Memorial statue of Col. Henry Steel Olcott at Mahinda College
World history finds its greatness and attraction through the services rendered by philanthropists. A person whoever he is achieves greatness through ideologies borne in his mind and to the extent of effectiveness and favorable consequences resulting there from.
If there is a list of people who were capable of uplifting the Sinhala Buddhists who were helpless due to colonial rule, although their forefathers enjoyed sublime virtues enriched with the advent of Arahath Mahinda, the name of Henry Steel Oclott to be written on the top. His achievement in reestablishing a golden era in Sri Lanka makes really great and sublime. February 17th marks the 103rd death anniversary of Col. Henry Steele Olcott who was able to create history through his revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
He clamoured and awakened a nation that was fast asleep without any vigour to rise up. He was the pioneer who agitated to give due place to Buddhism and the reformer who compelled the colonial government that existed at that time to declare the Vesak Full Moon Day, a public holiday. He was the architect who designed the six coloured Buddhist Flag that has gained universal recognition. He was the pioneer who was responsible for the establishment of National Schools as Ananda and Nalanda Colleges in Colombo, Mahinda College in Galle, Rahula College in Matara, Dharmaraja College in Kandy, Maliyadewa College in Kurunegala, Dharmashoka College in Ambalangoda, and Dharmapala College in Pannipitiya. Olcott, whose contribution towards the betterment of our country, nation, religion, justice and good conduct has been so great, therefore remains in our hearts forever.
Col Olcott was an American. However when we look into his clan, we note that his parents were English and had migrated to America. He was the eldest of a family of six siblings. This great child was born on August 2, 1832 in Orange, New Jersey. Henry was the oldest son of six children born to a Presbyterian businessman Henry Wyckoff Olcott and his wife Emily Steel Olcott. As a child, Olcott lived on his father’s New Jersey farm.
During his teens he attended first the College of the City of New York and then Columbia University, where he joined the St. Anthony Hall fraternity, a milieu of well-known people, until his father’s business failed during 1851 Unfortunately, he had to leave the university since his father could not afford the tuition.
In 1860 he married Mary Epplee Morgan, daughter of the rector of Trinity parish, New Rochelle, New York. They had four children, two of which died in infancy. Olcott was the agricultural correspondent for the New York Tribune and The Mark Lane Express from 1858 to 1860, and he sometimes submitted newspaper articles on various other subjects. He also published a genealogy of his family that traced him back to Thomas Olcott, one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut in 1636.
Henry Olcott in 1884
He served in the US Army during the American Civil War and afterward was admitted as the Special Commissioner of the War Department in New York. He was later promoted to the rank of Colonel and transferred to the Navy Department in Washington, DC. He was well respected, and in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Olcott assisted in the investigation. In 1868 he became a lawyer specializing in insurance, revenue, and fraud.
In 1874 he became aware of the séances of the Eddy brothers of Chittenden, Vermont. His aroused interest motivated Olcott to commission an article from the New York Sun, allowing him to investigate the Eddy Farms. His article was popular enough that other papers, such as the New York Daily Graphic, ran it. His 1874 publication of People from the Other World began with his early articles concerning the Spiritualist movement.
In 1874, while writing this series of articles, Olcott met Helena Blavatsky when both of them visited the Eddy farm. His foundational interest in the Spiritualist movement and his budding relationship with Blavatsky helped foster his development of spiritual philosophy.
Although, he was a Christian by birth, came across a copy of the Panadura controversy by Rev. Migettuwaththe Gunananda Thera, in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). He who was in search of the Truth and found it in Buddhist philosophy highlighted in this famous controversy. Olcott’s official conversion to Buddhism is considered the first among American Buddhists. Olcott once described his adult faith as “pure, primitive Buddhism, but his was a unique sort of Buddhism.
Olcott was the first well-known person of European ancestry to make a formal conversion to Buddhism. His subsequent actions as president of the Theosophical Society helped create a renaissance in the study of Buddhism. Olcott is considered a Buddhist modernist for his efforts in interpreting Buddhism through a Westernized lens. Olcott confinued to act as a lawyer during the first few years of the establishment of the Theosophical Society, in addition to being the financial supporter of the new religious movement. In early 1875 Olcott was asked by important Spiritualists to investigate an accusation of fraud against the mediums Jenny and Nelson Holmes, who had claimed to materialize the famous spirit control Kafie King (Doyle 1926: volume 1, 269-277)
From 1874 on, Olcoff’s spiritual growth and development with Blavatsky and other spiritual leaders would lead to the founding of the Theosophical Society. In 1875, Olcott, Blavatsky, and others, notably William Quan Judge, formed the Theosophical Society in New York City, USA. Olcott financially supported the earliest years of the Theosophical Society and was acting President while Blavatsky served as the Society’s Secretary.
