Roerichism

Agni Yoga draws ideas from Theosophy, Eastern and Western religions, Vedic and Buddhist traditions, molding them into Russian culture, too.

[4][5] Helena Roerich (1879–1955), a Russian theosophist, writer, and public figure, developed in the 20th century, in cooperation with the Teachers of the East (Masters of the Ancient Wisdom), the philosophical teaching of Living Ethics (Agni Yoga).

She considered herself an author of three books only, published under different pen-names: "The Foundations of Buddhism" (1927), "The Cryptograms of the East" (1929), "The Banner of the Reverent Sergius" (1934).

Roerich's paintings, so attractive with their combinations of colours, symbols, and secrets, depict hidden ideas and deep meanings.

When you look at these paintings, so many of them of the Himalayas, you seem to catch the spirit of those great mountains which have towered over the Indian plain and been our sentinels for ages past.

After finishing his studies at Karl May School, he entered the Indian and Iranian department of Oriental Languages at London University in 1918.

[18] George is known for his contributions to Tibetan dialectology, his monumental translation of the Blue Annals, and his 11-volume Tibetan-Russian-English dictionary with Sanskrit parallels.

The first of Nicholas Roerich's exhibitions was organized in Moscow in 1958, then spread to Leningrad, Riga, Kiev, Tbilisi, and other cities.

In 1989 up to the initiative of Svetoslav the Soviet Foundation of the Roerichs was established in the USSR; at the base of it there were the study and spread of the ideas of Agni Yoga.

[26] Being based on the ancient knowledge of the East and the achievements of modern science in the West, Agni Yoga concerns peculiarities of the cosmic evolution of humanity and creates a new system of perception.

The Teaching pays particular attention to the cosmic laws that determine the motion of planets and growth of natural structures, birth of stars, and also human behavior and the development of the universe.

According to Agni Yoga, the universe is the immense spiritual-energy system in which a man plays the most important role.

Particular attention is paid to the consciousness of a man and the culture of thinking, since thought is energy, capable of filling space and effecting its surroundings.

A man is directly responsible for the quality of his thoughts, words, and deeds, because not only his spiritual and physical health depend on them, but also the condition of the entire planet.

Calling people to live in accordance with cosmic laws, Agni Yoga opens unlimited possibilities for the spiritual transformation of life, the expansion of consciousness, and the acquirement of high moral standards.

It is a non-profit educational institution incorporated in 1946 under the laws of the State of New York, and is supported entirely by voluntary contributions and membership dues.

In them is found a synthesis of ancient Eastern beliefs and modern Western thought, and a bridge between the spiritual and the scientific.

It teaches that the evolution of the planetary consciousness is a pressing necessity and that, through individual striving, it is an attainable aspiration for mankind.

Though not systematized in an ordinary sense, Agni Yoga is a Teaching that helps the discerning student to discover moral and spiritual guide-posts by which to learn to govern his or her life and thus contribute to the common good.

Speaking about the individual's role in human spiritual evolution, Helena Roerich wrote "The greatest benefit that we can contribute consists in the broadening of consciousness, and the improvement and enrichment of our thinking, which, together with the purification of the heart, strengthens our emanations.

It struggled to survive until, in 1922, Louis Horch financed its transfer from a single-room, all-in-one studio at 314 West 54th Street to a mansion he bought on the site where the Master Building would later be constructed.

Originally built to house a museum for Nicholas Roerich, a school, an auditorium and a restaurant in a residential hotel, the building was designed by Helmle, Corbett & Harrison and Sugarman & Berger.

The Master Institute aimed to give students a well-rounded education in the arts and also to "open the gates to spiritual enlightenment" through culture.

[37] The Roerich Pact and Banner of Peace movement grew rapidly during the early nineteen-thirties, with centers in a number of countries.

Indeed, the Roerich Pact was often called The Red Cross of Culture:[38] NOW, THEREFORE be it known that I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Treaty to be made public to the end that the same and every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States of America and the citizens thereof.

By the President: Cordell Hull Secretary of State.Some ideas of the Roerich Pact still are not implemented in the international law, especially its principle of preference for the preservation of cultural values over military necessity.

[47][48] The culture of heath is an integral sphere of knowledge that develops and solves theoretical and practical tasks of harmonious development of people’s spiritual, mental, and physical strength, health improvement of biosocial environment that provides a higher life creative level on this basis (by Skumin and Bobina, 1994).

The hymn begins with the phrase "The fire of the heart ignites Urusvati, she teaches the spirit take-off on the wings of the grace".

[55] The main topics of the magazine are the dissemination of ideas of culture of health, holistic medicine, Roerichism, and Agni Yoga.