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ORDER OF THE STAR IN THE EAST |
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by Wikipedia
The
Central Hindu College and Mrs. Besant, by Sri Bhagavan Das
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 the World Teacher or
Maitreya. The precursor of the OSE was the Order of the Rising Sun
(1910-1911) and the successor was the Order of the Star (1927-1929).
The founding, as well as the disbanding of the Order in 1929, led to
crises in the Theosophical Society.
History
Prehistory
One of the founders of modern-era Theosophy and of the Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky, wrote about its future in the Key to Theosophy:
Following the original publication of the book in
1889, and based on this passage, many Theosophists anticipated the
advent of Maitreya.[2] Blavatsky had also founded, and led, the
so-called Esoteric Section of the Society, whose main purpose was to
inform and prepare select members of the Society about the expected
World Teacher. [3]
Sometime in late April or early May 1909,[4] one of
the members of the Esoteric Section instructed on the World Teacher,
the high-ranking Theosophist and occultist C.W. Leadbeater,
encountered 14 year old Jiddu Krishnamurti on the private beach
attached to the headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar.
At the time, Krishnamurti's father was employed by the Society, and
the family lived next to the compound. Leadbeater came to believe
young Krishnamurti was a suitable candidate for the "vehicle" of the
supposed soon-to-reappear World Teacher, and placed him under his
and the Society's wing. In late 1909, Annie Besant, then President
of the Society and head of its Esoteric Section, admitted
Krishnamurti into both [5] and in March 1910 she became his legal
guardian. [6]
Order of the Rising Sun
Annie Besant had started commenting on the possible imminent arrival of the World Teacher in 1896, several years before her assumption of the Society's presidency in 1907. By 1909 the "coming" Teacher was a main topic of her lectures and writings.[7][8] In late 1910 the Order of the Rising Sun was founded by prominent theosophist George Arundale (the official founding date was in January 1911). The organization was generally focused on the expected World Teacher, yet the newly "discovered" Krishnamurti was - somewhat obliquely - at the center of its attention. [2]
Order of the Star in the East
Membership Card of the Order of the Star in the
East (Dutch Section).
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" [Jiddu
Krishnamurti] "was the Head, Arundale Private Secretary to the Head,
and Wodehouse Organizing Secretary". [9] [10]
In December 1911 during a ceremony officiated by
Krishnamurti at the close of the annual Theosophical Convention,
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". [11]
In 1912 Krishnamurti's father sued Annie Besant in
order to annul her guardianship of Krishnamurti, 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. [12]
Because the German Section, under the General
Secretaryship of Dr. Steiner, opposed the pushing of the Order of
the Star in the East within the Theosophical Society in Germany,
Mrs. Besant, as President of the Theosophical Society, in March,
1913, dischartered and expelled from the Theosophical Society the
whole of that Section with all its Branches and over two thousand
members, cancelling the diplomas of all these. [14] Most of the
German Section left with Dr. Steiner and the Antroposophical Society was formed.
In 1913 some members of the OSE had to leave the
Central Hindu College (CHC) in Varanasi, because the activities of
the Order were deemed "unacademical". [14]
The goal of the Order was to remove the mechanical,
material obstacles and difficulties from the path of the World
Teacher. Most of the members were also members of the Theosophical
Society; [2] however, membership was open to anyone, the only
precondition being acceptance of the Order's Six Principles.
The Six Principles
The six principles of the Order of the Star in the
East were: [15]
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 many countries, with
official bulletins eventually appearing in twenty-one of them, in
fourteen different languages. [16] [2]
Order of the Star
In June 1927 the name of the organization was changed to Order of the Star, headquartered in Ommen, the Netherlands. In ongoing developments, Besant had proclaimed in January 1927 that "the World Teacher is here", [17] and many members expected Krishnamurti's unequivocal public proclamation of his messianic status. The renamed order had two objectives: [18]
However, Krishnamurti's emphasis, in public talks and
private discussions, had changed, and he talked less about the
expected World Teacher. This shift in emphasis mirrored fundamental
changes in Krishnamurti as a person, including his gradual
disenchantment with the "World Teacher Project", which led to a
complete reevaluation of his continuing association with it. [19]
Finally, he disbanded the Order in Ommen on 3 August 1929, in front
of about 3000 members [20] [21] and Besant herself. The Order had
about 60000 members at the time. In his speech dissolving the
organization, Krishnamurti said:
Krishnamurti denounced the concept of saviors,
leaders and spiritual teachers, and soon after the dissolution
severed his ties to Theosophy and the Theosophical Society. [23] He
returned to donors estates, property, and funds that had been gifted
to the Order in its various incarnations, [24] and spent the rest of
his life pursuing an independent course, becoming widely known as an
original, influential thinker and speaker on philosophical and
religious subjects.
Consequences
In 1907 - the first year for which reliable records were kept [25] -- the worldwide membership of the Theosophical Society was estimated at over 15000; membership peaked in 1928 at about 45000. [26] Many members of the OSE were also members of the Theosophical Society; [27] 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. [28] [2]
Notes
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