Part II
The Great White Brotherhood in the philosophical, ethical
and spiritual teachings of the XX-XI centuries
In the teaching of the Roerichs
S.N. Roerich. The
portraits of H.I. and N.K. Roerich’s
The concept of the “White Brotherhood” became a key concept in the teaching of “Living Ethics”, or Agni Yoga by Nicholas K. Roerich and Helena I.
Roerich. Helena I. Roerich claimed that “each Brother of the White Brotherhood has many names.” Thus, the Great
White Brotherhood includes “Kumaras” - deities known in Hinduism and Buddhism:
“…the Sons of Flame, Sons of Brahma, the Great Rishis, the Kumaras, the
first Teachers and Kings, the Founders of religions, leaders and philosophers
etc.— all of them are the same Seven Greatest Individualities, who manifest in
their various aspects on our Earth, and today, They actually form the Kernel of
the White Brotherhood.” [1].
H.P .Blavatsky, A. Besant, N.K. Roerich and H.I. Roerich described the
messages of the “invisible teachers
of humanity”[2], and also believed in the existence of an invisible world Government
of Light on Earth, which is headed by the Great White Brotherhood. At the same
time, H.I. Roerich considered the Great White Brotherhood to be the “Center of evolution” on Earth.
N.K. Roerich.
Maitreya.
L. V. Shaposhnikova in the preface to the book Abode of Light describes
the role of the Great White Brotherhood in the worldview of N.K. Roerich:
“The Great Teachers
who brought knowledge to humanity in one form or another and contributed to the
awareness of the upcoming changes caused by the energy processes of cosmic
evolution, have passed through the entire history of mankind. They were the
ones in whom the cosmic forces that advance evolution at all its levels were personified. Without them, such advancement would not have taken
place. The Great teachers were spiritual mentors, religious reformers, and
discoverers of new knowledge. The names of many of them are well known to us:
Buddha and Jesus, Zoroaster and Nagarjuna, Krishna and Hermes, and many others.
Each of them had its own step on the hierarchical ladder of the spiritualized
Cosmos. The Roerich Teachers also have their high place there. This conditional
ladder is endless and goes up into Infinity. Both Disciples and Teachers of
Teachers are on it.”[3].
H.I. Roerich believed that “the White
Brotherhood has its Abode of Light, or Heavenly Shambhala, in the Subtle World,
but also, as a reflection of it, Earthly Shambhala in the impregnable
Trans-Himalayan Stronghold.”[4].
The organizations in America
Further transfer of knowledge took place through the Messengers of the
Brotherhood, most of whom were located on the territory of America.
Modern esoteric teachings differ from the works of the 19th
to early 20th century by a simpler presentation describing the spiritual and
moral standards that should be inherent in a person. The books of modern
authors describe specific recommendations for the formation of the necessary
moral and ethical qualities, despite the difficulties of acquiring them in the
everyday life of modern civilization. In our time, the Messengers of the Great
White Brotherhood continue the tradition of transmitting the teachings.
In the 1930s, Guy W. Ballard (with a
literary pseudonym - Godfré Ray King)
and his wife Edna Ballard (Lotus Ray King) were the Accredited Messengers of
the Beloved Ascended Master Saint Germain. They transmitted the Dictations of
Saint Germain and other Ascended Masters and Cosmic Beings and then transferred
them into 20 books called “The Saint Germain Series”. Together Mr. and Mrs. Ballard founded the organization "I Am Movement" on the territory of the United States, and
published a series of books about the Great White Brotherhood, as well as
recommendations for personal spiritual development.
The "I Am Movement" became popular in the United States and
by 1938 had up to 1 million followers.
Guy and Edna Ballard(left) and Mark and Elizabeth Prophet
The Ballards transmitted many so-called Discourses of
the Ascended Masters – a Hierarchy of beings with superpowers, which included
the Masters mentioned by theosophists, such as Jesus Christ, El Morya Khan and
dozens of others, in addition to those 20
Ascended Masters of the Ancient Wisdom of the Theosophists described by Helena
Blavatsky.