H. P. Blavatsky and H. S. Olcott in their last meeting
In December 1878 they left New York in order to move the headquarters of the Society to India. They landed at Bombay on February 16, 1879. Olcott set out to experience the native country of his spiritual leader, the Buddha. The headquarters of the Society were established at Adyar, Chennai as the Theosophical Society Adyar, starting also the Adyar Library and Research Centre within the headquarters.
While in India, Olcott strove to receive original translations of texts which had grown in popularity as a result of colonialist collections of sacred Oriental texts. His intent was to avoid the Westernized interpretations often encountered in America, and to discover the pure message of texts from the Buddhist, Hindu, and Zoroastrian religions, in order to properly educate Westerners. Helena Blavatsky standing behind Henry Steel Olcott (middle seated) and Damodar Mavalankar (seated to his leff) in Bombay 1881.
Col Olcott made an extensive study of Buddhism. Consequently with a team of people, including Madam Blavatsky came to Ceylon on May 17, 1880 and at Vijayananda, Pirivana at Weliwatta Galle, Col. Olcott and Madam Blavatsky became true Buddhists by accepting the triple Gem and observing Panchaseela, from Rev. Akmeemana Dharmarama, Chief Monk. The Weliwatta Maha Vidyalaya which was located next to the Vijayananda, Pirivana later named as “Olcott Maha Vidyalaya, Weliwatta, Galle.
Through his close association with intellectuals such as Rev. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala, Chief Monk, Rev. Miggattuwatte Gunananda Thera and Rev. Waskaduwe Sri Subuthi Thera, Col. Olcott realised the sad plight of the Sinhala Buddhists at that time. Considering the gravity of this, he thought of the need to unite and create a formidable workforce to actiant.
He realised the need to provide Buddhist children with an appropriate Buddhist environment through a systematic objective, he established the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society on June 17, 1880.He thought that the future prosperity of the nation will depend on the good conduct and education of the living children, and therefore purchased a building at Maliban Street, where the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society office was established and subsequently used the same building where an English school was established with 37 children. W. Lead Beater was appointed Principal.
Mr. Lead Beater, an Englishman, provided education free of charge till 1889. After 1889 A.E. Bultjours was appointed principal and when the number of children increased and the school was shifted to Maradana, present day Ananda College which became one of the foremost Buddhist colleges in Sri Lanka, found its beginning’s at a small hall in Pettah. This was through the foresight and wisdom of Col Olcott. Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society was able to establish many Buddhist schools.
During his time in Ceylon, Olcott strove to revive Buddhism within the region, while compiling the tenets of Buddhism for the education of Westerners. It was during this period that he wrote the Buddhist Catechism (1881), which is still used today.With a sense of pride we have to point out to the country that as a result of pursuing the thinking of Col. Olcott, Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society was able to establish 460 Buddhist schools, including leading colleges such as Ananda, Nalanda, Dharmapala, Dharmaraja, Mahinda, Dharmashoka, Maliyadewa, Rahula, Visakha Musaeus, and Mahamaya.
Olcott also acted as an adviser to the committee appointed to design a Buddhist flag in 1885. The Buddhist flag which was designed with the assistance of Olcott was later adopted as a symbol by the World Fellowship of Buddhists, as well as the universal flag of all Buddhist traditions.
Amid various adversities, difficulties, obstacles, great men like Col Olcott who directed towards advancement at a stage when Sinhala Buddhists had forgotten their good culture and traditions, it is our duty to commemorate them with a sense of deep gratitude.
H. S. Olcott with Buddhist group
Younger generation in particular must be knowledgeable about the excellent qualifiesofthis great leader, abouthislife and history and follow his path leading to advancement of our country. Our nation was gifted with heroines and heroes, such as Viharamaha Devi, Dutugemunu, Parakramabahu the Great We can remember the manner in which even great person like Anagarika Dharmapala was brought to the forefront with the able guidance of this rare type of great men like Col Olcott and in that we observe that differences such as religion, race or caste or black or white are not at all barriers, when such great men go in search of the Truth.
Col Olcott made every endeavour to awaken the Buddhists and to impress English rulers to prove that Sinhalese are a great race, although he belonged to a different faith. Finally at a time he was able to see that his efforts have become fruitful, he became very happy and expressed his sentiments before Rev. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Chief Monk, whom Col. Olcott considered as teacher.
Seeds have been sown. These have grown and become large trees, my dear Rev. Sir no one on this earth or above can stop its growth and fruition in the future.
The Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society, their founder Col. Henry Steele Olcott had made arrangements to start conservation work of the old building where Col. Olcott lived and used as Old Ananda College by Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage.
Helena Blavatsky eventually went to live in London where she died in 1891, but Olcott stayed in India and pursued the work of the Theosophical Society there. Olcoffs role in the Theosophical Society would still be as President, but the induction of Annie Besant sparked a new era of the movement. Upon his death, the Theosophical Society elected her to take over as President and leader of the movement.
Olcott was a major revivalist of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and he is still honoured in Sri Lanka for these efforts. Olcott has been called by Sri Lankans one of the heroes in the struggle of our independence and a pioneer of the present religious, national and cultural revival.