The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are claimed to be

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beings originally identified by the Theosophists Helena Blavatsky,

Henry S. Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott was the first well-known American of Euro ...

, Alfred Percy Sinnett, and others. These Theosophists claimed to have met some of The Masters during their lifetimes in different parts of the world.Leadbeater, C.W. ''The Masters and the Path'' Adyar, Madras, India: 1925--Theosophical Publishing House--Diagram 5, Facing page 248, provides details about the "Great Ones" functioning on initiation levels five through nine. C.W. Leadbeater’s Spiritual Hierarchy Chart (The Bodhisattva=Maitreya) Sometimes they are referred to by Theosophists as ''Elder Brothers of the Human Race'', ''Adepts'', ''Mahatmas'', or simply as ''The Masters''. Helena Blavatsky was the first person to introduce the concept of the Masters to the West. At first she talked about them privately, but she stated that after a few years two of these adepts,

Kuthumi Koot Hoomi (also spelled Kuthumi, and frequently referred to simply as K.H.) is said to be one of the Mahatmas that inspired the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875. In Theosophy it is believed that he engaged in a correspondence with ...

(K.H.) and Morya (M.), agreed to maintain a correspondence with two British Theosophists– Alfred P. Sinnett and

A. O. Hume Allan Octavian Hume, CB ICS (4 June 1829 – 31 July 1912) was a British civil servant, political reformer, ornithologist and botanist who worked in British India. He was the founder of the Indian National Congress. A notable ornithologist, Hum ...

. This communication took place from 1880 to 1885, and during those years the reputed existence and objectives of the Mahatmas became public. The original letters are currently kept in the British Library in London and have been published as the '' Mahatma Letters''.

Skeptical view

K. Paul Johnson Kenneth Paul Johnson (born 1953) is a retired public library director from southern Virginia, and a writer on modern Western esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, i ...

suggests in his book ''The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood'' that the Masters that Madam Blavatsky claimed she had personally met are idealizations of certain people she had met during her lifetime.Johnson, K. Paul ''The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood'' Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press

References

* Campbell, Bruce F. ''A History of the Theosophical Movement'' Berkeley:1980 University of California Press * Godwin, Joscelyn ''The Theosophical Enlightenment'' Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press * Johnson, K. Paul ''The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood'' Albany, New York: 1994 State University of New York Press * Melton, J. Gordon ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'' 5th Edition New York:1996 Gale Research ISSN 1066-1212 Chapter 18--"The Ancient Wisdom Family of Religions" Pages 151-158; see chart on page 154 listing ''Masters of the Ancient Wisdom''; Also see Section 18, Pages 717-757 Descriptions of various Ancient Wisdom religious organizations * Sender, Pablo ''Mahatmas versus Ascended Masters'' Wheaton, Il:Quest Summer 2011, The Theosophical Society in America
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Masters Of The Ancient Wisdom Esoteric cosmology Theosophy Theosophical philosophical concepts

Skeptical view

See also

References

Further reading