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Messages from Shambhala. Spiritual Communication with the Teacher M. and the Roerichs. Roerich nicholas konstantinovich Who is he

All Teachings, all philosophies were given for life. There is no such high Teaching that would not be practical in the highest sense of the word. We can solve the innumerable problems of modern confusion only by realizing the Beautiful and the Highest. Only a beautiful Bridge will be strong enough to move from the coast of darkness to the side of Light.

So much has been written about Nicholas Roerich that it would be strange to try to say something new. But, on the other hand, it is necessary to write about outstanding people so that their example is constantly before our eyes. This year, our great compatriot was supposed to be 130 years old, and it would be unfair to miss this date.

Who is he?

Let this question not seem strange, because most of us know very little about Roerich. Usually the name of Nicholas Roerich is associated with his artistic heritage, and few people know that Roerich was not only an artist. We know Roerich much worse as a writer, philosopher, traveler, public figure. Even less do we know him as a Disciple who was honored in the 20th century to have direct contact with the Great Teachers and who tried to put into each of his works a particle of the Wisdom received from them. Roerich's Pact, justly called the "Red Cross of Culture", the famous trans-Himalayan expedition that followed the path of Buddha's intimate wanderings, the Urusvati Institute with the task of synthesizing science and religion - all this is also directly related to the name of Roerich. Let's try to fit into the brief framework of the article the main milestones in the life of a person, about whom they say in the east that he honored the Earth with his presence.

Childhood and youth

Nicholas Roerich was born on October 9 (September 27, old style) 1874 in St. Petersburg in the family of a successful notary Konstantin Fyodorovich Roerich. The very surname Roerich is of Scandinavian origin and means “rich in glory”.
Already in childhood, the versatility of Roerich's hobbies and his attraction to the East were manifested. In Izvara, a country estate not far from the capital, having barely learned to read, he reread everything related to the history of Russia and, especially, its heroic epic. A little later, he became interested in archeology and even received permission to conduct excavations in the vicinity of Izvara. "My first finds from burial grounds correlated not only with my favorite history lessons, but also with geography, as well as with Gogol's bizarre historical fiction," Nikolai Konstantinovich later wrote, whose ability to synthesize different kinds creativity in search of common spiritual foundations has become his own creative credo.

Since childhood, his musical and artistic taste gravitated towards the East. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the stories of oriental scholars who came to visit the Roerich family, but, obviously, the reasons for such an aspiration are much deeper. It is noteworthy that the boy's childish imagination was struck by the majesty of the mountain depicted in the painting in Izvara. Subsequently, Roerich learned that it was Kanchenjunga - one of the most beautiful and mysterious peaks of the Himalayas.

Konstantin Fedorovich, Nikolai's father, did not oppose the variety of his son's hobbies, making his legal career the only condition for him. Nikolai himself, already in the gymnasium, showed outstanding artistic abilities and dreamed of entering the Academy of Arts. As a result, in 1893 he received permission to attend it, becoming a law student at the Imperial University.

The beginning of creative activity

In the development of Roerich as an artist, his training in the studio of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi, an outstanding Russian itinerant artist, played a huge role. “There must be spirituality in painting,” Kuindzhi taught. "Composition and technique must obey it." “Arkhip Ivanovich became a teacher not only of painting, but of all life,” Roerich himself summed up this period. In the diploma work - the painting "Messenger. Clan revolted after clan ”- he summarized his understanding of Russian history, the first philosophical reflections on the mission of Russia and opened to her a whole series of canvases devoted to Russian history and mythology. The "messenger" was highly appreciated by Leo Tolstoy himself.

Confident that Russian art is rooted in history long before the Christianization of Rus, Roerich boldly used folk motives in his work, which earned both sharp criticism and high recognition from his contemporaries. In 1900, he went to Paris, where he continued his studies at the studio of Fernand Cormon, who, like Roerich, appreciated the legendary past.

In the fact that the path to the future lies through understanding the past, Roerich was supported by Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva, whom he met in 1903. The young artist enthusiastically joined in the reconstruction of the Talashkino estate, in which, according to Tenisheva's plan, a community for artists was to emerge. Roerich's brush belongs to a unique fresco in the Temple of the Spirit in Talashkino, depicting the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the World, to the theme of which he later repeatedly returned.

Lada

In 1900, while passing through Bologoye in the estate of Prince Putyatin, Nikolai Konstantinovich met Helena Ivanovna Shaposhnikova, who became Helena Roerich on October 28, 1901. Who could have foreseen then the amazing future of this union? Nicholas Roerich called his "friend and inspirer" "Lada" and dedicated several of his works to her. One of them, "The Leading", in an allegorical form conveys the subtle and deep relationships that bound the Roerichs for life. “Truth, justice, constant search for truth and love for creative work transform the whole life around a young, strong spirit. And the whole house and the whole family - everything is being built according to the same fertile principles, ”Nikolai Konstantinovich wrote about his spouse.

Many paintings, creative and social undertakings of Roerich were the result of the work of two. The works of Ramakrishna and his disciple Vivekananda had a great influence on the young Roerichs. They were especially close to the idea that serving God should be accompanied by conscious work for the common good, serving other people. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Roerichs got acquainted with theosophy, with the works of Blavatsky. Subsequently, it was Helena Roerich who translated The Secret Doctrine into Russian. The ideas and images of Living Ethics, Agni Yoga, recorded through the mediation of Elena Ivanovna, found their embodiment in the work of Nikolai Konstantinovich.

Departure from Russia

In 1916, due to complications after pneumonia suffered a year earlier and at the insistence of doctors, the Roerich family moved to Finland, where they met the revolution and found themselves cut off from Russia. Nikolai Konstantinovich did not have an unambiguous attitude to the events of 1917 in Russia, but he had a very clearly formulated position regarding the preservation of cultural values ​​from destruction. Until the border between Russia and Finland was finally closed in 1918, he continued to come to Petrograd and work in the Commission for the Protection of Monuments of Culture and Art. In 1919 the Roerichs moved to London, and in 1920 - at the invitation of the Chicago Institute of Arts - to America.

In October 1921, in New York, Nikolai Konstantinovich founded the School of United Arts, thereby fulfilling his long-standing dream of uniting various types of art under one roof. Roerich's main idea was to pave the way for higher cognition in the hearts of people through art: "Art will unite humanity. Art is indivisible. Art has many facets, but, nevertheless, is one. Art is a phenomenon of the coming synthesis. Art is for everyone. Gates" of the sacred source "must be widely open to everyone, and the light of art will ignite many hearts with new love. At first it will be an unconscious feeling, but gradually it will clear the consciousness of people. How many young hearts are looking for something real and beautiful! So let us give it to them. Bring art to people. "It belongs to them. Then we will not only have museums, theaters, universities, public libraries, railway stations and hospitals, but the prisons will be wonderful. Then there will be no need for prisons."

At the same time, exhibitions of the artist were held in America with unprecedented success, and in 1924 the world's first museum dedicated to the work of one artist - N.K. Roerich was even opened. Since its inception, the Roerich Museum acquired almost all of the artist's paintings and is still the largest collection of them.

Trans-Himalayan expedition

In 1925-28, a grandiose trans-Himalayan expedition took place along the route Kashmir - Ladakh - Chinese Turkestan - Altai - Mongolia - Gobi Desert - Tibet - Himalayas - India. Officially, the expedition had scientific goals and collected a wealth of ethnographic material. Collections of minerals were collected, the rarest photographs of ancient images were taken. On its way, Roerich's expedition overcame unprecedented physical and political obstacles. Suffice it to say that the expedition caravan had to pass passes in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 5000 meters, for a long time to be at an altitude of more than 3000 meters - and at the same time continue to work. For five months in winter, in summer tents at Arctic temperatures, the expedition was under arrest in Tibet, since the Tibetan authorities suspected Roerich as a spy and prevented him from entering Tibet.

But Roerich's trans-Himalayan expedition had not only scientific, but also other goals that went far beyond the "scientific" understanding. Suffice it to say that on her route she repeated the path of the Buddha's intimate wanderings, and that during the expedition the Roerichs were in close contact with the Mahatmas - the Great Teachers of mankind - and worked under their leadership. It is known that long before the expedition, in Paris, they received by mail an unusual parcel containing a box with the Chintamani Stone, the legendary treasure of the East, and that this Stone accompanied them on the expedition. However, the Roerichs never tried to advertise the true goals of the expedition, knowing full well that they cannot be widely understood and, most likely, will be perverted. But with unprecedented persistence and, at times, a real risk to their lives, they did not retreat from the goal and completed the expedition.

"Peace through Culture"

In 1928, after returning from the expedition, Roerich began to fulfill the task for which he had worked for a long time before. We are talking about the famous Roerich Pact, which called on the international level to protect cultural values ​​from destruction during military operations. The text of the Covenant, in particular, states that "educational, artistic and scientific institutions, artistic and scientific missions, their personnel, property and property ... are considered neutral and are subject to the protection and protection of the belligerent parties. The protection and protection of the above organizations and missions throughout territory belongs to the sovereignty of the heads of the contracting parties (heads of state of the world), without any discrimination by the state in relation to any special institution or mission ... Monuments, organizations, collections and missions registered in this way may fly a distinctive flag ... which will notify all heads of the contracting parties about their special protection and protection by the belligerent parties, governments and peoples. "

As a "distinctive flag" Roerich proposed an image called the "Banner of Peace": three red spheres on a white background, inscribed in a red circle. This image was not new, it was found in many ancient sources and symbolized, according to Roerich's plan, religion, science and art in the circle of culture. Another reading is past, present and future in the circle of eternity. The Banner of Peace's mission was to protect works of art in the same way that the Red Cross protects human lives. On April 15, 1935, in the White House, in the presence of President Roosevelt, the Peace Pact was signed, to which more than 20 countries joined.

"Urusvati"

After returning from the Central Asian expedition, the Roerichs settled in India, in the Kulu valley. Nikolai Konstantinovich founded the Himalayan Institute scientific research"Urusvati", which in translation from Sanskrit means "Light of the morning star". Under the leadership of Yuri Roerich, the son of Nicholas Roerich, ancient manuscripts were collected and translated, half-forgotten dialects were studied. The Institute carried out extensive activities to study and collect medicinal plants; the world's first atlas of Tibetan medicinal herbs was compiled. Many travelers and scientists collaborated with the Urusvati Institute, for example, Sven Hedin and Albert Einstein.

Nikolai Konstantinovich himself, while working in Kullu, created some of his most profound and philosophical canvases. In them he tried to convey the images of ascetics, Teachers at different times and in different countries who tried to convey to people the sparks of timeless wisdom and kindle the fire of the Spirit in them. Having laid in the foundation of "Urusvati" the principle of unceasing labor, transforming man and the world around him, Nikolai Konstantinovich himself relentlessly followed this principle. Despite being diagnosed with serious heart disease, he continued his daily work. His heart stopped on December 13, 1947, when he was working on a new version of the painting "The Order of the Teacher".

(who was accused of fraud in India), they spent a long time in Tibet, where they claimed to have established a "close relationship" with the "rulers of Shambhala."

The Roerich movement was organized by the Roerichs during missionary trips in the 1920s to countries such as the USA, Latvia, France and Bulgaria. By 1934, about 100 Agni Yoga societies had already been formed in many countries of the world. Roerich societies, circles and groups also existed in Germany, Switzerland ("Crown of Mundi"), Estonia and Manchuria (Harbin). These circles were esoteric in their orientation and were engaged in occult practices. The members of these circles studied the relevant literature, in the evenings they got together using the "table-turning" method, summoned otherworldly spirits who dictated to them spiritual messages, which were "a symbolic depiction of the path of ascent." One of the most active was the Roerich Society of Latvia, which existed before the annexation of Latvia to the USSR in 1940.

On the territory of Russia, the Roerich movement as such began to develop actively only during the period of "perestroika" at the end of the 1980s. But the foundation was laid by a famous artist and public figure who lived in India. Svyatoslav Roerich (1904-1993) , younger son Nicholas and Helena Roerichs, who repeatedly came to the USSR with exhibitions of paintings of his own and his father. On his initiative, in 1989, the Soviet Roerich Foundation was created in Moscow, to which Svetoslav Roerich transferred the cultural heritage of his parents. After 1991, this fund was renamed to International Center of the Roerichs .

Today Roerich organizations work in some countries of Europe, America and Asia, in Australia, as well as in such countries of the former USSR as Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

According to the Sektoved.Ru website, this movement uses a purely sectarian method of propaganda: one thing is publicly declared (for example, religious tolerance and loyalty to the Gospel), in fact, the true essence of the doctrine is for the time being concealed from a wide circle of followers and outsiders.So, Helena Roerich in her letter dated 03/08/1938 advises lie for propaganda purposes ... In addition, none of the traditional confessions of Russia adopted the Roerich doctrine and did not join the corresponding movement. In fact, the Roerichs were unable to unite believers, theologians, and hierarchs. The slogan "unity" was used only to exacerbate the religious division of people: among dozens of other religious movements, another one emerged, very hostile to everyone else.

