 45,000. The membership of the Order in its various guises was rising steadily through the years and was apparently still doing so at the time of its dissolution. Many members of the OSE were also members of the Theosophical Society; consequently, as many as a third of the members of the Theosophical Society left "within a few years" of Krishnamurti's disbanding of the Order. In the opinion of a Krishnamurti biographer, the Society, already in decline for other reasons, "was in disarray" upon the dissolution of the Order. While many Theosophical publications and leading members tried to minimize both the effect of Krishnamurti's actions and the defunct Order's importance, the "truth ... was that the Theosophical Society had been pole-axed. ... had combatively challenged the central tenet of its beliefs".
The failed project lead to considerable analysis and retrospective evaluations by the Society and by well-known Theosophists, at that time and since. It also resulted in governance changes in the Theosophical Society Adyar
Theosophical Society Adyar
The Theosophy Society - Adyar is the name of a section of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883...
, a reorientation of its Esoteric Section, reexamination of parts of its doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
, and reticence to outside questions regarding the OSE and the World Teacher Project. In the opinion of one observer, Theosophical organizations, especially the Theosophical Society Adyar
Theosophical Society Adyar
The Theosophy Society - Adyar is the name of a section of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883...
, by the close of the 20th century had yet to recover from Krishnamurti's rejection and the entire World Teacher affair, and entered the 21st still dealing with their effects.
External links
From katinkahesselink.net, an independent website by a member of Theosophical Society AdyarTheosophical Society Adyar
The Theosophy Society - Adyar is the name of a section of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883...
. Scroll to section "Material from before the of the order of the star". Katinka Hesselink.
Extensive information on the relationship between Krishnamurti and the Theosophical Society from Alpheus, an independent website. "Alpheus is a Web site dedicated to esoteric and other alternative interpretations of history." Govert W. Schuller
Govert Schüller
Govert Schüller is a Dutch-American author who writes about Jiddu Krishnamurti and Theosophy. He studied philosophy at the University of Leiden and the University of Amsterdam...
.