Theosophy across Boundaries: Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on a Modern Esoteric Movement (SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions)

__Offers a new approach to Theosophy that takes into account its global dimensions and its interaction with highly diverse cultural contexts.__ Contents List of Illustrations Introduction Theosophy across Boundaries A Brief History of the Theosophical Society Summary of Part One: New Perspectives on Theosophy Summary of Part Two: Theosophy in Literature, the Arts, and Politics Notes References Part I New Perspectives on Theosophy Chapter 1 Western Esotericism and the Orient in the First Theosophical Society The First Theosophical Society The Theosophical Microbe: George Henry Felt The Other Woman: Emma Hardinge Britten Mysteries of Authorship and the Orphic Circle The Contents of Art Magic and Ghost Land India in the Early Theosophical Imagination Conclusion Notes References Chapter 2 Hinduism, Theosophy, and the Bhagavad Gita within a Global Religious History of the Nineteenth Century 1. Bhagavad Gita in Precolonial India 2. Bhagavad Gita and Europe 3. Bhagavad Gita and the United States 4. Theosophy and the Bhagavad Gita 4.1. Christianity and the Bhagavad Gita 4.2. Bhagavad Gita and “Eastern” Wisdom 4.2.1. “Busiris the Ancient” 4.2.2. Early Theosophy and Bhagavad Gita 4.2.3. Theosophical Orientation toward the Bhagavad Gita 4.2.4. Theosophical Appropriation of the Arnold Translation of the Bhagavad Gita 4.2.5. Interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita by Indian Theosophists 5. Hinduism and the Bhagavad Gita 6. Political Bhagavad Gita 6.1. Krishna as the “Ideal Man” 6.2. Bhagavad Gita as a Call for Armed Resistance 6.3. Bhagavad Gita and the Ethics of Action 7. Conclusion: Bhagavad Gita and Global Religious History Notes References Chapter 3 Theosophying the Vietnamese Religious Landscape Introduction 1. The Establishment of the Theosophical Society in Cochinchina (1928–1975) The Beginning The Leadbeater Branch Postwar Developments 2. “The Path That Leads to the Masters of Wisdom”: Translation and Circulation of Models Buddhist Messianic Dynamics Theosophical Literature: Translation and Exegesis The Vietnamese Lodges at the Intersection of the International Theosophical Society Network 3. Theosophying the Vietnamese Religious Landscape Reimagining Buddhist Philanthropy and Preaching Recasting and Laicizing Meditation Conclusion Notes References Chapter 4 Theosophical Movements in Modern China Introduction The Early Theosophical Movement in Modern China After Wu’s Death The Besant School in Shanghai Conclusion Notes References Chapter 5 Absence Unveiled? Introduction Academic Evaluation of the Theosophical Society Historical Insignificance or Unexplained Absence? Theosophical Historiography, A. P. Sinnett, and the Masters Spiritualism, Occultism, and the Truth? Critics and Defenders of the Mahatmas The Septenary Consitution Crossing the Boundary—T. Subba Row Conclusion Notes References Chapter 6 Affinity and Estrangement Introduction Cosmopolitan Theosophical Affinities Estrangement: Reformulating Transnational Spiritual Affinities for Secular Agendas Summary Notes References Chapter 7 “To Study Judaism in the Light of Theosophy and Theosophy in the Light of Judaism” 1. Introduction 2. Jewish Theosophists and the Association of Hebrew Theosophists 3. The Jewish Identities of the Hebrew Theosophists 4. “To Study Judaism in the Light of Theosophy”: The Mission to Jews 5. “To Study Theosophy in the Light of Judaism”: The Mission to the Gentiles Conclusion Notes References Part II Theosophy in Literature, The Arts, and Politics Chapter 8 International Religious Organizations in a Colonial World Introduction The Theosophical and Maha-­Bodhi Societies as International Religious Organizations Local Actors, Movements, and Organizations Arakanese and the Early Days of the Maha-­Bodhi Society Shin Chandra and the Maha-­Bodhi Society Arakanese Networks in the Maha-­Bodhi Society Arakan and Chittagong The Arakanese Maha-­Bodhi Society: Asserting Independence Through Religion? Asserting Independence from the International Maha-­Bodhi Society A European Buddhist in Arakan Conclusion: From Arakan to Ambedkar Coda Notes Journals Consulted References Chapter 9 Euro-­Asian Political Activist and Spiritual Seeker Introduction 1. Early Life and Political Activism 2. Paul Richard as a Spiritual Seeker in Asia 3. Paul Richard and Theosophy Conclusion Notes References Chapter 10 An Irish Theosophist’s Pan-­Asianism or Fant-­asia? 1. Synaesthesia Echoed by Fantasia (1940) 2. Cousins, Belated or Unintentional Benefactor 3. Cousins’s Appreciation of Koumé and Gurcharan Singh’s Appropriation of Cousins? 4. Gurcharan Singh’s Appropriation of Cousins? 5. Gurcharan Singh’s Lotus Pattern: from Aryan to Asian? Notes References Chapter 11 Theosophy as a Transnational Network Introduction The Theosophical Society in 1920s Tokyo Noémi Pernessin Raymond and Theosophy Stefan Łubienski Theosophy and Artists The Golconde Dormitory Project Conclusion Notes References Chapter 12 From Healer to Shaman 1. Introduction: The Hidden Influence of Theosophy on Balinese Tradition 2. The Esotericization of Balinese Medicine 3. Esoteric Bali as Part of the Spiritual Trail 4. “Indian Bali” as a Product of Colonial History 5. The Coming of Theosophy 6. Conclusion: Across all Boundaries—Theosophy and Esotericism in Bali Notes References Chapter 13 Effects of Theosophy on Russian Cultural History General Introduction Russian Freemasons as Trailblazers for Theosophy in Russia The First Wave of Theosophical Aspirations in Russia in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (a Historical Overview) Theosophy in Russia after the Revolutions of 1917 Theosophy and Its Effects on Russian Intellectual Art and Literature Prospective Research Directions Notes References Contributors Index Theosophy across Boundaries brings a global history approach to the study of esotericism, highlighting the important role of Theosophy in the general histories of religion, science, philosophy, art, and politics. The first half of the book consists of seven perspectives on the activities of the Theosophical Society in very different regional contexts, ranging from India, Vietnam, China, and Japan to Victorian Britain and Israel, shedding new light on the entanglement of "Western" and "Oriental" ideas around 1900. The second half explores specific cultural influences that Theosophy exerted in the spheres of literature, art, and politics, using case studies from Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Japan, Ireland, Germany, and Russia. The examples clearly show that Theosophy was part of a truly global movement, thus providing an outstanding example of the complex entanglements of the global religious history of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.