At present, the "Roerich movement" has taken the form of a huge number of cultural, educational and educational centers, spread out in a dense network throughout Russia and abroad, which have become centers of sorts for the dissemination of the Roerichs' occult views. Hiding behind the mask of cultural enlightenment, occultists are actively penetrating the secular and state institutions of the country, including the education system! Hundreds of schools in Russia have already introduced compulsory lessons for studying Agni Yoga (Living Ethics) practiced by the Roerichs.

It is believed that it was the "Roerich movement" that had a significant impact on the development of New Age in Russia.

Roerichs

The names of Helena and Nicholas Roerichs are now known to very many. Most people heard only good things about the Roerichs: artists, travelers, very talented people ... They traveled to India. And there, either in Tibet, or in Shambhala, they met with holy hermits and sages - mahatmas.

Fenugreek- a mythical country in Tibet, the seat of the Great Teachers who advance the evolution of mankind. The concept of Shambhala was originally part of classical Hinduism and was associated in the Mahabharata with the birthplace of Kalki, the future avatar of Vishnu. In the modern esoteric tradition, this concept is first reflected by Helena Blavatsky. It is in Shambhala, according to Helena Blavatsky, that the coming Messiah will be born, who is expected in different nations and religions under different names- Kalki Avatar Vishnu, Maitreya Buddha, Sosiosh, Messiah on the White Horse, Christ. Subsequently, the idea of ​​Shambhala was developed by representatives of post-theosophy such as Charles Leadbeater, and especially by Alice Bailey and Nicholas Roerich. In the works of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, the idea of ​​Shambhala is of great importance. Nicholas Roerich, who traveled across Central Asia in 1923-28, stated that he had personally heard countless stories about Shambhala. He wrote a series of inspirational paintings about Shambhala. The veneration of Shambhala is one of the important foundations of the teaching of Agni Yoga created by the Roerichs.

On the one hand, Roerich was indeed a great, talented and very interesting person as an artist and thinker. But on the other hand, he tried to build his own religious-mystical teaching, based on a contradictory mixture of scientific, anti-scientific, paranormal and quasi-religious statements.

Roerich Nikolai Konstantinovich (1874 - 1947) - Russian artist, mystic philosopher, writer and poet, traveler, archaeologist, public figure, teacher.

Roerich lived in Russia for 42 years, for about 20 years in India, for 3 yearsin USA. He visited almost all countries in Europe, America, Asia. The artist spent 5 years in a large scientific expedition to Central and East Asia.

During his life, he created about 7000 paintings, many of which are in famous galleries around the world. Graduated from the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University and the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He was a member of the Russian Archaeological Society, taught at the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute. Nicholas Roerich's multifaceted talent manifested itself in his works in the field of easel, monumental painting (frescoes, mosaics). From his early works, sketches of his mosaics for a number of churches, including for the Trinity Cathedral of the Pochaev Lavra, are known. In 1909 N. Roerich became an academician of the Russian Academy of Arts and a member of the Reims Academy in France. From 1917 he lived abroad.

"Savior Not Made by Hands and the Saints Princes."
Mosaic based on Roerich's sketches. Trinity Church, Pochaev Lavra, Ternopil region, Ukraine

After the October Revolution, Roerich stood in open opposition to Soviet power. However, soon his views suddenly changed, and the Bolsheviks found themselves in the category of Roerich's ideological allies. Ideological closeness to communism manifested itself in the Roerichs' literature. One of the books of Agni Yoga (1926) contained frequent references to Lenin and drew parallels between the communist and Buddhist communities. In fact, it gave instructions to the Soviet government on the need to immediately implement the reforms initiated by Lenin (which was not done). In China, the Roerichs acquired a famous letter from the Mahatmas to be handed over to the Soviet government and a chest with Himalayan soil for the grave of “Mahatma Lenin”. Roerich personally presented all the gifts to the People's Commissar Chicherin in June 1926.

In search of values ​​of universal human significance, N. Roerich, in addition to Russian philosophy, also studied the philosophy of the East, the works of the outstanding thinkers of India - Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, the works of the Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore. It must be said that Roerich's fascination with the East did not come out of nowhere. In this sense, he was not even original: he did not run counter to his time, did not get ahead of him, but, on the contrary, fully corresponded to his spirit. At the turn of the century, Russia experienced a passion for India and esotericism. Indian metaphysical doctrines, their view of cosmic and historical cycles captured Roerich, as they captured many. Tibet and Tibetan miracle workers were especially attractive. Nicholas Roerich was breathtaking from statuettes of Buddhas, small images of stupas and rosary beads. There was an air of mystery from them. He was extremely interested in the question of the common roots of Russia and Asia. He suspected the commonality between Russia and Asia in everything: in art, beliefs, the warehouse of the soul.

In addition to Eastern philosophy, Russia followed the West en masse with the occult. Roerich was no exception in this. Occultism and seances have also become a very popular pastime among artists. In 1919, while living in London, Nicholas Roerich, together with his wife Helena, entered the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Blavatsky. Since the spring of 1920, the Roerichs' house began to hold séances that were fashionable at that time, to which friends and high-ranking dignitaries were invited. The method of "automatic writing" was mastered. During spiritualistic seances, the Roerichs summoned the "souls of dead people" and tried to establish contact with the Teachers (Mahatmas).

Acquaintance with the philosophical thought of the East was reflected in the works of N.K. Roerich. If in the early paintings of the artist, the defining subjects were ancient pagan Russia (a series of paintings "Beginning of Russia. Slavs"), colorful images of the folk epic ("Building a City", "Idols", "Overseas Guests", etc.), religious painting (a series of paintings "Sancta"),

N.K. Roerich. Idols. (1901)

N.K. Roerich. Overseas guests. (1901)

N.K. Roerich. The city is being built. (1902)

N.K. Roerich. Pigeon book. (1922)

N.K. Roerich. "And We See" ("And We Will Behold") (1922)

N.K. Roerich. Russian Easter. (1924)

N.K. Roerich. Sergius the Builder. (1925)

N.K. Roerich. Zvenigorod (1933)

then after the 1920s, Roerich directs all the passion of his soul, all thoughts to the future, in the second period of his creativity. Still carried away by the history of Slavic Russia and creating paintings on these topics, he also turns to the East - many of his paintings and sketches are now devoted to India (Lakshmi, Indian Way, Krishna, Dreams of India, etc.) ... He tries to give the depicted a deep philosophical meaning.

N.K. Roerich. Mother of the World. (1924)

N.K. Roerich. The signs of Christ. (1924).
Here Roerich depicted a still young Christ traveling with His Teacher Moriah - the Lord of Shambhala

N.K. Roerich. Krishna. Spring in Kullu. (1930)

N.K. Roerich. Sophia the Wisdom (1932)
Sophia flies on a horse, as is customary for the image of the Archangel Michael - the governor - the leader of the light forces. Instead of Sophia's halo, there is a disk of the sun. According to tradition, Sophia keeps a closed list and "there are unknown and hidden secrets of God in it." Roerich opens the list. On it is the Banner of Peace and the ancient word repeated three times, which means "holy".

N.K. Roerich. Madonna Oriflamma. (1932)
The painting depicts the Madonna with the Banner of Peace banner unfolded in her hands.

In the last period of his creative work, Roerich paid much attention to the landscape, in which he put a deep meaning (the Himalayan series). A huge section is occupied by works depicting mountains. Roerich captures the glaciers of the Karakorum, the eternal snows of Altai, rocky ledges of the Tibetan plateau, mountain lakes, and turbulent rivers. The relief of his landscapes is diverse. But the Himalayas became especially close, a bright source of inspiration for him. He dedicated more than 600 paintings to the Eastern Himalayas. Roerich showed the mountains of the Himalayas as a country of death, similar to a lunar landscape, as a tombstone over a bottomless grave; he discovered the Pamir Mountains in their metaphysical looking glass, where streams of blood flow from under the shell of ice. The mountains of Tibet seem to exude the coldness of death. This is not the cold of ice and snow, but the cosmic cold of some interstellar black space.

N.K. Roerich. Tibet (1933)

N.K. Roerich. Bowl of Buddha (1934)

N.K. Roerich. Song of Shambhala (1943)

N.K. Roerich. Remember. (1945)

At the same time, color in Roerich's paintings always has a symbolic meaning, carries a complex emotional subtext, being an expressive means of conveying a certain mood. Referring to the last period of the artist's work, Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) said: "Roerich's paintings are a false triumph of evil over good, death over life. Therefore, in the paintings of Tibet, painted by Roerich, two colors prevail: red and blue; red is the color of blood, blue is the color of corpses."

They say that Roerich adopted Buddhism, but this is not entirely true. He adopted Lamaism. Buddhism is a religion of nothingness, and Lamaism is a religion of death. Non-being is something that does not exist. The mysticism of non-being is the identification of the world with illusion; death is that which exists, but is sentenced to destruction. The mysticism of death is a bloody sacrifice, therefore, in Mongolia, Tibet and Manchu China, Genghis Khan is revered as the Great Mahatma. The Lamaists call him "blessed" and "enlightened." Pilgrims go to his tomb in China to worship; Satanic initiations take place at his grave.

ElenaRoerich (1879-1955) - spiritual leader, ascetic, esoteric philosopher, writer. Born into a noble family in St. Petersburg. She was the great-uncle of the commander Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. Before marriage, she was known as a "secular lioness" - she attended balls, as was customary in her circle, loved outfits, always dressed in the latest fashion. In addition, she was a gifted person, had excellent musical abilities (she graduated from a music school and was going to enter the St. Petersburg Conservatory), reached a high level of playing the piano, was passionate about drawing, studied philosophy, mythology and religion.

In 1901, out of great love, she married Nicholas Roerich and from that time on their lives merged into one, and then we can only talk about the Roerichs - Helena Ivanovna and Nikolai Konstantinovich. Helena Roerich supported all her husband's undertakings, delved into all spheres of his cultural activity.

In 1903-1904. the spouses make a trip to Russian cities: Nikolai Konstantinovich strove to reveal the origins of national history and culture. They traveled around 40 cities in 2 years.

Since 1905 Helena Roerich's passion for the East begins. She reads about India, studies the works of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Ramacharaka. The works of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky occupy a special place in the formation of Helena Roerich's worldview.

From 1907 to 1909 The Roerichs are more and more immersed in the study of India and Tibet. If Nikolai Konstantinovich strove to comprehend Asia through the study of archeology, ethnography, folk customs, then Elena Ivanovna strives to study Eastern philosophy, mythology, and religion. She was especially interested in the legend of Shambhala. In it, she saw the spiritual stronghold of Asia, where esoteric knowledge about man and the Universe was collected.

The long-term gravitation towards the East translates into a decision to make a long trip to India, Tibet and Mongolia in order to study Indian culture and get closer to the Himalayan ashrams. In 1923. Helena and Nicholas Roerich go on an expedition equipped with funds from US public organizations under the American flag. In India, the Roerichs study ancient monuments of art and culture, visit monasteries, and follow the route that Buddha walked while preaching. The expedition lasted 5 years. Together with the members of the expedition, Helena Roerich overcame dangerous passes, climbed high mountain ranges, froze and starved in Tibet, walked more than 25 thousand kilometers.

After the completion of the Central Asian expedition, the Roerichs stayed in India, in the Kulu valley (Western Himalayas), where in 1928 they founded Institute for Himalayan Studies "Urusvati" (translated from Sanskrit "Light of the Morning Star").

However, the main "achievement" of Helena Roerich's entire life was creation of the teaching of Agni Yoga (Living Ethics) , combining the ancient wisdom of the East with the philosophical and scientific achievements of the West, giving the ethical foundations of behavior and means of in-depth self-knowledge. She was called the "Mother of Agni Yoga". She claimed that she received messages from Mahatma Moriah by clairaudience. The ideas set forth by Helena Roerich in Agni Yoga had a strong influence on the formation and development of New Age in Russia.

Mahatma Moriah - in Theosophy and Agni Yoga - one of the "Teachers of Timeless Wisdom". Mahatma ("great soul") - in Hindu mythology and theosophy, one of the names of the world spirit. In Hinduism, it means “saved while alive”. In Christianity, the concept of "holy" can be considered a synonym for the term. It should be noted that the traditional Indian concept of the Mahatmas differs significantly from the understanding of this word adopted in Theosophy. In accordance with the theosophical teaching, the Mahatma is not an incorporeal spirit, but a highly developed person engaged in individual spiritual growth and the development of earthly civilization as a whole (for example, the spiritual leader of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi). According to Blavatsky, Mahatmas (or adepts) live in Tibet and are considered already saved from the cycle of samsara. In the first years after the creation of the Theosophical Society, the Mahatmas corresponded with many of its members. Blavatsky claimed that Mahatma Moriah appeared to her from childhood in dreams and visions, and that on August 12, 1851, on the day of her twentieth birthday, their first meeting took place in Hyde Park (London). Although many members of the Theosophical Society in the 19th century described their meetings with Mahatma Moriah and other Mahatmas, their very existence was questioned by most individuals and organizations (including the London Society for Psychical Research) even at that time. Nevertheless, after the death of Madame Blavatsky, members of the Theosophical Society continued to claim that they were meeting the Master or receiving secret messages from him. So, Helena Roerich argued that thanks to her and her husband's communication with the “Great Teacher” (Mahatma Moriah), the teaching of Agni Yoga arose, and that at the first stages the so-called automatic writing was used for communication, and further records were obtained by means of clairaudience, which possessed by Helena Roerich herself. She considered herself clairvoyant and clairaudient.

