Henry Steel Olcott
Henry Steel Olcott was born on the 2nd of August 1832 in Orange, New Jersey. He grew up as the oldest of six children on his father's farm. His early education took him to the College of the City of New York and later Columbia University. A family business failure in 1851 forced him to leave university before completing his degree. During his teens he lived in Amherst, Ohio where relatives introduced him to spiritualism. They had formed a circle after seeing the Fox sisters perform in Cleveland. This exposure sparked his interest in psychology, hypnotism, psychometry, and mesmerism. In 1853 he returned to New York and became a founding member of the New York Conference of Spiritualists. He published letters under the pseudonym "Amherst" in the Spiritual Telegraph. From 1858 to 1860 he served as an agricultural correspondent for the New York Tribune. He witnessed John Brown's execution while working as a journalist. The Civil War saw him serve in the US Army and later as Special Commissioner of the War Department. He rose to the rank of colonel and transferred to the Department of the Navy in Washington DC. After the war he assisted in investigating the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He married Mary Epplee Morgan in 1860 and they had four children though two died in infancy.
Olcott met Helena Blavatsky in 1874 while visiting the Eddy farm in Chittenden, Vermont. Both were drawn to the spirit materializations performed by the Eddy Brothers. His investigation of their séances appeared in the New York Sun and was republished by other papers like the New York Daily Graphic. This article formed the basis of his 1874 publication People from the Other World. In early 1875 Olcott joined Blavatsky and William Quan Judge to form the Theosophical Society in New York City. He provided financial support during the society's earliest years while acting as president. Blavatsky served as Secretary during this initial period. By December 1878 the leadership decided to move the headquarters to India. They arrived at Bombay on the 16th of February 1879. The new base was established at Adyar in Chennai where they started the Adyar Library and Research Centre. Olcott sought translations of sacred oriental texts available through western research. He aimed to avoid Westernized interpretations common in America. He corresponded extensively with Max Müller about Hinduism and Buddhism. He also personally met both Müller and Edward Burnett Tylor at Oxford University.
Olcott and Blavatsky arrived in Colombo on the 16th of May 1880 after a two-year correspondence with Sri Piyaratana Tissa Mahanayake Thero. On the 19th of May 1880 they took the Five Precepts at Wijayananda Viharaya located at Weliwatta in Galle. This ceremony formally acknowledged them as Buddhists though they had previously declared themselves so while still living in America. During his time in Sri Lanka he strove to revive Buddhism within the region. He compiled Buddhist tenets for the education of Westerners. The Theosophical Society built several schools including Ananda College in 1886. They founded Dharmaraja College Kandy in 1887 and Maliyadeva College Kurunegala in 1888. Mahinda College Galle followed in 1892. Olcott acted as an adviser to the committee that designed a Buddhist flag in 1885. The flag later became a symbol adopted by the World Fellowship of Buddhists. It serves today as the universal flag of all Buddhist traditions. Vice President Samitha Seneviratne stated that Olcott's contribution remains in their hearts forever. His efforts created a renaissance in the study of Buddhism across the island.
Olcott composed the Buddhist Catechism in 1881 which outlines basic doctrines like the life of the Buddha. The text uses question and answer format similar to Christian catechisms. It treats how the Buddha's message correlates with contemporary society. David McMahan noted that Olcott allied Buddhism with scientific rationalism. This approach implicitly criticized orthodox Christianity while going beyond conventional science. He used scientific reasoning to synthesize and present Buddhist religion. A chapter titled "Buddhism and Science" clearly demonstrates this method. His work represents one of the earliest attempts to combine scientific understanding with Buddhist faith. The interrelationship he saw paralleled his Theosophical approach to show scientific bases for supernatural phenomena. These included auras, hypnosis, and Buddhist miracles. Stephen Prothero described him as the most Protestant of early Protestant Buddhists. His Europeanized view influenced Sri Lankan leaders such as Anagarika Dharmapala. Olcott helped financially support the Buddhist presence at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. This inclusion allowed expansion of Buddhism within Europe and America. His interpretation was along modern liberal ideas promoted by British colonial power. He saw the Buddha as a figure full of benevolence and tolerance who promoted brotherhood among all men.
