Annie Wood Besant (Clapham, London October 1, 1847 – India September 20, 1933) was a prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator. Besant was divorced from her clergyman husband Frank Besant, younger brother of Walter Besant, and she had to leave both her children behind. She fought for the causes she thought were right, starting with freedom of thought, women's rights, secularism (she was a leading member of the National Secular Society alongside Charles Bradlaugh), birth control, Fabian socialism and wo ...

Including:

• Annie Besant - Selected Works

Read more here: » Annie Besant: Encyclopedia - Annie Besant

Annie Besant

English born Theosophist, Indian educator and social reformer (1847-1933)

(See also: Annie Besant, Body Mind and Soul)

Annie Besant

(1847-1933) The daughter of William Wood and Emily Morris. Her father, a doctor, died when she was only five years old. Without any savings, Annie's mother found work looking after boarders at Harrow School. Mrs. Wood was unable to care for Annie and she persuaded a friend, Ellen Marryat, to take responsibility for her upbringing. In 1866 Annie met Rev. Frank Besant.

By the time she was twenty-three Annie had two children. Deeply unhappy because her independent spirit clashed with the traditional views of her husband she began to question her religious beliefs. When Annie refused to attend communion, Frank Besant ordered her to leave the family home. A legal separation was arranged. After leaving her husband Annie Besant completely rejected Christianity and in 1874 joined the Secular Society. Annie soon acquired a job working for the National Reformer and during the next few years wrote many articles on issues such as marriage and women's rights.

In 1877 Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh decided to publish The Fruits of Philosophy, Charles Knowlton's book advocating birth control. Besant and Bradlaugh were charged with publishing material that was "likely to deprave or corrupt those whose minds are open to immoral influences". They were both found guilty of publishing an "obscene libel" and sentenced to six months in prison. At the Court of Appeal the sentence was quashed.

Besant also join the socialist group, the Fabian Society, and in 1889 contributed to the influencial book, Fabian Essays. Edited by George Bernard Shaw, the book sold 27,000 copies in two years. In the 1890s Annie Besant became a supporter of Theosophy, a religious movement founded by Madame Blavatsky in 1875. While in India, Annie joined the struggle for Indian Home Rule, and during the First World War was interned by the British authorities. She died in India in 1933.

(See also: Annie Besant, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Jiddu Krishnamurti (May 12, 1895 Madanapalle, India–February 17, 1986 Ojai, California), often written as J. Krishnamurti, was discovered as a teenager by C.W. Leadbeater in India on the private beach at the Theosophical headquarters at Adyar in Chennai. He was subsequently raised by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater within the world-wide organization of the Theosophical Society, who believed him to be a vehicle for a prophesied World Teacher (see Second Coming; Maitreya Buddha). As a young man, he disavowed this destiny and a ...

Including:

• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Biography
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Youth
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - A philosophical awakening
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Later years
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Teachings
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Observation without reward
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Other Concepts
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Quotations
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Influence
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Criticism of Krishnamurti
• Jiddu Krishnamurti - Partial list of published works

Read more here: » Jiddu Krishnamurti: Encyclopedia - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Besant Nagar is one of Chennai's most eilte neighborhoods, named after the famous lady theosophist Annie Besant, and adjoins the Theosophical Society. It is a posh residential neighborhood with a lot of expensive real estate. A number of eminent personalities reside in the area. The Theosophical society and Kalakshetra are situated in adjecent areas. Besant Nagar is home to the popular Elliot's beach. You will also find some of Chennai's best known restaurants in the area -- Ponnusamy, Lee's Chinese, Eden, Murugan Idly, Karaiku ...

Including:

• Besant Nagar - Links

Read more here: » Besant Nagar: Encyclopedia - Besant Nagar

Jiddu Krishnamurti

(1895-1986) A Hindu who was proclaimed as the world's messiah by Theosophy leader Annie Besant in 1906 and sought to unify Eastern religion with Western philosophy and science. He later renounced that role and spent the rest of his life teaching personal philosophy and clear thinking.