In the first half of the 1930s, Helena Roerich translated into Russian two volumes of The Secret Doctrine by Helena Blavatsky. At the same time, she corresponded with more than 140 correspondents from around the world. Helena Roerich's correspondents include friends, students, cultural figures, political leaders. In her letters she gives answers to numerous questions, explains the most complex philosophical and scientific problems, the foundations of Living Ethics. She writes about the great Cosmic Laws, about the meaning of human existence, about the importance of culture in the evolution of mankind, about the Great Teachers. In 1940, the first two-volume edition of Letters by Helena Roerich was published in Riga.

The Roerich family had two children. In August 1902, the eldest son Yuri was born, who in the future became a world-renowned orientalist, and in October 1904, the youngest of the Roerichs, Svyatoslav, a future artist, thinker, and public figure, was born.

The Roerichs' connection with the Freemasons

Modern researchers claim that N. Roerich was a Freemason. In the 1930s, Nikolai Konstantinovich entered the United States into the Masonic (Rosicrucian) lodge, immediately receiving the highest degree of initiation. Nicholas Roerich received the dedication from the General Delegate of the “Grand Lodge of France” Czeslaw von Chinsky, who, since 1911, had been organizing seances at the artist's house. However, Helena Roerich denied that their family belonged to Freemasonry.

And yet to the question "Was Roerich a Freemason?" the answer should be “yes” (99%) rather than “no” (1%).

The Rosicrucians considered Roerich theirs. And now, on the official Russian website of the Rosicrucian Order, Nicholas Roerich is mentioned in the list of the most prominent personalities who were members of the Order or had a direct connection with it: "Nicholas Roerich (1874 - 1947), artist, writer, humanist, philosopher, researcher, archaeologist, fighter for Peace, being for many years a member of the Order of the Rose and Cross and a messenger of the Brotherhood, represented the Order at various meetings."

The Paris Roerich Museum, headed by G. G. Shklyaver, was one of the centers for the recreation of the Russian Masonic movement in exile. Georgy Gavriilovich Shklyaver himself, Doctor of International Law and Political Science at the University of Paris, was a member of Jupiter. "Jupiter" is the Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge, recreated in exile in 1926.

The President of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York from 1923 to 1936 was Nicholas Roerich's closest employee Lewis Horsch, a Mason of the 33rd degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Ritual in New York (a copy of the diploma is in the archives of the St. Petersburg State Museum-Institute of the Roerichs).

Without good ties with Masonic circles, the project "Banner of Peace" and "Roerich's Pact" would not have been supported by the US political elite. Doctor of Historical Sciences A.I. Andreev notes that "American Freemasons showed a certain interest in Roerich and his activities ... and N. Roerich himself was definitely drawn to the Freemasons"

An interesting fact is that Nicholas Roerich is credited with the authorship of the US one dollar bill ... However, this episode has its own history ... In February 1926 in Kashgar, Roerich, at the request of the Soviet consul, created a sketch of a monument to Lenin. He even managed to put up a pedestal on the territory of the Soviet consulate, before the Chinese authorities banned the installation of the monument. The pedestal was made in the shape of a truncated pyramid ... In Roerich's life, this shape will emerge again later ... In 1935, during his last stay in America, he, through his friends, submitted to American officials the idea of ​​depicting a truncated pyramid on a one-dollar green bill, which was introduced in an appeal in the late 1930s at the initiative of the famous freemason Henry Wallace, then vice president (Wallace was a devoted adherent of N.K. Roerich from the mid-1920s and, with Roosevelt's consent, actively lobbied the Roerich Pact in the US Congress, which was signed in Washington in 1935).

And to this day, a truncated pyramid flaunts on it, above which, however, this time not Lenin's head is placed, but a triangle with the image of an eye - the most ancient Masonic symbol of the Builder of the Universe. It remains to be clarified that we are talking here about traditional Masonic symbols. In ancient Egypt, the eye symbol was called Eye of the Mountain... An analogue of this symbol is the image of an eye enclosed in a triangle.

How did the Russian emigrant manage to get to the creation of American money and build a museum of his own name in the form of a 29-storey building with three hundred rooms and an annual income of $ 100,000 !? But the origin of this money cannot be explained by the popularity of N. Roerich. There was no over-demand either for his paintings, or for his books, or for his lectures.

Museum of N.K. Roerich "The Master Institute" in New York.
Architect Garvey W. Corbet.

Nicholas Roerich in the East Hall of the Roerich Museum in New York
in front of a collection of Tibetan sacred scriptures. 1929 g.

Probably, it was the “lodge” that provided Roerich with good contacts among the top US government officials, so good that Nicholas Roerich had the opportunity to meet with US President Roosevelt and borrow fantastic sums of $ 900,000 (in 1929 money). Helena Roerich describes their arrival in America as follows: "06/20/29. Upon arrival N.K. (Nicholas Roerich) was greeted at the pier by three members of the New York Mayor's committee. In three cars and escorted police motorcycles, we drove through the whole city ... All this with a police escort, sirens. Stopping for us all traffic in New York on 5th Avenue and everywhere. " Who else from the Russian emigrants was so greeted in America? And this was by no means a tribute to the artist's fame.

Many prominent Theosophists (H.P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and others) were members of Masonic lodges. The "lodges" supported Blavatsky. It seems that N. Roerich's "promotion" came from the same source.

Roerich doctrine ("Agni Yoga")

Most of the people who honor the name and talent of the Roerichs do not know their doctrine at all. Everyone knows that they wrote about beauty, that culture will save the world. They called for tolerance and respect for all religions, the unity of which the Roerichs preached. In general, they taught me to live in harmony with nature and the Cosmos.This is, perhaps, the entire popular catechism of Roerich propaganda.But apart from appeals to peace, goodness and love, there is something else in the Roerichs' teachings. There are judgments and advice, assessments and predictions that lead their followers away from God, away from the TRUTH, lead them into mysticism and Kabbalah.Those., the Roerichs' teachings are teachings in a beautiful intellectual package, but with essentially poisoned content , which is quite capable of mortally poisoning the human soul.

Agni Yoga , or "Living Ethics" - a religious and philosophical doctrine that unites the Western occult and theosophical tradition and the esotericism of the East. The creators of the teachings are Nicholas and Helena Roerichs ... However, the main author of Agni Yoga is Helena Roerich. Agni Yoga is in many ways a continuation of the teachings of theosophy of H.P. Blavatsky (the connection between these teachings is mentioned in the texts of Living Ethics). According to Nicholas and Helena Roerich, the teaching of Living Ethics arose in the process of their "conversations" with the "Great Teacher" (known in theosophical circles as Mahatma Moria). The Roerichs claim that this communication took place in 1920-1940. The question of the existence of a person who could be identified with Mahatma Moriya remains controversial to this day. In the process of creating the texts, at the first stages, all members of the Roerich family, including children, participated, and the so-called automatic writing was used, and further records were obtained through clairaudience, which Helena Roerich allegedly possessed. The first name of the teaching of Agni Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Agni", meaning "fire". In Agni Yoga, this concept, of course, does not mean a physical flame, but a universal spiritual environment that permeates the entire universe and has an energetic or subtle nature. Apparently, the creators of Agni Yoga believed that the very concept of Agni, or evolutionary cosmic energies, is the most relevant for the modern era in connection with its important features. The second name of Agni Yoga - Living Ethics - emphasizes its practical spiritual and ethical orientation. This teaching was called Living Ethics, apparently, in order to emphasize the difference between the spiritual ethics of relationships between people, society and the Cosmos from the usual, formal, secular ethics. Researchers rank Agni Yoga as one of the teachings of the New Age.

According to the teachings of Agni Yoga, all world religions appeared as a result of the fact that the "forces of light" (they are the "Lords of the Cosmos", they are "very high spirits", they are the "Great Brotherhood", they are the "Mahatmas of the East", etc. etc.), striving to help humanity in its march along the path of evolutionary development, they sent their representatives to lost humanity, who revealed parts of the "Great Wisdom" to people and became the founders of religions and philosophical schools. Thus, every religion contains parts of "Wisdom" , there is it in witchcraft, magic, astrology, but only Theosophy possesses its fullness. And the obvious fact that the creeds of many religions contradict each other in their essence, theosophists and Roerichs explain by the fact that all the followers of modern religions have long ago departed from that doctrine. But since theosophists have “true knowledge,” they know exactly what exactly Buddha brought to the Buddhists, Moses to the Jews, Christ to the Christians, and Mohammed to the Muslims. Now, in their opinion, it is time to tell the modern stupid person about this.

Initially declaring the presence of elements of "one Wisdom" in all religions, Agni Yoga only recognizes itself as "the only way". "There is only one Hierarchy of Light, and, of course, this Hierarchy is the Trans-Himalayan Hierarchy,"- Helena Roerich assures. Christianity is a "false faith"; Church - "the source of corruption". No less harsh judgments can be found in the letters of Helena Roerich and in Agni Yoga about Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Lamaism. All historically existing beliefs of mankind from the point of view of the Roerichs are "beyond repair" and must be replaced by Theosophy. It is worth noting that this opinion about religions is very typical for many sects, the New Age movement.

It should be noted that the books of Agni Yoga themselves do not contain clearly expressed teaching postulates. The teaching spreads outside these books, which are called upon to develop a certain way of thinking in a person, gradually change his system of worldview. The writing style is such that it inevitably leads the reader into a state of heightened suggestibility, sets him up for inconsistency traditional system worldview, inspires a sense of their own insignificance and helplessness.

Officially, the Roerichites declare that they themselves are Christians and that all Christian values ​​and concepts are very close to them, and that they are ready to do everything that "Mahatma Jesus" orders. But in reality, Agni Yoga of the Roerichs is clearly anti-Christian in nature ... So what exactly is anti-Christian in the teachings of the Roerichs?

If you carefully study the Teaching of Living Ethics, and especially the correspondence of Helena Roerich, it will become obvious that only to better capture people, the preachers of Agni Yoga asserted the compatibility of their views with Christian ones. Roerich advises taking lessons in tactical lies from Rosenkreuz, the founder of the Rosicrucian order. In a suitable company or trusted addressee, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich confessed to the opposite of their teachings to the teachings of the Church.

The Roerichs themselves assured that they did not write the treatises of the Agni Yoga cycle themselves, but that they were writing down the "cosmic dictation". This is a well-known phenomenon of automatic writing, when a person himself is in a meditative-semi-conscious state, and a pencil writes by itself, fulfilling the will of a spirit that has come into contact.

To make sure that the Roerichs' Teaching is a religious sect not only incompatible with Christianity, but also directly hostile to it, it is enough to get acquainted with some of the postulates of their teaching.

About God

The teaching of "Agni Yoga" states that the world and the Absolute are one, and God as a Person does not exist at all. “As far as God is concerned, we cannot regard Him as eternal or infinite or self-existent. There is no place for Him in the presence of Matter, the irrefutable properties and qualities of which are fully known to us, in other words, we believe only in Matter, in Matter as visible Nature, and Matter in its invisibility as invisible, omnipresent Proteus "(Letter from E. Roerich dated 12.09.34). “Neither our philosophy, nor we ourselves believe in God, least of all in the one whose pronoun requires a capital letter. We deny God as philosophers and as Buddhists. "(Letters Mahatmas, 57). Helena Roerich agrees with this: “The Mahatma denies and speaks against the blasphemous human conception of a Personal God. Mahatma denies the God of church dogma "(Letters from 09/08/34 and 09/12/34). She fully shares the Mahatmas' belief: "We believe only in Matter"(ibid.). In fact, here the Roerichs preach atheism, not "religious synthesis". Thus, « Agni Yoga "claims that The Absolute has neither Personality nor will . They do not know God as Creator, Judge, Redeemer. The place of the living, loving God is replaced by a faceless and indifferent, blind "Law of karma".

About repentance

Christians confess that since God is not bound by the laws of the world created by Him, he can creatively renew human life - if a person desires this renewal. God can forsake sins and remove the human soul from the effects of sin. Agni Yoga of the Roerichs asserts that no one can help a person in a repentant renewal of his life , what the consequences of past actions, called "the action of karma", are inevitable. "The time has come to indicate that the Greatest God is the God of the immutable Law, the God of Just retribution, but not arbitrariness in Mercy."(Letter from E. Roerich dated 28.05.37). "No one, not even the Highest Spirit, can forgive the sins they have committed, for this would be contrary to the law of karma."(Letter from E. Roerich dated 09.07.35). “The reward for deeds is done not by the wise Lord, but by the blind and at the same time reasonable law. A religiously-minded Christian can pray to his God even from morning to evening, he can repent of his sins at least every day, he can break his forehead, bowing down to earth, but he will not change his fate one iota by this, for the fate of a person is formed by his deeds, for which the law of Karma will bring appropriate results, and these results will in no way depend on prayers, or on bows, or on repentance. " So, repenting is useless, and there is no one to repent to ... Agni Yoga imposes ban on repentance .

