The 19th century American cult started by a Russian emigrant that chose a south Indian boy for its messiah who ended up disbanding it

The Order of the Star in the East (OSE) was an international organization based at Benares (Varanasi), India from 1911 to 1927. It was established by the leadership of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras (Chennai) to prepare the world for the arrival of a reputed messianic entity, the World Teacher or Maitreya.

The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the Theosophy movement, and Henry Steel Olcott, the society's first president. It draws upon a wide array of influences among them older European philosophies and movements such as Neoplatonism and occultism, as well as parts of Asian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam

As are the people, so are their cults

The OSE acquired members worldwide as it expanded in many countries; a third of its diverse membership c. 1926 was unaffiliated with the Theosophical Society. The precursor of the OSE was the Order of the Rising Sun (1910–11, also at Benares) and the successor was the Order of the Star (1927–29, based at Ommen, the Netherlands).

The precursor organization was formed after leading Theosophists discovered a likely candidate for the new messiah in the then–adolescent Jiddu Krishnamurti (⁠1895–1986⁠), a South Indian Brahmin who was installed as Head of the Order. Almost two decades later Krishnamurti rejected the messianic role, repudiated the Order's mission and in 1929 disbanded the OSE's successor. The founding and activities of these organizations as well as the largely unexpected dissolution of the OSE's successor, attracted widespread media attention and public interest.

According to this view, Humankind's evolution on Earth (and beyond) is part of the Cosmic evolution. It is reputedly overseen by a hidden hierarchy, the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, whose upper ranks consist of advanced spiritual beings. Blavatsky stated she was in contact with members of the reputed hierarchy; she described the Theosophical Society as one of the hierarchy's many attempts (or "impulses") through the millennia, to guide Humanity – in concert with the intelligent evolutionary scheme – to its ultimate, immutable objective: the attainment of perfection and the conscious participation in the evolutionary process.[3] These attempts may require an Earth-based infrastructure (such as the Theosophical Society) to pave the way for the hierarchy's physically appearing emissaries, "the torch-bearer[s] of Truth".[4] The mission of these reputedly regularly appearing emissaries is to practically translate, in a way and language understood by contemporary humanity, knowledge that would help it reach a higher evolutionary stage.

Annie Besant, another well-known and influential British Theosophist (and eventual close associate of Leadbeater's), had also developed an interest on the advent of the next emissary from the spiritual hierarchy.[7] During the 1890s and 1900s she became progressively convinced, along with Leadbeater and others, that this advent would happen sooner than Blavatsky's proposed timetable.[8][7] They came to believe it would involve the imminent reappearance of Maitreya as World Teacher, a monumental event in the Theosophical worldview.[9] However, not all Theosophical Society members accepted Leadbeater's and Besant's ideas on the matter; the dissidents charged them with straying from Theosophical orthodoxy and along with other concepts developed by the two, their elaborations on the Theosophical Maitreya were derisively labelled Neo-Theosophy by their opponents.

Besant became President of the Theosophical Society in 1907,[11] adding considerable weight to the belief of Maitreya's impending manifestation; this eventually became a commonly held expectation among Theosophists.[12] She had started commenting on the possibly imminent arrival of the next emissary as early as 1896; by 1909 the proclaimed "coming Teacher" was a main topic of her lectures and writings.

!bharatiya

Annie Besant was a schizo

Sometime between late April and late May 1909, at the private beach of the Theosophical Society Headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai), Leadbeater encountered Jiddu Krishnamurti, a fourteen-year-old South Indian Brahmin.[15] At the time Jiddu Narayaniah, Krishnamurti's father and longtime Theosophist, was employed by the Society; the family, in poor condition, lived next to the compound. Leadbeater was a controversial figure whose knowledge on occult matters was highly respected by the Society's leadership.[16] He was at the time looking for suitable candidates as possible vehicles for the World Teacher, and came to believe young Krishnamurti – who was not the first or only candidate – was the most promising, despite the boy's reputedly dull personality and lackluster intellect.

He's literally me.

Following the "discovery" Leadbeater began occult examinations of Krishnamurti, to whom he had assigned the pseudonym Alcyone – the name of a star in the Pleiades star cluster and of characters from Greek mythology.[21] Leadbeater's belief regarding the boy's suitability was strengthened by his clairvoyance-aided investigations of Krishnamurti's reputed past and future lives. Records of these investigations were published in Theosophical magazines starting April 1910, and in a book in 1913.[22] They were widely discussed within the Society as according to Leadbeater, contemporary Theosophists were involved in various "lives of Alcyone". Such reputed involvement became a matter of status and prestige among Theosophists; it also contributed to factionalism within the Society.[23] In the meantime, Krishnamurti was put on a comprehensive multi-year regimen of physical, intellectual, social and spiritual training in preparation for his probable future role.