(See also: Jiddu Krishnamurti, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

The All India Home Rule League was a national political organization founded in 1916 to lead the national demand for self-government, termed Home Rule, and to obtain the status of a Dominion within the British Empire as enjoyed by Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, South Africa, New Zealand and Newfoundland at the time. Home Rule Movement - In Context of World War I. Most Indians and Indian political leaders had been divided in their response to World War I and the Indian soldiers fighting on b ...

Including:

• Home Rule Movement - In Context of World War I
• Home Rule Movement - Founding
• Home Rule Movement - Difference from the Congress
• Home Rule Movement - Dissolution

Read more here: » Home Rule Movement: Encyclopedia - Home Rule Movement

Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain "the Divine," and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. Theosophy, as a coherent system of thought, developed from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (also Hélène). Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others she founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. A more formal definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as "any of various philosophies professing to achieve a ...

Including:

• Theosophy - Basic Theosophical beliefs
• Theosophy - Consciousness is universal and individual
• Theosophy - Man is provisionally immortal
• Theosophy - Reincarnation is universal
• Theosophy - Karma
• Theosophy - Universal brotherhood
• Theosophy - Evolution
• Theosophy - The Septenary
• Theosophy - A brief history of Theosophy
• Theosophy - Music
• Theosophy - Early 20th-century literary references to Theosophy
• Theosophy - Notes

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Walter Ernest Butler (1898-1978), was a working occultist and esoteric author in Britain. His first training in the mysteries was with Robert King, an archbishop in the Liberal Catholic Church, who trained him as a medium. While in India, he studied with Indian mystics and also came into contact with Theosophist mystic Annie Besant, who politely rejected his requests to study with her. He returned to England and joined Dion Fortune's Society of the Inner Light in 1925, where he continued to train and partici ...

Including:

• W. E. Butler - Sources

Read more here: » W. E. Butler: Encyclopedia - W. E. Butler

William Quan Judge (1851-1896) was one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. When he was 13 year old, his family emigrated to the United States. He became a naturalized citizen at 21 and passed the New York state bar exam, specializing in commercial law. Although merely a young man, he was among the seventeen who first put the Theosophical Society together. Like H.P. Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott, he stayed in the organization when others left. When Olcott and Blavatsky left the United States for India, Judge stayed behind to keep the ...

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The Theosophical Society was the organization formed to advance the spiritual doctrines and altruistic living known as Theosophy. Theosophical Society - History. Theosophical Society - Formation. The original Theosophical Society was founded in New York City in 1875 by H.P. Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge and others. Its initial objective was the investigation, study and explanation of mediumistic phenomena. After Olcott and Blavatsky moved to India, they becam ...

Including:

• Theosophical Society - History
• Theosophical Society - Formation
• Theosophical Society - Schism
• Theosophical Society - Related individuals and organizations
• Theosophical Society - External reference and link

Read more here: » Theosophical Society: Encyclopedia - Theosophical Society

Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U.) is a major university located in Benaras, India. It was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, in 1916 with cooperation of Dr Annie Besant. It was created under the Parliamentary legislation - B.H.U. Act 1915, when India was under British Raj. Its 1350 acre (5.5 km²) campus was built on land donated by the then Maharaja of Kashi. The Foundation day was February 4, 19 ...

Including:

• Banaras Hindu University - Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
• Banaras Hindu University - Hostels
• Banaras Hindu University - There are 38 hostels for boys:
• Banaras Hindu University - Institute of Technology IT-BHU [1]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Institute of Medical Sciences IMS-BHU [2]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Institute of Agricultural Sciences IAS-BHU [3]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Science [4]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Social Sciences [5]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Commerce [6]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Law [7]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Arts [8]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Education [9]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Management Studies [10]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Performing Arts [11]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of Visual Arts [12]:
• Banaras Hindu University - Faculty of SVDV [13]:
• Banaras Hindu University - There are 14 hostels for girls:
• Banaras Hindu University - There are 3 hostels for foreign students:

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Subtle bodies Causal plane: Causal body Mental plane: Mental body Astral plane: body, projection Etheric plane: Etheric body Physical plane: Physical body The 7 Worlds & the 7 Cosmic Planes The Seven-fold constitution of Man The Ten-fold constitution of Man Cosmology Sufi cosmology Tanazzulut Ray of Creation The Laws Three Centres Five Centres Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)   Inner Plane    ...