About Evil

Christians profess that "God is light, and there is no darkness in Him"(1 John 1: 5), that evil and darkness are contrary to the Divine Nature, that the world is not God, and therefore the evil acting in the world is not God's action, it is unnatural to the created perfect world. Evil, in the Christian sense, is resistance to the ordinances of God. Agni Yoga teaches that evil is not evil in the proper sense, but, being part of the world, is one of the properties of the "Absolute" , in which evil is potentially present, therefore, is natural to the world. That is, the assessment of a certain phenomenon, both evil and good, depends on the attitude of the evaluator towards it, and if with a certain view something seems to be evil, then with a different, for example, a more general view, the same thing may turn out to be good (Letter to E. Roerich from 27.11.37).

Relationship to Jesus Christ

Christians confess that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah, Christ foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. In his person, God Himself became incarnate, becoming a man.

What do the Roerich people think of Christ? “The Christian Nicene Creed is a sheer error. None of the provisions of the Creed about God the Son is true and is the result of fantasy and legends. " Helena Roerich assures that Jesus generally was not the Christ-Messiah : "Christ was not the Messiah promised by Scripture."(Letter 30.06.34). Christianity for her - "Sectarian view that only through the manifestation of Christ humanity was saved from the wiles of the devil"(03.02.39). For her it is "Terrible blasphemous phenomena: a terrible suggestion of the notion that Christ's death on the cross saved mankind from original sin"(31.12.35). BUT the fall of Adam and Eve she considers the greatest and, moreover, a positive event in the history of mankind (03.12.37).

On the resurrection of the dead

Christianity is built on the Passover message: "Christ is Risen!" The Roerichs assert that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ can only be explained by "self-indulgence" (Letter from E. Roerich dated 17.02.34). Agni Yoga claims that Christ did not rise at all , or that it was not a resurrection of a body, but of a spirit.

Followers of the Roerichs consider absurd and apostolic preaching about the bodily resurrection of the dead . “And now there are people who are educated and even consider themselves scientists in some areas, who believe that on the Day of the Last Judgment they will be resurrected in their physical body! How can you explain such self-indulgence? "(Letter from E. Roerich dated 17.02.34).

The Roerichs assert that the body is nothing more than clothes, which the soul can change many times, which is the basis the theory of reincarnation (reincarnation).

About Calvary and Christ's death on the cross

Christians confess that Christ saved us not by his "teaching", but by the fact that in Him human and divine natures were really united and reconciled. “Agni Yoga” asserts that if Christ can be called “Savior”, it is only because He saved people from ignorance by “reminding” them of the laws of ethics. For Helena Roerich Calvary is only an illustration of the commandments, but not the act of Salvation itself : "If He had not suffered, His Teachings would have been forgotten"(Letter from E. Roerich dated 07.05.39). The cross does not save people , but simply reminds of some moral precepts. However, the restriction of the Savior's ministry to only preaching deprives Christianity of its most important content and its greatest joy - Easter.

In the end, Roerich and the Hindus tempt the same thing as Satan: they are fighting the Cross. They do not need it, it interferes. The Christ of the Sermon on the Mount is close to them, but the Christ of Golgotha ​​is not. Golgotha ​​becomes either an accident or a performance designed to squeeze a tear of repentance from people who have suddenly turned into deicides. Any system that fails to explain the unique meaning of the Cross is not Christian. She can compliment “Teacher Jesus”, even assert his “divinity” (in the Hindu sense) - but she will remain “the kiss of Judas” ...

Understanding Christ as simply a “Teacher” is inconsistent with the teachings of Christ himself. The Roerichs and Theosophists, Buddhists and Occultists are well aware of the deep incompatibility of their teachings with the Gospel of Christ. The Church also sees this incompatibility.

About Lucifer

Finally, one cannot fail to notice the frankly satanic notes of Roerich's occultism. Christ says that He fights with the "prince of this world": "... now the prince of this world has been exiled ..."(John 12:31). "Prince of Peace" is a translation of the Greek word "kosmokratores", that is, "lord of the cosmos." But this is what the spiritual master "mahatma" calls himself. The "Planetary Spirits" instructing the Shambalists assure that God is "A fictional monster with ignorance in its tail"(Letters Mahatmas, 153), "The demon is vengeful, unjust, cruel and stupid ..., the heavenly tyrant on whom Christians lavish their servile adoration so generously"(Letters Mahatmas, 57). Christendom still worships God in Devil and Devil in God(Letters Mahatmas, 72).

Agni Yoga tends to talk about Lucifer with enthusiasm : "Lucifer, the time has come to renew your lamp!"(A.Klizovsky.vol. 1.). “The gift of discernment was sacrificed by the Forces of Light. Therefore, the original name of such a Messenger was Lucifer the Light-bearer. But over the centuries in the West, the great meaning of this legend has been lost. He remained only in the hidden Teachings of the East. In the "Secret Doctrine" there is a place that explains this meaning. Satan, when he is no longer viewed in the superstitious, dogmatic and philosophyless spirit of the churches, grows into the majestic image of the one who creates from the earthly man the divine : who gives him during the long cycle of Mahakalpa the law of the spirit of Life and frees him from the sin of ignorance "(Letter from E. Roerich dated 3.12.37). "Of course, Lucifer fully answered the name given to him and, probably, is very grieving that such a beautiful name of him in later times, through the efforts of ignorant priests, was usurped by them for His shadow - or Antipode."(Letter from E. Roerich dated 24.5.38). “Christ is the teacher of humanity. Sataniel is an examiner ... Christ and Sataniel are linked into one whole ... In esoteric symbolism, Christ and Sataniel are depicted as a two-headed serpent. "(Otari Kandaurov, speech in the program “Oasis”, shown by the TV channel “Russian Universities” on April 10, 1994).

About the gospel

According to the Roerichs, "The gospel does not correspond to the true teachings of the Mahatma Jesus" , which means that both the Gospel and all Christian literature will be removed from libraries according to their plan.

About the new world order

Roerich's assumptions for the future include such events as: destruction of cemeteries as breeding grounds for epidemics; the abolition of monetary alms; in the new community, one should forget about kindness, for kindness is not good; nationalities with their history and culture must be abolished. Klezovsky, a disciple of Helena Roerich and one of the leaders of Agni Yoga, among the prejudices calls the faith of the Western world in Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God. "Those who consider our community to be a prayer house are wrong"- E. Roerich writes.

Excommunication of the Roerichites from the Church

The new world order, which the Living Ethics (or Agni Yoga) proposes, fundamentally contradicts the Christian worldview. Therefore, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church clearly defined Agni Yoga as a religious movement of an anti-Christian nature.

From the Definition of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church "ON PSEUDOCHRISTIAN SECTS, NEO-LANGUAGE AND OCCULTISM" (December 2, 1994): “… Paganism, astrology, theosophical and spiritualistic societies, once founded by E. Blavatsky,“ The Teaching of Living Ethics ”are incompatible with Christianity. People who share the teachings of these sects and movements, and even more contribute to their spread, excommunicated themselves from the Orthodox Church. "

Excommunication means that people who were previously baptized in the Orthodox Church, but then began to preach and share theosophical views, as excommunicated from the Church, cannot resort to the saving grace of church sacraments. If they do not bring repentance and turn to a sincere confession of the whole and intact Orthodox teaching, they are not allowed to Communion, they cannot be receivers (godparents) at baptism, cannot be remembered in church prayers, and they are also deprived of the church burial and funeral service. Such people can cross the threshold of an Orthodox church only if they came to repentance. ... It is impossible to remember the names of these people at the Liturgy, both for health and for the repose of their souls. Even if such people themselves consider themselves Christians and dare to approach Holy Communion, the grace of Christ will not sanctify their hearts, but will serve them in condemnation.

With all this, The Church never criticized Roerich's peacemaking activities, did NOT express any judgments about Roerich's paintings, did NOT oppose Roerich's calls for a dialogue of cultures and for tolerance, did NOT condemn Roerich's works on the protection of cultural monuments.

The soul of even the most gifted person can be afflicted with a spiritual illness. After all, what's the difference whose soul is it: a genius writer or a dockman ?! The passions act in the same way everywhere, except that the artist needs to be especially alert, for his sharply sensitive and impressionable soul can more easily succumb to the call of passion more easily than the soul of a “commoner”. Yes, geniuses also get sick, and the soul of such people needs the same blessed protection as any person. The Roerichs, like Tolstoy earlier, rejected this protection.

Roerich's "Banner of Peace"

"Banner of Peace" - a symbol that declares the trinity of times (past, present and future) in the circle of Eternity.

This sign was proposed by N.K. Roerich for the international Pact for the Protection of Cultural Property. In his opinion, this sign "is of great antiquity and is found all over the world, therefore it cannot be limited to any sect, religion or tradition, for it represents the evolution of consciousness in all its phases."

According to one of the versions, the source of N. Roerich's plan to create the sign of the Banner of Peace is the ancient Russian icon of Andrei Rublev "Trinity".

But, according to Andrey Kuraev, “upon closer acquaintance with the texts of the pro-Roerich circle, it turns out that this Three-eyed Banner of Shambhala .

In Buddhism, a similar symbol is called triratna (literally -"Three Jewels") - a kind of symbol of the Buddhist faith, three jewels of Buddhist doctrine: Buddha, Dharma (law, teaching), Sangha (monastic community).

Triratna

In Hindu mythology, he ("Roerich's sign") means a wonderful Chantamani stone (Treasure of the World) who fulfilled any desires of people with a pure heart. An important source of knowledge about the Stone was the information given by Helena Roerich in the "Legend of the Stone", placed in the collection "Cryptograms of the East", as well as in her letters and diaries. So, we learn that at the turning points of history, the sacred Stone appears in those countries and in the hands of those heroes who can especially influence the course of human evolution. The stone was owned by King Solomon, the first emperor of China in the Qin dynasty, as well as Alexander the Great. Chintamani was in Ancient Novgorod, was in the hands of Tamerlane. The stone was also sent to Napoleon in due time in the hope that his talent could serve the process of renewing the thinking of the West and the cause of the unity of the peoples of Europe. But Napoleon, rushing to Russia, broke the Covenant, and the Stone was taken from him. In 1923, the Stone fell into the hands of the Roerichs, and since then they have become bearers of a special Covenant, carrying out the instructions of the Brotherhood of the Teachers of Humanity, promoting the evolution of the planet.

The story of the Casket, in which the Stone was sent, is interesting. Helena Roerich's letters say the following about this: “The casket was made in the 13th century in Germany, in Rothenburg, from a very ancient piece of leather that belonged to King Solomon. A certain German woman hid in her castle the compiler of the Kabbalistic treatise "Zohar", Rabbi Moses da Leone, who was persecuted by the persecutors. In gratitude for her salvation, she received from the hands of the rabbi a Chintamani Stone and an ancient piece of leather. The Casket was made of it specifically for storing the sacred relic. On the casket were depicted "magic signs" and four letters "M". " The letter "M" on the Casket refers to Lord Maitreya, whose era on Earth was advancing, and the Roerichs were called to help in her approach.

Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Roerich. The Sacred Casket (1928)

No less amazing is the piece of cloth in which the Stone was wrapped. He is depicted in the painting "The Sacred Casket" in such a way that the drawing with the inscription in the center is clearly visible. Almost the entire surface of this fabric is occupied by an embroidered color image of the Sun. Its powerful rays extend around, just as they were depicted around the head of the sun deities. Inside the circle of the Sun there are Latin letters "I.Н.S." (this motto was inscribed on the banner of the Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great).

Sergius of Radonezh and the Roerich people

In Novosibirsk, one of the branches of the Roerich movement is called “Spiritual Center named after Sergius of Radonezh " ... They loudly declare that many saints, such as St. Sergius of Radonezh, were true spiritual people, lights, devotees of the "Hierarchy of Light", initiated into the secrets of occult teachings. What connects the Roerichites with St. Sergius of Radonezh?

The image of St. Sergius was especially revered in the Roerich family. Sergius of Radonezh was for the Roerichs and their followers one of the mahatmas of Shambhala, and the content of his faith, in their opinion, corresponds to the teachings of Agni Yoga (Living Ethics).

The image of St. Sergius as an inspiring example of the "Builder of Russian Spiritual Culture" took a special place in Roerich's painting just after the "meeting" of the artist with Teacher Moriah in London. In the 1920s and 1930s, Roerich painted a number of paintings dedicated to St. Sergius: "Sergius the Builder" (1924), "Chapel of Sergius" (1931), "Sergius Hermitage" (1933 and 1936) and others.

In 1932, Roerich painted the painting "St. Sergius of Radonezh". It gives a generalized image of the defender of the Russian land. Against the background of a dark sky and Mount Makovets with the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, St. Sergius stands. He blesses the soldiers going to the Battle of Kulikovo.