That sounds bothersome. I'd prefer to just laze around tbh won't these higher ones just send whatever info needed to my brain when necessary?

In April 1911 Besant founded the Order of the Star in the East (OSE) based again at Benares, which replaced the Order of the Rising Sun. It was named after the Star of Bethlehem, signifying the proclaimed approach of the new manifestation of Christ-Maitreya.[31] The top positions of the organization were filled: "Mrs Besant and Leadbeater were made Protectors of the new Order of which Krishna [Jiddu Krishnamurti] was the Head, Arundale Private Secretary to the Head, and Wodehouse Organising Secretary".[32] News regarding Krishnamurti, the Order and its mission received widespread publicity and worldwide press coverage; the publicity may have been at least partly driven by aspects of the era's prevailing fin de siècle mood

On 28 December 1911, during a ceremony officiated by Krishnamurti at the close of the annual Theosophical Convention (held that year at Benares), those present were said to be suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling of "tremendous power", which seemed to be flowing through Krishnamurti. In Leadbeater's description, "it reminded one irresistibly of the rushing, mighty wind, and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. The tension was enormous, and every one in the room was most powerfully affected." The next day, at a meeting of the Esoteric Section, Besant for the first time stated that it was clear Krishnamurti was the required vehicle. Thereafter, 28 December became a "sacred day" for the Order.[46]

In 1912 Krishnamurti's father sued Besant to revoke her guardianship of his sons, which he had previously granted. Among the reasons stated in Narayaniah's deposition was his objection to the deification of Krishnamurti, said to have been caused by Besant's "announcement that he was to be the Lord Christ, with the result that a number of respectable persons had prostrated before him." Besant eventually won the case on appeal.

Must have been a fun day for the

By year-end 1925 expectations regarding the Coming, and related activities of prominent Theosophists and their factions were reaching a climax. Extraordinary pronouncements of accelerated spiritual advancement were being made by various parties, privately disputed by others, and there were insinuations of jockeying for position. Ranking members of the Order and the Society had publicly declared they were chosen as apostles of the new Messiah. The escalating claims of spiritual success and the internal (and hidden from the public) Theosophical politics alienated the increasingly disillusioned Krishnamurti. His commitment and enthusiasm had been uneven since the Order's early days; in private he had occasionally expressed doubts about his presumed mission and discomfort with the adulation of the Order's members.[59] He refused to recognize anyone as his disciple or apostle.[60] In the meantime World Teacher-related spinoff projects proliferated: in August 1925 the establishment of a "World Religion" and a "World University" were announced by the Theosophical leadership. Both of them were later "quietly shelved"

At the opening an event occurred that was reminiscent of the reputed incident on the same day of 1911. Krishnamurti was giving a speech about the World Teacher and the significance of his coming, when "a dramatic change" took place: his voice suddenly altered and he switched to first person, saying "I come for those who want sympathy, who want happiness, who are longing to be released, who are longing to find happiness in all things. I come to reform and not to tear down, I come not to destroy but to build." For many in the audience who noticed, it was a "spine-tingling" revelation, "felt ... instantly and independently" – confirmation, in their view, that the manifestation of the Lord Maitreya through his chosen vehicle had begun.

Finally on 3 August 1929, at the Ommen Star Camp, he disbanded the Order in front of Besant and about 3,000 members.[76][77] In his speech dissolving the organization (also broadcast on Dutch radio),[78] Krishnamurti said:

I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path.

Despite the changes in Krishnamurti's outlook and pronouncements during the preceding years (and more recent rumors of impending dissolution),[80] the ending of the Order and its mission shocked many of its supporters. Prominent Theosophists openly or under various guises turned against Krishnamurti – including Leadbeater, who reputedly stated, "the Coming has gone wrong".

Besant however remained convinced that Krishnamurti was the World Teacher until the end of her life, while other Theosophical Society members supported his new direction and opposed the critical views expressed by Theosophical leaders.

I say I'm not the messiah sent to save humanity

No you are

Krishnamurti returned to the donors estates, property and funds that had been given to the Order in its various incarnations.[89] He spent the rest of his life promoting his post-Theosophical message around the world as an independent speaker and writer. He became widely known as an original, influential thinker on philosophical, psychological, and religious subjects

Just seize the bag and run king. Wtf are you returning shekels to mayos for?