Themes of Theosophy of Blavatsky and "Living Ethics" of Helena Roerich in Human Sciences: Between Religion and Oriental Studies

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the theme of Theosophy and Living Ethics Teaching in modern Religion and Oriental Studies. So, in the article, the author surveys problems, which concerned with this theme and describes her condition in Religion and Oriental Studies and academic achievements, which was done for this theme. Essentially, discourse of the article focused on the contexts this theme in post-Soviet Religion Studies and Oriental Studies.

According the author's review, the problems for modern academic research of Theosophy and "Living Ethics" are next:

- Unascertained place of both teachings in modern classification of non-traditional religions. For demonstration, the author exemplifies various definitions of Theosophy and "Living Ethics" in classifications of non-traditional religions, which are suggested by modern Ukrainian and Russian researchers. He takes note, that in this classifications both teachings have a different and, sometimes, contradictory positions. For solution this problem, the author, however, suggests simply continuation the clearing of criterions for definition of both teachings.

- In whole, unsearched by academic tradition ideological content of Theosophy and "Living Ethics". Here, the author acknowledges absence a scientific works, which are dedicated to detail analysis both teachings, with their own philosophy, mythology and ethics. However, the author also admits, which such works may exist in Europe and America, but don't known in post-Soviet countries, because lack of informative connections between Western and post-Soviet sciences still not overcome completely. The author considers that theme of Theosophical and "Living Ethics" ideology as a perspective basis for analytic researches, both for Religion and Oriental Studies. In his opinion, one of these perspective trends is a sphere of comparative researches of Theosophy and "Living Ethics" ideology with ideology of those modern "New Age" teachings, which has connections with the Theosophy of Helena Blavatsky. The author suggests these researches for retrace the basic trends of development of Theosophical ideology and changes, which was caused by such development. For Oriental Studies the comparative researching trend, in the author opinion, also is perspective, because such research let to fix a discrepancy or similarity between Theosophical ideas, taken from Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism and their Oriental prototypes.

Also, the author marks the researching successes in sphere of historical studies of Theosophy and "Living Ethics". Exemplify this, he refers works of Western (like a Peter Washington, Kenneth Paul Johnson, James Webb and Maria Carlson) and Russian (like an Alexander Andreyev, Vladimir Rosov and Andrey Ignatyev) researchers, and constants that, thanks for these and similar works, the history of Theosophy and "Living Ethics" may be retraced very clear today.