N.K. Roerich. Saint Sergius of Radonezh (1932)

The majestic figure of Sergius of Radonezh stands on Earth, engulfed in flames, towering, as if defending Russia with himself from fire, shielding her from trouble. N.K. Roerich portrayed Sergius of Radonezh not just in full growth - the figure seems to ascend into the sky, connecting itself, like a living bridge, the tiny Earth and the Infinity of the Cosmos. Around the head of the saint shines a golden halo - a symbol of holiness and purity ...In his hands is a board with the sign of the Banner of Peace and a temple - "The Intercession on the Nerl", dedicated to the Holy Mother of God - a symbol of future Russia.

The symbol of three circles in the common circle of eternity on His clothes indicates His Higher Knowledge. The dark lilac color of his clothes speaks of the highest qualities of his spirit - humility, courage, aspiration, connection with the Highest.

Above the head of Sergius of Radonezh, in the disturbing sky, is depicted the All-Seeing Eye in a violet triangle, - "the sign of the Divine Mind", a symbolic image of God, testifies that the Monk Sergius carries out his mission according to the Highest will. The entire compositional solution of the picture can be characterized by the words of Helena Roerich: "Illuminated by the Inexpressible Light, He stands, invisibly Visible."

N.K. Roerich. Saint Sergius of Radonezh (detail)

At the bottom of the painting, Roerich made an inscription: “It was given to Saint Sergius to save the Russian Land three times. First time under Prince Dmitry. the second under Minin. The third …". The ellipsis spoke eloquently about what Roerich had in mind (the bloodiest war was the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945). The prophecy of N.K. Roerich, given by him in the inscription on the painting "St. Sergius", although it came true in the years of the Great Patriotic War, but it was given, as it is believed, for the entire future of our country.

N.K. Roerich dedicated the painting to his spiritual Teacher, Master Moriah, deliberately giving the face of Saint Sergius the features of an oriental sage.

An interesting testimony to the enormous significance of this picture is the statement of the famous Bulgarian prophetess Vanga. In one of the conversations, Vanga called St. Sergius “not just saints, but the main Russian saint,” and then, according to her inner perception, she described in detail Roerich's painting “Saint Sergius”. And then she said: “The picture was drawn by four souls who came from another world. Little is known about this picture. It is necessary that everyone knows about her. Take care of the picture like the apple of your eye. This is the greatest wealth of Russia. Do not send it to other countries. It is intended only for Russia. " And she concluded: “The one who was Saint Sergei is now the biggest Saint. He is the leader of all mankind. Oh, how He is helping humanity now! He turned into light, His body is made of light! "

The Roerichs believe that CSt. Teresa, St. Catherine, St. Joan of Arc, St. Nicholas the Pleasant, St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas of Kempis - this is the week of the Glorious, the week of great Messengers, great Teachers, great Peacemakers, great Builders, great Judges, they express truly a great earthly path.

The Roerichs also argued that Sergiy of Radonezh is the embodiment of Krishna (Letters to Helena Roerich, vol. 1, 08/11/1934). But it is “forgotten” by the “teachers” and “mahatmas” that the holiness of Sergius of Radonezh is inseparably linked with the Orthodox Church and with the holiness of hundreds of other saints of the Church, they forget that the Monk Sergius was an Orthodox monk who prayed before icons to a personal God, in the Trinity To the One, and in prayerful repentance and exploit, he acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit, and that he was inspired on the difficult monastic path by the example of hundreds of monks who walked this narrow path during many centuries of Christianity before him, and with their lives, and even more with their deaths, have borne witness to the truth and godlyness of the Orthodox Faith. Sergius of Radonezh was ordained a priest, which means he was a representative of that "dark orthodox" priesthood against which the Roerichs repeatedly revolt. There is not a single genuine evidence that Sergius of Radonezh would teach that there is no one God in Three Persons, but there is a “law of karma”, that there is no point in repenting and praying that there are reincarnations, but there is neither heaven nor hell. But it is known for sure that the teaching of St. Sergius as a pastor of the Orthodox Church and mentor of Orthodox monks in no way contradicted either the dogmas of the Orthodox Faith, much less the Nicene Creed.

Prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

V. V. Frolov

Nicholas Roerich -

once in Finland I sat on the shores of Lake Ladoga with

a peasant boy. A middle-aged man walked past us, and my little companion got up and took off his cap with great respect. I asked him after: "Who was this man?" And with particular seriousness the boy replied: "This is the teacher." I asked again, "Is he your teacher?" "No," the boy replied, "he is a teacher from a nearby school." - "Do you know him personally?" - I insisted. "No" - answered

he was surprised ... Then why did you greet him so respectfully? "Even more seriously, my little companion replied:" Because he is a teacher. " N.K. Roerich to the Teachers who played a huge role in his life.

A document has survived, certifying that Nicholas Roerich was born in St. Petersburg in 1874 on October 9 (September 27, O.S.) into the family of a notary Konstantin Fyodorovich Roerich and his wife Maria Vasilievna. Roerich was lucky with teachers. He studied at one of the best educational institutions of the then St. Petersburg - K. May gymnasium. His first mentors, who gave their students all the heat of their hearts, were an example of a highly moral attitude to work. By their example, they helped Roerich to form those highest qualities to which the Master was faithful all his life - a deep consciousness of personal responsibility for everything that he had to do, and of the personal duty that life placed on him.

Nicholas Roerich writes about his teachers with warmth and cordiality. “We ourselves, remembering our school and university years, turn especially cordially to those teachers who taught clearly and simply. It is indifferent from the subject itself, whether it will be the highest material

1 Roerich. M .: Publishing House of Shalva Amonashvili, 2004.S. 5-29. (Anthology of Humane Pedagogy.)

2 Roerich N.K. Guru-Teacher // Roerich N.K. Fenugreek. M .: MCR, 1994.S. 187.

1. The first teachers

mathematics or philosophy, or history, or geography - absolutely everything could find clear forms among gifted teachers ”1.

After graduating from high school, he simultaneously studied at the law department of St. Petersburg University and at the Imperial Academy of Arts. As a student, Roerich communicated with famous cultural figures - V.V. Stasov, I.E. Repin, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, D.V. Grigorovich, S.P. Diaghilev, A.N. Benois, A.A. .Blok ... During this period he was engaged in archaeological excavations, wrote the first literary works, created paintings. In 1897 thesis Nicholas Roerich's "Messenger" was purchased for his gallery by P.M. Tretyakov.

A.I. Kuindzhi, under whom he studied at the Academy of Arts, had a tremendous influence on the moral and creative development of the young Roerich. “I remember,” N. Roerich wrote, “in the most lofty words about my teacher, Professor Kuindzhi, a famous Russian artist. His life story could fill the most inspirational pages of a biography for the younger generation. He was a simple shepherd boy in the Crimea. Only by a consistent, passionate desire for art was he able to overcome all obstacles and, finally, become not only a respected artist and a man of great opportunities, but also a real Guru2 for his disciples in his high Hindu concept ”3. This trait of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi, in addition to his rare industriousness and purposefulness, sincerity and love for his students, inspired Roerich to exalted reverence for his teacher. Roerich was selflessly devoted to him. Kuindzhi was a Teacher in the very high sense words. He was a Guru.

Once, Nikolai Konstantinovich recalls, the students raised a riot against the vice-president of the Council of the Academy of Arts. And no one could calm them down. The situation has become very serious. Then Kuindzhi came to the meeting and told the students that they had come to the Academy to become artists, and therefore he asked them to start work. The rally ended immediately. This was the authority of this man.

“Kuindzhi was a great teacher,” writes Helena Roerich, “but only his pupil N.K. became great himself. The same students, who were not averse to belittling him and even calling him simply "Arkhip" behind their backs, gradually completely deteriorated4 and came to naught ”5.

1 Roerich N.K. Diary sheets. Moscow: MCR, 1995.T. 1.P. 84.

2 Guru (Skt.) - this is how the Spiritual Teacher is called in the East.

3 Roerich N.K Shambala. P. 188.

4 From deteriorate (English) - deteriorate, deteriorate.

5 Roerich E.I. Letters. Moscow: MCR, 1999.T. 1.S. 132-133.

Nicholas Roerich carried his gratitude and devotion to the Teachers throughout his life. I cannot refrain from recalling Roerich's recollection of Indian Gurus, in which he reveals the essence of teaching and his attitude to this phenomenon.

“Many years later,” Roerich wrote, “in India I saw such Gurus and saw devoted disciples who, without any servility, enthusiastically honored their Gurus, with the sensitivity that is so characteristic of India.

I heard a delightful story about a little Indian who found his teacher. He was asked: "Can the sun darken for you if you see it without the Teacher?"

The boy smiled: "The sun should remain the sun, but in the presence of the Teacher, twelve suns will shine for me."

Roerich's first teachers helped him find himself in the space of true culture and beauty. His wife, Elena Ivanovna, nee Shaposhnikova, had no less influence on him. They met in 1899 and got married in 1901. The Roerichs will pass their entire lives together, spiritually and creatively complementing and enriching each other. Helena Roerich, who announced to the world about a new, cosmic worldview in the books of Living Ethics, will become the spiritual guide of all creative endeavors of Nicholas Roerich, and Nicholas Roerich will sensitively listen to her advice.

Nikolai Konstantinovich treated Elena Ivanovna with extraordinary trepidation, with love and respect. He published many of his books with a dedication: "To Elena, my wife, friend, companion, inspirer." Helena Ivanovna was a bright genius of the Roerich family, who encouraged all its members to spiritual and creative achievements. N.K. Roerich embodied in his artistic creativity the inspired ideas and images that arose in Helena Ivanovna. Their sons, Yuri and Svyatoslav, took part in the cultural activities of the Roerichs. The family was a single whole and lived with a constant and unshakable aspiration for culture, knowledge and creativity in the name of the Common Good.

The creative heritage of N.K. Roerich, inseparable from the cultural heritage of the whole family, is so multifaceted that everyone who embarks on the path of spiritual improvement will find priceless treasures of the spirit in it, without the development of which true human development is impossible. Roerich's books cannot simply be read, as one reads a historical narrative or a literary essay, for each of his works opens a window into a completely wonderful world- The Roerich State. This is a world of unique discoveries and deepest insights of the thinker-artist, helping to feel the enchanting beauty

1 Roerich N.K Shambala. S. 189-190.

that of the Universe. In Roerich's Power, the synthesis of religion, art and science is embodied, fusing together the spiritual accumulations of mankind. Having entered this state, we cleanse our souls from cowardice, weak-willedness and from many other things unworthy of the title of man. The borders of the state are guarded by selfless people, devoted to a common cause, with an unshakable will and a pure heart, always ready for a heroic deed.

Nicholas Roerich was constantly improving in scientific, artistic creativity and cultural projects. For him, it was a way of being. He did this solely for the Common Good and service to the Culture, to which Roerich devoted many works: "Culture - reverence for the Light", "Culture is the winner", "The value of beauty" and others. People serving Culture are really happy. Not gold is happiness, Roerich notes, but beauty, which is personified in nature, human relationships and works of art. Those who are drawn to Culture, making it the basis of their lives, stand up and win in the most difficult situations in life, since Culture gives a person confidence in their abilities. Although victory may be invisible, for it occurs, ultimately, in the spiritual world of man. That is why Culture acts as the basis of Teachers' activity, the sphere of activity of which is the spiritual improvement of a person.

In artistic creation, Roerich revealed the originality of Russian culture, rooted in ancient Slavic traditions. His paintings depicting the life of the Slavs were exhibited at the largest exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow. At the same time, he saw in Russian culture such facets that connected it with the culture of the East and West. Studying the culture of the past epochs and defending it from destruction and oblivion, Roerich saw in it the grain of the imperishable, eternal, without which there can be no future. He viewed the future as a slice of history, rooted in the past and without the past having no development prospects.

Nicholas Roerich was striving towards the future, bright and beautiful, all his life. “They sometimes think about the future,” N. Roerich wrote, “but very often it does not enter into everyday discussions. Of course, it is not in human power to fully determine the future, but one should strive for it with all one's consciousness. And one should strive not towards a vague future, but precisely towards a better future. In this striving, there will already be a guarantee of success ”1. Nikolai Konstantinovich could not imagine a better future outside of Culture and Beauty. He was convinced that only they would help a person overcome many negative qualities and imperfections and reach a higher level of evolution.

1 Roerich N.K. Diary sheets. T. 1.P. 244.

N.K. Roerich not only comprehended possible ways shaping the future, he built it all his life. It came to life under the pen of the thinker with the deepest ideas and under the brush of the artist - with beautiful images of nature and the inhabitants of the countries he visited. The ascetic cultural projects of the thinker, numerous cultural organizations created on his initiative, and much more, into which the titanic energy of the Master was poured, belongs to the future. Nicholas Roerich was a kind of pioneer, blazing a path to the future for his contemporaries and those who will replace them. For him, the past, present and future were united in a holistic stream of history, thanks to enduring cultural values.