Read more here: » Mental body: Encyclopedia - Mental body

Charles Bradlaugh (26 September 1833 - 30 January 1891) was a political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century. Charles Bradlaugh - Early life. Born into poverty at Hoxton, London, the son of a solicitor's clerk, he worked in turn as an office errand-boy (from the age of 12), coal miner's clerk, and (at 17) a soldier with the Seventh Dragoon Guards stationed in Dublin (which was at that time part of the United Kingdom). He resigned from the army in 1853. < ...

Including:

• Charles Bradlaugh - Early life
• Charles Bradlaugh - Activism and journalism
• Charles Bradlaugh - Politics
• Charles Bradlaugh - Parliament
• Charles Bradlaugh - Death
• Charles Bradlaugh - Bibliography

Read more here: » Charles Bradlaugh: Encyclopedia - Charles Bradlaugh

Subtle bodies Causal plane: Causal body Mental plane: Mental body Astral plane: body, projection Etheric plane: Etheric body Physical plane: Physical body The 7 Worlds & the 7 Cosmic Planes The Seven-fold constitution of Man The Ten-fold constitution of Man Cosmology Sufi cosmology Tanazzulut Ray of Creation The Laws Three Centres Five Centres Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)   Inner Plane    ...

Read more here: » Etheric body: Encyclopedia - Etheric body

Varanasi (वाराणसी) (also known as Benares, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi, and Kasi) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi has a unique culture, quite different from other places in the region. This culture has developed through thousands of years during which it has been one of the major cultural centres of northern India. The whole Varanasi culture revolves around the river Ganga, which is the heart and soul ...

Including:

• Varanasi - Hindu holy city
• Varanasi - Industry
• Varanasi - Schools and colleges
• Varanasi - Arts and crafts

Read more here: » Varanasi: Encyclopedia - Varanasi

The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, a book originally published as two volumes in 1888, is Helena P. Blavatsky magnum opus. The first volume is named Cosmogenesis, the second Anthropogenesis. It was an influential example of the revival of interest in esoteric and occult ideas in the modern age, in particular because of its claim to reconcile ancient eastern wisdom with modern science. Blavatsky claimed that its contents had been revealed to her by 'mahatmas' who had retained knowledge ...

Including:

• The Secret Doctrine - Volume One
• The Secret Doctrine - Volume Two
• The Secret Doctrine - Volume Three and Four
• The Secret Doctrine - Study of the Secret Doctrine
• The Secret Doctrine - Quotations
• The Secret Doctrine - Writings about The Secret Doctrine

Read more here: » The Secret Doctrine: Encyclopedia - The Secret Doctrine

Influenced by Madame Blavatsky, Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society. Her aim was to found a universal brotherhood where race and creed don't matter, to encourage the study of literature and philosophy, and to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the physical powers latent in man. She advocated a radical approach to religion, which emphasised that religion cannot be forced upon any one; that faith was a matter of personal belief.

Why did she choose to become a Theosophist? Annie Besant wrote: ''An imperious necessity forces me to speak the truth, as I see it... That one loyalty to truth I must keep stainless, whether friendships fail me or human ties be broken... I asked no other epitaph on my tomb but that 'she tried to follow truth'."

(See also: Annie Besant, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Between 1916 and 1918, when the war was closing, prominent Indians like Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the leader of the Theosophical Society, Annie Besant decided to organize a national alliance of leagues across India, specifically to demand Home Rule, or self-government within the British Empire for all of India. Tilak founded the first League in the city of Pune, Maharashtra. Mohammad Ali Jinnah headed up the Bombay League. With its national headquarters in Delhi, the main citie ...

See also:

Home Rule Movement, Home Rule Movement - In Context of World War I, Home Rule Movement - Founding, Home Rule Movement - Difference from the Congress, Home Rule Movement - Dissolution

Read more here: » Home Rule Movement: Encyclopedia II - Home Rule Movement - Founding

Jiddu Krishnamurti

(1895-1986) A Hindu who was proclaimed as the world's messiah by Theosophy leader Annie Besant in 1906 and sought to unify Eastern religion with Western philosophy and science. He later renounced that role and spent the rest of his life teaching personal philosophy and clear thinking.

(See also: Jiddu Krishnamurti, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)