It is believed that these Ascended Masters were people who had lived a
series of lives in physical bodies. But over time, They became very developed
souls, able to overcome the cycle of reincarnation and achieved Their
"ascension", becoming immortal.
In the mid-20th century, Mark and Elizabeth Claire Prophet, being in
the position of the Messengers, published an extensive Teaching of the Ascended
Masters in the books "Pearls of Wisdom" [5]. In 1958, Mark Prophet founded the organization the Summit Light
House in Washington, USA. The mission of the organization was to publish and
spread the Teachings of the Ascended Masters. According to the Prophets,
ascension is the complete unification of the purified inner self with the I AM
Presence – the real identity, which is the unique individualization of God in
each person. The purpose of the organization the Summit Lighthouse, was the
liberation of all souls who are looking for spiritual freedom, all those who
feel their own inner Divinity and want to develop it.
Prophet’s books describe the Laws of evolution and methods of personal
spiritual work, and provide a detailed description of the members of the Great
White Brotherhood in the book "The Masters and Their Retreats.”
In Russia in the 21st century
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Russian Messenger
Tatyana Mickushina presented a new philosophical and ethical Teaching,
published in the series of books "The Words of Wisdom" and "The
Book of Wisdom" [6]. This is a
holistic Teaching that provides the knowledge of the Ascended Masters to modern
people. The Teaching includes knowledge about the structure of the universe,
the interrelation of all living things, universal Laws (the Highest Moral Law,
the Law of Karma, the Law of Causes and Effects, etc.), it is also about the
need to return to universal moral values in society, a new understanding of
human evolution as the evolution of its consciousness is given. In addition to
fundamental knowledge, the Teaching includes practical advice for the life of
each person.
Tatyana Mickushina has written and published more than 70 books. The
messages of the Masters of Wisdom have been translated into 19 different languages.
The Teaching received a lot of positive feedback from scientists and
public figures.
The members of the Great White Brotherhood
Today, the Theosophical tradition countsthe following Masters to the Great White
Brotherhood: Sanat Kumara, The Great Divine
Director, El Morya, Kuthumi, Saint-Germain, Hillarion, Serapis
Bey, Jesus, Mother Mary, Quan Yin, Gautama Buddha, Shiva, Surya, Pallas Athena, Helios, Apollo, Lanto, Portia, Lanello, Babadji, Zarathustra,
Godfré, Maitreya, Lady Claire, Buddha Vairochana, Alpha, Djwal Kul, Nicholas
Roerich, John the Beloved, Padmasambhava, Elohim Peace, Moses, the Archangel
Michael, Confucius, the Goddess of Liberty, Hercules, Nada, Cyclopea, Buddha Amitambha,
The Mighty Victory, Melchizedek, Paul the Venetian, Krishna, John the Baptist,
Padre Pio and many others.
Who worked on an article for Wikipedia:
Konstantin Ovchinnikov, Tatiana Macherkevich, Victoria Erofeeva,
Natalia Limonova, Ilseyar Bikkenova, Dmitry Novoselov.
The issue was
prepared by Elena Ilyina
To be continued…
[1] Letters of E.I. Roerich, Vol.II. Internet resource: https://agniyoga.org/ay_en/Letters-of-Helena-Roerich-II.php
[2] S.V. Stulginskis. The Cosmic legends of the East. 2017, p. 224 in
Russian
[3] N.K. Roerich. The abode of light. - International Center of the Roerichs,
1992. 64 p. in Russian
[4] Helena Roerich. Agni Yoga. Living Ethics. Internet resource: https://agniyoga.org/ay_en/Agni-Yoga.php
[5] Pearls of wisdom.
Volume 1, 2. - Longfellow, 2007. Internet resource: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pearls_of_Wisdom/7uysHjvJIXgC?hl=en&gbpv=0
[6] Tatyana Mickushina. The Words of Wisdom (Volume 1-5). Internet
resource: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tatyana+mickushina+words+of+wisdom&ref=nb_sb_noss
