[2][3][4][5] Theosophists believe that master Hilarion was incarnated as the Apostle Paul of Tarsus and the Neo-Platonic philosopher Iamblichus.
], various traditions such as Hindu and Tibetan Buddhism hold that it is possible for the spiritually advanced to have more than one incarnation happening at the same time.
[7][need quotation to verify] In October 1884 Helena Blavatsky made reference to Hilarion (using the spelling: "Hillarion"): His travel to his "final initiation" is referred to in an entry in Henry Olcott's diary, dated 19 February 1881, written in Bombay: Theosophist C.W.
[10][need quotation to verify] K. Paul Johnson speculates that the "Masters" that Madame Blavatsky wrote about and produced letters from were actually idealizations of people who were her mentors.
Johnson asserts that the "Master Hilarion" was actually Ooton Liato, a stage magician from Cyprus whom she met in New York City in 1873.