Beauty plays the most important evolutionary role in the life of the Cosmos, humanity and man. She, according to Roerich, is a multifaceted energetic phenomenon and acts as the basis for a person's spiritual development. The energy of Beauty contained in the work of spiritual ascetics, such as, for example, V.S.Soloviev, A.N. Scriabin, M.K. Churlionis, N.K. Roerich, nourishes the energy of people in contact with their beautiful creations. It helps to overcome life difficulties and become better. Therefore, a person, if he wants to improve his essence, cannot but aspire to Beauty. Nicholas Roerich, as if developing the thought of Fyodor Dostoevsky - "Beauty will save the world", said: "The comprehension of Beauty will save the world." It is the awareness and daily creation of Beauty by man that will transform him and the world in which he lives. The clearest example of this is the work of Nicholas Roerich, who created Beauty as an artist, philosopher and cultural figure. In this he saw the meaning not only of his life, but also the objective meaning of the life of every person: "After all, everything in its own way strives for beauty" 1.

His life, which passed under the sensitive guidance of the Teachers, is not perceived otherwise as a heroic deed. The difficulties that accompanied Roerich were comparable to the planetary scale of his personality, the enormous power of his spirit. Together with his family, he with honor overcame all seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hardships, purposefully and unwaveringly carrying out his mission. Both by nature and under the influence of his Teachers, Roerich was a builder, a creator of Culture. “The entire active life of Roerich,” writes Vsevolod Ivanov, “which grew out of the Russian land, is a constant and useful, persistent and benevolent construction. It is not for nothing that he often repeats in his writings the French proverb: "When the construction goes on, everything goes" 2.

1 Roerich N.K. Diary sheets. T. 1.P. 144.

2 Roerich's state. M .: art... 1994.S. 252.

"Benevolent construction ..." These words, perhaps, express the pathos of the Master's entire life path. This path was marked by cultural discoveries, which were influenced by the spiritual traditions of Russia, rooted in the distant past. In the past, when Saint Sergius of Radonezh performed asceticism. Six centuries have passed since that time. But the Monk Sergius still “shines in the same way, teaches and guides” 1. For the entire Russian people, he remains a spiritual mentor and teacher. Nicholas Roerich could not help but perceive his ideas. And in this he was, as always, unanimous with Elena Ivanovna. Helena Roerich, who wrote an excellent work about Sergius, emphasized the enormous importance of the asceticism of the Monk for the building of the Russian Land. “... The memory of Sergius,” wrote Elena Ivanovna, “will never die, for there is a great magnet of the spirit, which he put in the soul of the Russian people. The history of the development of spirituality in the Russian soul and the beginning of the gathering and construction of the Russian Land are inextricably linked with this great Ascetic ”2. Roerich, painting churches and creating canvases based on Russian history, developed the cultural and moral traditions of St. Sergius. Working in churches, visiting ancient Russian cities, Nikolai Konstantinovich felt the currents of history converging in the space of cultural construction, the unification of the Russian Land. Likewise, Sergius laid the traditions of construction, creation, showed an example of communal living, which was based on the high moral authority of the Saint himself. He instilled in his spiritual children a spirit of self-denial and selfless devotion primarily by personal example. Later, the ideas of Sergius, already in the art of icon painting, were embodied by the great painter Andrei Rublev, who created the world-famous "Trinity". This icon expresses the idea of ​​peace, harmony and unity. The result of the ascetic activity of Sergius was the unification of the Russian forces, which made possible the victory of the Russian army in 1380 over the Mamayev hordes.

Nicholas Roerich is separated from St. Sergius for centuries. At the same time, the asceticism of Sergius and the work of Roerich touch in some deep moments. The deeds of Sergius and all of Roerich's undertakings are united by building motives - both of them were committed to the idea of ​​creation for the sake of the Common Good. Both the monk and the artist showed by all their deeds that cultural, moral construction lies at the basis of such creation. Nicholas Roerich and Helena Ivanovna Roerich deeply revered the moral precepts of the Radonezh Wonderworker. This showed their heartfelt and reverent attitude.

1 Banner of St. Sergius of Radonezh. M. 1991.S. 104.

2 Letters from Helena Roerich. Minsk, 1992.T. 2.P. 167.

to Orthodox shrines and, in general, to true Orthodoxy, which was one of the sources of creative inspiration for the Roerichs in their work on paintings and philosophical works.

The time will come when images of St. Sergius will appear on the icons. “Church icon painters will paint it<...>, - notes L.V. Shaposhnikova, - with an unearthly, holy detachment in his eyes. However, history will bring to us another Sergius of Radonezh. Philosopher and thinker, warrior and politician. Man - the builder of Russian culture and Russian statehood. Earthly indefatigable ascetic and hard worker. Sharp features, visionary eyes and strong hands, accustomed to hard physical labor. This is how we see Sergius on the canvases of Nicholas Roerich ”1. It can be assumed that these very qualities of Sergius inspired N.K. Roerich when he portrayed the Reverend in paintings. For Roerich, the image of Sergius was collective, absorbing the best qualities of the Russian people. “Sergius,” Helena Roerich wrote, “is just an example - the most beloved by the people themselves - of clarity, light, transparent and even. He, of course, is our protector. Five hundred years later, looking at his image, you feel: yes, Russia is great! Yes, holy power is given to her. Yes, we can live next to the true power ”2. Roerich, of course, felt the influence of the ideas of St. Sergius on Russian culture. And this could not but affect his work. In addition, the life of the great Russian Ascetic for Roerich was the highest moral example of serving the Common Cause. Therefore, Sergius can undoubtedly be considered a spiritual mentor, Teacher of Roerich. With St. Sergius Roerich connected all the best that was in Russia. Contact with the spiritual feat of Sergius, which influenced him through the thickness of the centuries, the work on his image gave Nikolai Konstantinovich a lot to determine the main milestones of his future life.

2. Roerich - Teacher

Nicholas Roerich not only constantly improved, studied with his Teachers, but also, being an excellent teacher, educator, helped others to learn. Together with Helena Roerich, he raised his sons - Yuri and Svyatoslav, whose scientific and artistic achievements were included in the golden fund of world culture, primarily due to the fact that Nikolai Konstantinovich and Elena Ivanovna managed to instill in them a sense of reverence for Beauty, educate

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Great journey. M .: MCR, 1998. Book. 1. Master. P. 85.

2 Banner of St. Sergius of Radonezh. P. 104.

their people of high culture. It is very important. But no less important is the fact that the Roerichs' sons possessed the highest human qualities. And this is also the greatest merit of the parents.

In addition to the sphere of family education, the gift of a teacher manifested itself in N.K. Roerich in the public arena. He took the most lively and interested part in the education of young people, to whose problems he devoted several works. One of these problems was the relationship between generations. The elders, Roerich said, complain a lot and attack the youth for preferring dancing, avoiding lectures, and not wanting to read. There are other charges against the youth. But if, Roerich believed, to think about the reasons for all this, then a significant share of the responsibility for the moral state of young people should be assumed by the older generation. Roerich always believed in youth and tried to cheer and support them. In youth, he saw, first of all, an aspiration to high human tasks. Despite the tremendous hardships many young people face, they find the strength to affirm good milestones. Are these not wonderful sprouts of the new, which Nikolai Konstantinovich noticed with a keen eye, being in the thick of life and communicating with young people? Roerich especially appreciated among young people the striving for a high quality of labor, which, according to Roerich's observation, is more often found among working youth than among the rich and wealthy. Roerich stood up for a serious attitude towards young people, for trusting them and involving them in responsible affairs. He assigned a special role in working with youth to the teacher. "... Educate the people's teacher," wrote Nikolai Konstantinovich. - Give him a bearable existence. Call youth as co-workers in all things you do. Show young people the beauty of creativity ”1.

Nicholas Roerich knew the life and work of the teacher firsthand, since for more than ten years he worked as the director of the Drawing School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts in St. Petersburg, and also taught at other educational institutions. Colleagues and students have always respected and loved Nikolai Konstantinovich. So it was at the Drawing School. Roerich was able to direct her work in such a way that she began to enjoy great prestige both among young people striving to get an art education, and among the artistic intelligentsia of St. Petersburg, whose best representatives worked there. Nicholas Roerich had his own pedagogical principles, which he firmly and persistently adhered to in working with novice artists. He believed that the main thing was the upbringing of creative thinking and responsibility for the quality of work. Roerich was a very demanding teacher. And he had the moral right to do so, since he showed

1 Roerich N.K Diary sheets. Moscow: MCR, 1995.T. 2.P. 377.

high exactingness, first of all, to oneself. These qualities, along with devotion, gratitude and love for the Teachers, allowed him to steadily ascend along the path of ascetic construction.

Wherever he collaborated, Roerich became a special spiritual magnet, attracting interesting, talented people. He possessed an amazing gift - to unite like-minded people for the Common Good. In unity I saw the key to the successful creative activity of employees, to whom I approached with a very high moral standard. This is heartfelt trust, and broad goodness, and selfless love for culture, and devotion to it, and much more that a person needs to improve. When people striving to correspond to this ideal find each other, a commonwealth arises, which Roerich calls the hearth of good deeds. “Commonwealth is such a sweet and heartfelt word,” Nikolai Konstantinovich writes. - It is from mutual understanding, and from mutual respect, and from cooperation. This means that it is in him, in the word - the commonwealth - that the self-needed one lies. A community cannot live if the people who have come together in it do not know what mutual assistance is, do not understand what self-improvement is ”1.

These wonderful words fit so well on the heart because indeed in the community a person can find what is most needed. And the reason is that fellowship is based on the inner spiritual discipline of the co-workers. They support each other not only in the midst of difficulties, but also in joy. At the same time, they completely lack the envy and whispering so often found in formal societies. Commonwealths can form a bulwark of true statehood, for fellow-mates accept the natural hierarchy underlying true state power... The energy of the commonwealth is aimed at creation, they have nothing from destruction. The Commonwealth should not be distracted, it always has specific goals and acts in accordance with them. The relationship between its members should be free, sympathetic and based on heartfelt trust. Serving humanity, according to Roerich, is the duty of fellow-friends. It is all the more joyful because it is carried out for the benefit of the neighbor. Only then will the unity of people be vital. This is how N.K. Roerich imagined the commonwealth. It was for him the ideal of future human relations, to the implementation of which he called on his closest associates.

To a certain extent, this ideal has been realized and continues to be realized in Russia in the pedagogy of cooperation, the ideas of which on

1 Roerich N.K. Diary sheets. T. 1.P. 542.

throughout the history of mankind, they were developed by spiritual ascetics, outstanding enlighteners and teachers. In Russian pedagogy, these ideas were actively implemented in the 20th and subsequent years of the 20th century (A.S. Makarenko, V.A. Sukhomlinsky, etc.), finding further development in our days in the work of such famous teachers as Sh A.Amonashvili, V.F.Shatalov, S.N. Lysenkov and others.

3. The Great Law of the Mastership

Much has already been done by Roerich in Russia. But even more he had to do outside the homeland, which Nikolai Konstantinovich had to leave shortly before the revolution. On the recommendation of doctors in 1916, Roerich and his family left for Finland and settled in the quiet town of Serdobol, on the shores of Lake Ladoga. The climate of Finland was beneficial for Roerich. It was assumed that after his recovery, Nikolai Konstantinovich would return to St. Petersburg. But this did not happen, since in 1918 Finland separated from Russia and after a while the border was closed. Thus began a new and very important period in Roerich's life.

The Roerichs' life on the shore of the lake was outwardly quiet and measured. “Ladoga,” writes LV Shaposhnikova, “revealed itself to them in all its amazing and unique beauty. There was softness and severity in it, it smelled of deep antiquity and the purity that the eternal combination of water, rocks and pine forests gives. Purple-orange sunrises rose and crimson sunsets blazed over the huge, sea-like lake. The water absorbed the generous blue of the sky and was saturated with it. The wind drove the clouds across the sky, fancifully changed their shapes, and it seemed that these were not clouds, but visions floating over the lake and the land. Visions that contain something special, as if they were carrying a message from somewhere from afar and trying to convey it in unexpected symbols and figures ”1.

At the same time, in spite of the outward calmness, the Roerichs' consciousness more and more included a premonition of some significant changes, in anticipation of which every day passed. But the artist didn't just wait, he worked hard. In the paintings painted during that period, Nikolai Konstantinovich expressed his inner state - the expectation of something new and significant: "Waiting", "Waiting", "Eternal Waiting", "Waiting on the Dock". The vagueness of the things to come important events was painful and almost intolerable also because he was

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Great journey. Book. 1, p. 141.

felt more clearly the signs of future changes. Nicholas Roerich's experiences and reflections were reflected in his poems, contained in three cycles: "Signs", "Messenger", "Boy". At first glance, the poems seem somehow strange, expressing, perhaps, the fabulous world of northern nature and the very difficult mental states of the author. But, reading carefully, you begin to understand that in these poetic cycles Roerich comprehended the deepest philosophical problems that were relevant primarily for himself. In view of the brevity of the article, I will try to give only general characteristics poetic creativity of the Master. In essence, Roerich's poetry contains all of his worldview, but taken not as a ready-made set or system of positions, but as a process of spiritual formation and development of a thinker.