Olcott published numerous works spanning from agricultural lectures to religious texts. Sorgho and Imphee appeared in 1857 followed by Outlines of the first course of Yale agricultural lectures in 1860. Descendents of Thomas Olcott came out in 1872 while Human Spirits and Elementaries arrived in 1875. People from the other world was published by American Publishing Co. in Hartford that same year. The Buddhist Catechism emerged from Madras in 1881 and remains in use today. Theosophy, Religion, and Occult Science appeared in New York in 1885. Old Diary Leaves spanned six volumes released between 1895 and later years. The Hindu Dwaita Catechism followed in 1886 and The Golden Rules of Buddhism in 1887. The kinship between Hinduism and Buddhism was published by The Maha-Bodhi society in Calcutta in 1893. Later works included The Poor Pariah in 1902 and The Life of the Buddha and its Lessons in 1912. He also wrote The Spirit of Zoroastrianism which appeared in 1913. A reprint of Inside the occult about Madame H. P. Blavatsky surfaced in Philadelphia in 1975. These publications shaped modern Buddhist thought and preserved his unique perspective on Eastern traditions.
Olcott served as President of the Theosophical Society until his death on the 17th of February 1907. Two major streets in Colombo and Galle bear his name as Olcott Mawatha. Statues stand erected in both cities to commemorate him. Many Buddhist schools he helped found possess commemorative statues honoring his contribution to education. On the 10th of September 2011 a statue was unveiled at a Buddhist temple near Princeton, New Jersey. His death date is remembered by Buddhist centers and Sunday schools in present-day Sri Lanka. It is also observed in Theosophical communities around the globe. Olcott believed himself to be Asia's savior who would save a disenchanted subcontinent from spiritual death. The effort to revitalize Buddhism within Sri Lanka influenced many native intellectuals. His interpretation provided social motivation for efforts to overturn colonialist attempts to ignore Buddhism. Anagarika Dharmapala remained an associate throughout their shared awareness of the divide between East and West. Stephen Prothero wrote that Olcott gave the revival movement its organizational shape and emphasis on education-as-character-building. He passed this creole tradition to a whole generation of Sinhalese students educated in his schools.
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Common questions
When was Henry Steel Olcott born and where did he grow up?
Henry Steel Olcott was born on the 2nd of August 1832 in Orange, New Jersey. He grew up as the oldest of six children on his father's farm.
What role did Henry Steel Olcott play in founding the Theosophical Society?
Henry Steel Olcott joined Helena Blavatsky and William Quan Judge to form the Theosophical Society in New York City in early 1875. He provided financial support during the society's earliest years while acting as president until his death on the 17th of February 1907.
How did Henry Steel Olcott contribute to Buddhism in Sri Lanka after arriving in 1880?
Henry Steel Olcott arrived in Colombo on the 16th of May 1880 and took the Five Precepts at Wijayananda Viharaya located at Weliwatta in Galle on the 19th of May 1880. He strove to revive Buddhism within the region by compiling Buddhist tenets for Westerners and building several schools including Ananda College in 1886.
Which books did Henry Steel Olcott publish that combined science with religious thought?
Henry Steel Olcott composed the Buddhist Catechism in 1881 which outlines basic doctrines like the life of the Buddha using a question and answer format. His work represents one of the earliest attempts to combine scientific understanding with Buddhist faith through texts such as Theosophy, Religion, and Occult Science published in 1885.
What memorials exist today honoring Henry Steel Olcott in Sri Lanka and New Jersey?
Two major streets in Colombo and Galle bear his name as Olcott Mawatha while statues stand erected in both cities to commemorate him. On the 10th of September 2011 a statue was unveiled at a Buddhist temple near Princeton, New Jersey to honor his legacy.