Poetic cycles were created by Roerich in the period from 1911 to 1921, which largely coincides with that stage of Nicholas Roerich's life when his spiritual essence as a thinker, artist and cultural figure was formed and defined. PF Belikov gives a very capacious description of this facet of N. Roerich's spiritual evolution: “Answering some questions about the book" Flowers of Moria ", S.N. (Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Roerich. - Author) wrote: "From the very beginning N.K.'s poems contained an inner key to his subsequent aspiration (letter of April 11, 1963). In this light, one should approach the disclosure of the true meaning of poetry NK, in which behind the poetic images and allegories are hidden autobiographical moments associated with the experience of understanding the primary tasks of the era and their role in their implementation "" 1.

These tasks relate to the transition of mankind to a higher level of development. And in their implementation, the Roerichs were assigned the mission of pioneers, paving the way for humanity to the hitherto unattainable heights of the spirit. This mission, very responsible and difficult, was entrusted to the Roerichs by the Teachers of mankind, whose role in the evolution of mankind requires explanation.

According to N.K. Roerich's worldview, the Universe is a majestic spiritualized system in which there is a constant energy exchange between its structures. The vital activity of the Universe, the Cosmos is supported by this energy exchange. Therefore, cosmic evolution is an energetic process. Man, being a part of the Cosmos, is also included in this energy exchange. In the process of energy exchange, an accumulation of energy occurs, which increases the energy of a person, peoples, countries, the Earth and prepares the prerequisites for their further advance along the spiral of cosmic evolution.

1 Belikov P.F. Roerich (experience of spiritual biography). Novosibirsk, 1994.S. 100.

The evolution of the Universe and man is accompanied by its inalienable opposite - involution. Nowadays, people interested in the ideas of cosmism pay more attention to evolution. While there is less interest in involution, and quite often it is understood as a fall, a descent to a level lower than that already achieved. Meanwhile, “in order for any evolution to begin,” writes LV Shaposhnikova, “a fiery spark of spirit must enter or descend into inert matter. For spirit it is involution, for matter - the beginning of evolution ”1. Having descended into matter, the spark of the spirit with its energy creates a difference in the potentials of spirit and matter and thereby forms the energy for ascent. As such a spark of spirit, as a rule, a High Essence acts. This Essence, “having completed the cycle of its earthly incarnations,” L. V. Shaposhnikova writes further, “can continue its ascent in the Higher Worlds. But some of them, owning the energetic mechanisms of evolution, voluntarily return to Earth again in order to start a new stage, or a new round, of the cosmic evolution of mankind with a spark of their spirit ”2. In India such High Beings are respectfully called Mahatmas, or Great Souls. These are the Great Teachers of mankind, with whom Nicholas Roerich and Helena I. Roerich were lucky to meet more than once.

Myths, legends and tales of all the peoples of the world tell about the Teacher - the sage, the enlightener, the mentor. The image of the Teacher, rooted in antiquity, is revered in all cultures. It occupies a special place in the culture of India, where Teachers - Gurus are still revered, helping people to make their way to spirituality and Beauty. It was with such Teachers that N. Roerich communicated in India and wrote a wonderful essay "Guru-Teacher" about them. The image of the Teacher as a continuous line permeates the entire Indian history, as if refracting in specific landmarks of Culture "The Great Law of the Hierarchy of the Inspired Cosmos" 3, in the space of which, thanks to the Teacher, the spiritual improvement of man and mankind takes place and the connection with cosmic evolution is carried out.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that the theme of the Teacher became the leading theme of Roerich's poetic work, for Nicholas Roerich reflected in verse his feelings and impressions caused by communication with the Teacher.

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Fiery creativity of cosmic evolution // Roerich E. At the threshold of the New World. M .: MCR, 2000.S. 13-14.

2 Ibid. P. 14.

3 Shaposhnikova L.V. Teachers. Morning Star // Scientific and artistic illustrated almanac. Moscow: MCR, 1993. No. 1. P. 10.

mi. The first apparitions of the Teacher by Roerich were perceived in a dream. This is how Nikolai Konstantinovich writes about it in the poem "Morning":

You, coming in silence, silently say what I wanted in life and what have I achieved? Lay your hand on me, I will be able and willing again, and the desired night will be remembered

In his poems, Roerich reveals his perception of the Teacher as the personification of something very perfect and beautiful, which is manifested through the beautiful appearance of the Teacher and in his shining light, and in his grace, which, like precious moisture, pours on the earth. This is described, in particular, in the poem "Light":

How to see Your Face? All-pervading Face, deeper than feelings and mind. Imperceptible, inaudible, invisible. I urge: heart, wisdom and work. Who has known that which knows neither form, nor sound, nor taste, has no end and beginning? In the dark, when everything stops, the thirst for the desert and the salt of the ocean! I will wait for Your radiance. The sun does not shine before Your Face. The moon does not shine. No stars, no flame, no lightning. The rainbow does not shine, the glow of the north does not play. Your Face shines there. Everything shines with his light. Grains of Your radiance sparkle in the darkness. And your wonderful light dawns in my closed eyes2.

1 Roerich N. Flowers of Moria. Paths of Blessing. Heart of Asia. Riga: Vieda, 1992.S. 21.

2 Ibid. P. 23.

In the poem "Drops" Roerich writes:

Your grace fills my hands. It flows in abundance through my fingers. I can't hold on to everything. I do not have time to discern the shining streams of wealth. Your good wave pours through your hands to the ground. I don't see who will pick up the precious moisture? The fine spray will fall on whom? I won't have time to get home. With all the grace in my tightly squeezed hands, I will carry only

The image of the Teacher gradually fills the entire being of N.K. Roerich and awakens in him the highest feelings - devotion and love. These qualities of a disciple, and precisely such in relation to the Teacher was Roerich, opened up the possibilities of true discipleship, in which the Teacher became a Leader and Mentor in all undertakings. Nicholas Roerich describes this facet of his discipleship in the poem "Pearls", feeling both the Teacher's trust and responsibility for the work that He entrusts to him:

Again the messenger. Again your order! And a gift from You! Master, You sent me Your pearl and commanded that it be included in my necklace2.

In another poem - "I did not retire", Roerich writes:

You left the work you started to me. You wanted me to continue it. I feel Your trust in me. I will treat the work carefully and strictly. After all, You did this work yourself3 ...

Poetic creativity not only made it possible for Roerich to comprehend the spiritual depths of discipleship and Teaching, but also in full

1 Roerich N. Flowers of Moria. Paths of Blessing. Heart of Asia. P. 19.

2 Ibid. P. 30.

3 Ibid. P. 28.

To a certain extent, realize the responsibility to the Teacher and prepare internally for the fulfillment of a very difficult mission.

The period of Roerich's forced Ladoga life was coming to an end. New opportunities opened up ahead, the realization of which Nikolai Konstantinovich would devote his whole life. “The wait was coming to an end, and he clearly felt it,” writes LV Shaposhnikova, characterizing one of the most important moments in Roerich's life. - The commanded dates were approaching. Everything about him was aggravated to the extreme. He understood quite clearly that, having taken the step that he had waited and desired for so long, he would never return to Petrograd. He left his homeland, with which he had so much to do. He left her for her. This awareness did not make the separation easier. He wanted to delay, prolong the last moment.

I'm coming. I'm in a hurry. But one time, one more time, the last one, I will go around all that I have left.

“But one time, one more time” - sounded like a plea ”1.

The appointed date came, and in 1919 the Roerichs left Finland. On their way there were new countries and cities where they had to work hard. But even more they had to do for the Common Good in India, which the Roerichs had long awaited.

Nicholas Roerich, leaving Finland to meet the great journey across Central Asia, made his choice very responsibly. He understood that no one else would make this journey except for them, and therefore considered it imperative to fulfill his duty. Striving to fulfill his mission is reflected in poetry. In the "Boy" suite, Nicholas Roerich turns to himself, as if testing his strength, his readiness for action to achieve the goals set by the Teacher. This suite begins with the poem "Eternity":

Boy, you say that you will get ready for the evening. My dear boy, do not hesitate. In the morning we will go out with you. We entered the fragrant forest among the silent trees. In the icy gleam of dew, under a light and wonderful cloud,

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Great journey. Book. 1, p. 157.

we will go on the road with you. If you hesitate to walk, it means that you still do not know that there is a beginning and joy, a beginning and

eternity 1.

After leaving Finland, the Roerichs did not reach India immediately. To get there, they had to overcome many of the most difficult obstacles that arose on their way in Europe and America until 1923 - that cherished year when the Roerichs arrived at the port of Bombay. And before that there were Sweden, England, America, France. Exhibitions were held in these countries, intense work was going on, important meetings took place. Among them, those who determined the rest of the life of the Roerichs were meetings with the Teachers of mankind.

The manifestations of the Teachers were realized by Elena Ivanovna in childhood and accompanied her all her life. Helena Roerich describes their phenomena from the third person. “Very early on, the girl began to have significant dreams and even visions. For six years the girl had an extraordinary experience, which was imprinted on her heart for the rest of her life, almost without losing her initial freshness and strength of feeling. It happened in the late spring. Her parents moved to a dacha in Pavlovsk, and on the very first morning the girl, getting up earlier than usual, ran to the park, to a small pond where goldfish lived. The morning turned out to be wonderful, the air seemed to tremble and sparkle in the rays of the sun, and nature itself seemed to be clothed in a festive garment, and the blue of the sky was especially deep. The girl, standing on the pier, absorbed the beauty and joy of life with all the fibers of her being. Her gaze settled on a blossoming apple tree, which stood on the opposite bank, and against the background of her girl saw a tall male figure in a white robe, and in her mind the memory instantly arose that the Teacher of Light lived somewhere far away. The girl's heart fluttered, and her joy passed into delight, her whole being was drawn to this distant, beloved and Beautiful Image ”2.

What is written here about the connection with the Teachers of Helena Roerich, in the context of the theme of Nicholas Roerich's teaching, is not accidental, for Helena Ivanovna was the spiritual leader of the family and Roerich carried out all his undertakings together with his “friend”. Nicholas Roerich's reflections on the Teacher, awareness of His role in the artist's life, the first appearance of the Teacher of Helena Roerich were reflected in his artistic work. "Shadow of the Teacher", "Fiat Rex", "Burning of Darkness", "Treasure of the Mountains" - these and

1 Roerich N. Flowers of Moria. Paths of Blessing. Heart of Asia. P. 32.

2 Roerich E. At the Threshold of the New World. P. 45.

other paintings are dedicated to the Teachers. They depict unusually beautiful figures, from which streams of light emanate.

Helena Roerich first really met with the Teacher in 1920 in London, where an exhibition of Nicholas Roerich was held. In this city, at the gates of Hyde Park, Elena Ivanovna received advice on the Roerichs' future trip to India. Later meetings with the Masters took place in New York, Chicago, Paris, Darjeeling and other places. Throughout their lives, the Roerichs communicated with the Teachers many times and felt Their support. Nicholas Roerich described meetings with the Teachers and much connected with Them. But he did it very carefully, realizing that his words could be misinterpreted. Very indicative in this respect is the essay "Milestones", in which Nikolai Konstantinovich compares meetings with the Teachers and Their help with milestones in life. Describing these cases in an allegorical form, on behalf of his friend, he means much that was associated with the Teachers in the life of his family. At the same time, in this essay, Roerich advises others to be attentive, for ignorance and arrogance often shield people from "milestones" that speak of many things that may be useful on the path of life.

In India, Roerich was often told in detail and reliably about the Teachers, or Mahatmas. Therefore, Nikolai Konstantinovich's story about the Teachers is very convincing. “While in Europe they argue about the existence of Mahatmas,” he wrote, “when the Indians are soulfully silent about them, how many people in Asia not only know the Mahatmas, not only saw them, but also know many real cases of their deeds and appearances ... Always expected, unexpectedly, Mahatmas created a great, special life in the vastness of Asia. They appeared when needed. If necessary, they passed unnoticed, like ordinary travelers. They do not write their names on the rocks, but the hearts of those who know keep these names stronger than the rocks. Why suspect a fairy tale, imagination, fiction, when information about the Mahatmas is captured in real forms<...>Not divorced from life, not leading away, but constructive - such is the teaching of the Mahatmas. They talk about the scientific foundations of existence. They direct to the mastery of energies ”1.

During their stay in India, the Roerichs met with the Teacher in Darjeeling, in a small roadside temple. This meeting influenced their entire subsequent life, since the Roerichs received advice from the Teacher regarding the Central Asian expedition, which they were to carry out in the near future. And on this journey, they repeatedly met with High Beings.

Studying the cultural traditions of the East, Nicholas Roerich was convinced that the theme of the Teacher and the Doctrine is present in many myths and legends.

1 Cit. according to the book: Shaposhnikova L.V. Great journey. Book. 1, p. 206.

Roerich collected them during the Central Asian expedition and published them in the diaries "Altai-Himalayas" and "Heart of Asia", as well as in the essay "Shining Shambhala".

“Another lama of the red sect,” wrote Roerich, “told us about the wonderful Hindu-looking Azars, long-haired, in white clothes, sometimes appearing in the Himalayas.

These wise people know how to control the inner forces and how to combine them with cosmic currents. The head of the medical school in Lhasa, an old scholarly lama, personally knew these Azars and maintained a direct relationship with them. "

Historical testimonies about the existence of the Great Teachers of mankind, and personal meetings with them allowed Roerich to realize that the Mastership lies at the basis of the evolution of man and mankind.

So, with the birth of the child, he immediately becomes a student of his parents, who help him to get on his feet both in the physical sense and in the spiritual plane; they instill in him the foundations of morality, including him in social relations. The parents turn into the child's teachers. Later, children meet with school teachers, who sometimes determine the direction of their whole life. And if these are teachers who love children, who are creative in their work, then the school years will remain in the memory of students as one of the brightest memories. A vivid example of such teaching is the life and work of the famous teacher Sh.A. Amonashvili, the author of the book "School of Life", who develops the ideas of humane and personal pedagogy. These ideas generalize both the works of outstanding teachers and thinkers who lived in different eras in different countries, and the pedagogical experience of Shalva Aleksandrovich himself. Today, humane and personal pedagogy attracts many children, teachers and parents primarily because it is saturated with warmth and kindness. The protagonists of the School of Life are the student and the teacher, whose cooperation gives rise to a relationship of true Teachers. Much in these relations depends on the teacher, about whom Sh.A. Amonashvili writes: “The teacher of the School of Life is a person who leads the service for the highest goals of humanity, for the sake of planetary and cosmic evolution, and such conditions must be created for him so that he can fully devote oneself to the subtlest work of education "3.

1 Shambhala is an area in the Himalayas, where energy exchange takes place between the Earth and the worlds of other states of matter, the main place of residence of the Teachers.

2 Roerich N. Flowers of Moria. Paths of Blessing. Heart of Asia. P. 219.

3 Amonashvili Sh.A. School of Life. M .: Sh.Amonashvili Publishing House, 2000.S. 81.

The example of school teaching is the most obvious. But the relationship "Teacher - student" or "student - teacher" permeates other aspects of people's lives. Moreover, this attitude, which is of a natural nature, is inherent in the entire Universe. “If the Teacher and the student,” writes L.V. Shaposhnikova, “follow the Great Laws of the Cosmos, if they are both harmoniously, as required by the laws, are inscribed in an infinite series of Infinity, then each link or element of this series carries two functions<....>Every Teacher, having a Teacher, is a student. Each student is a Teacher in relation to those who are below him on the hierarchical ladder. The cosmic phenomenon of Teachers has complementary functions: Teacher - student. Any kind of deviation in this cosmic series is a violation of the Great cosmic laws. Any disrespect for the Teacher is a deviation from the path of evolution and development ”1. The True Teacher is that "silver thread" that connects, if not every person, then humanity as a whole with the Great Teachers.

The Great Teachers have been fulfilling their planetary-cosmic mission for many millennia, helping humanity to climb the spiral of cosmic evolution, the meaning of which is manifested in the Teachership with the greatest completeness. First of all, through the Teacher, evolution involves in its upward movement those who aspire to this. This happens if the student is grateful and devoted to the Teacher throughout his life. It is very important that the disciple voluntarily accept discipleship and commit himself to the Master. “The Teacher,” we read in the essay “Shining Shambhala,” “is the highest connection that can only be achieved in our earthly vestments. We are led by Teachers, and we strive for excellence in our reverence for the Teacher ”2.

Nicholas Roerich, like no one else, understood the evolutionary significance of the Mastership, for he was associated with the Teachers - the Mahatmas - and carried out all his ascetic deeds under their guidance. The forms of Teachers are as varied as life itself is varied. But regardless of this, the essence of the Teacher is always the same - the Teacher transfers his knowledge and experience to the student, helps to improve spiritually. Thus, He facilitates his ascent along the steps of cosmic evolution. A teacher has the moral right to teach only if he himself was and remains a real student. A vivid confirmation of this is the life of N.K. Roerich. In his youth, like his entire life, he was a devoted student. It is enough to remember the quivering

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Teachers: Morning Star // Scientific and artistic illustrated almanac. No. 1. S. 21-24.

2 Roerich N.K. Fenugreek. P. 36.

the attitude towards school teachers, and later - towards A.I. Kuindzhi, not to mention his discipleship under the guidance of the Great Teachers. At the same time, Nikolai Konstantinovich was a true Teacher. He fulfilled this high mission with honor. He was very much loved in India and considered a Mahatma. Roerich's heroic life, filled with examples of inflexibility of will and dedication in fulfilling duty, teaches many to overcome difficulties, and Nicholas Roerich's paintings and philosophical works contain invaluable knowledge so necessary for everyone who takes the path of spiritual improvement.

4. Leadership of the Teachers and the Central Asian Expedition

In the twentieth century, mankind faced the tasks associated with the transition to a higher level of evolution. The solution to these problems was vital. Then there appeared people who, according to their spiritual accumulations, were ready for their realization. The Roerichs were like that. They came into the world as ordinary people, albeit with special spiritual qualities. And only meetings with the Teachers helped them to realize and fulfill the evolutionary mission entrusted to them. The Roerichs by their ascetic life and spiritual discoveries showed humanity the ways of spiritual transformation.

The example of the Roerich family inspires many people to search for the truth, helps to be steadfast and unshakable in the movement towards this lofty goal. LV Shaposhnikova as an epigraph for the book about Nicholas Roerich “The Master” chose the statement of Viktor Shklovsky: “For small trips it is useful to study great trips: they help not to be afraid of fatigue”. These words largely reveal the meaning of the great spiritual feat of the Roerichs, the peak of which is the unique Central Asian expedition. It is rightly considered the main work of Nicholas Roerich's life. Helena Ivanovna and Yuri Nikolaevich were his associates. Its goals were determined at the meetings of the Roerichs with the Teachers. Nicholas Roerich hardly touches on the content of conversations with Them in his works. At the same time, from some of Nicholas Roerich's works and, most importantly, from the actions of the Roerichs that followed after the meetings with the Teachers, it can be understood that the Teachers gave instructions on the Central Asian expedition and provided assistance along its entire route.

The tasks of the expedition were varied. “Of course, my main aspiration as an artist,” wrote Nikolai Konstantinovich, “was in artistic work. It's hard to imagine when I will be able to embody all the artistic notes and impressions - so generous are these

gifts of Asia "1. The route passed through the lands of the most ancient cultures of Asia, and each of these cultures was a huge field for the explorer. Roerich was looking for common moments that united different cultures, was interested in the problems of cultural interaction of peoples. At the same time, the expedition was faced with another, very important task, unusual for other expeditions. It was of a planetary-cosmic, evolutionary nature. “The expedition,” writes L.V. Shaposhnikova, “had to perform a historical action, which is called“ laying the magnets ”” 2.

A magnet, according to the Roerichs' worldview, is an energy that attracts other energy. Thus, conditions are created for energy exchange, thanks to which the Universe lives and develops. Magnets differ in shape, structure, and also in their energies. So, the energy of the spirit is a magnet. It interacts with matter and organizes it. The energy of the spirit is manifested in the structure of different levels. One of them is the Cosmic Magnet3 - a very complex phenomenon and has not yet been studied by man. The action of the Cosmic Magnet is universal, for it manifests itself at all levels and in all forms of the existence of the Cosmos. An important condition for a person's spiritual development is his awareness of the universal nature of the manifestation of this Magnet and in interaction with its energy. A person's connection with the Cosmic Magnet is possible only through a spiritual Teacher - earthly or heavenly. “The Cosmic Magnet,” writes Helena Roerich, “is the Cosmic Heart or the consciousness of the Crown of the Cosmic Reason of the Hierarchy of Light” 4. That Hierarchy of Light, the endless links of which go into Eternity and Infinity. The Cosmic Magnet accumulates the energy of the consciousness of the Reason of the Cosmic Hierarchs. The manifestation of the Cosmic Mind can, to some extent, be explained by analogy with the human mind. But such an analogy must be approached very carefully. For in comparison with the human mind, the energetics of the Cosmic Mind is a phenomenon of a different order, since it also exists in the worlds of other states of matter. The Cosmic Magnet has a very high energy in comparison with the energy of our planet and affects its energy. This process is complex, multifaceted and still awaiting study. But there is some information about this. And the Roerichs were directly related to them.

1 Roerich N.K. Favorites / Comp. V.M.Sidorov; Artist. I.A. Guseva. M .: Sov. Russia, 1979.S. 100.

2 Shaposhnikova L.V. Commands of the Cosmos. M .: MCR, 1996.S. 94.

3 Information about the Cosmic Magnet, the Stone and Shambhala is presented on the basis of the book by L. V. Shaposhnikova "Commands of the Cosmos". M .: MCR, 1995.S. 81-101.

4 Roerich E.I. Letters. Moscow: MCR, 2000.T. 2.P. 492.

In 1923, a parcel was sent to a bank in Paris addressed to the Roerichs. When they opened a plywood box, they found an old leather-covered box in it. “Nikolai Konstantinovich opened the box and saw in it a Stone, a piece of a dark meteorite. He immediately felt a slight tingling sensation in his fingers, his centers responded to the energy of the Stone. But it was only a splinter, the main meteorite was in the Protected Land, where the Teachers lived and where they conducted their evolutionary research. From this meteorite millennia ago, the earthly refuge of the Cosmic Hierarchs began. The legend told that a meteorite came to Earth from the distant constellation Orion ”1.

The stone located in Shambhala and energetically connected with the worlds of other states of matter contributes to the formation of a higher energy of the Earth. In this process, the Teachers play an important role, who with the help of the Stone during their "night vigil" saturate the space with high energy. After the story about the Stone, the image of the legendary Shambhala takes on a somewhat greater relief. For Shambhala is not only the main residence of the Teachers. In Shambhala, an energy exchange takes place between our planet and the worlds of other states of matter, the energy is formed, which is necessary for the advancement of the planet and earthly humanity along the spiral of cosmic evolution. It was with the help of a particle of such a Stone, obtained in Paris, and thanks to the high energy of Helena Ivanovna, the Roerichs carried out the "laying of magnets" on the route of the Central Asian expedition. Thus, they fulfilled the main task of the expedition, the route of which passed through India, China, Siberia, Altai, Mongolia, Tibet. In these regions, the Roerichs formed an energy field, in the space of which a number of highly developed cultures and countries will emerge in the future.

The unique route of the expedition ran through the most beautiful and historically significant places. The Roerichs discovered dozens of unknown peaks and passes, archaeological sites, and found the rarest Tibetan manuscripts. Nicholas Roerich summarized his impressions of the expedition in his diaries, created about five hundred paintings, and together with Helena Roerich and Yu. N. Roerich collected a huge amount of scientific material. The Roerichs studied this material following the universal philosophical concept, according to which the past, present and future constitute a single historical process, within the boundaries of which the future determines not only the milestones in the study of the cultures of various peoples, but also the main directions of their development. This is the scientific significance of the expedition.

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Commands of the Cosmos. P. 91.

After returning from the expedition in 1928, the Roerichs settled in the Kulu Valley (India), where the last period of Nicholas Roerich's life passed and the Institute of Himalayan Studies "Urusvati" (translated from Sanskrit "Light of the Morning Star") was founded. This institute was a logical continuation of the Central Asian expedition and was a scientific center of a completely new type. In his work, both traditional methods were combined, which were used in ancient Asia, and those that still had to be formed. The work of the institute was distinguished by constant mobility. Researchers who lived in Kullu constantly went on expeditions. There were many such scientists who collaborated with the institute while in other countries. Therefore, the center was international. It studied the culture of the peoples of Asia, carried out comprehensive studies of human qualities.

The Central Asian expedition, the most significant work of the life of Nicholas Roerich and "others like him", was successfully completed. This expedition, as well as other undertakings, Nikolai Konstantinovich was able to carry out thanks to the guidance of the Teachers, whose most devoted student he was all his life. At the same time, his apprenticeship with the Great Teachers helped Roerich to develop the highest spiritual guidelines and become a real Teacher - Guru. These landmarks were not abstract concepts, on their basis the whole life of Nicholas Roerich was built, who was an extremely purposeful person, who possessed extraordinary spiritual strength, as well as an amazing tolerance for the views of other people. All his spiritual discoveries - paintings, philosophical works, cultural undertakings - are permeated with Beauty and continue to serve people, helping them to become familiar with Beauty. More than a hundred institutes, academies, cultural institutions all over the world elected N.K. Roerich as an honorary and full member.

While traveling to different continents and staying in India, the thought of returning to his homeland never left him. As soon as the war ended, he immediately began to bother about moving to the Soviet Union. “... As long as there is power, - wrote N. Roerich, - I would like to apply it for the benefit of my native land” 1. But the dream was not destined to come true. Permission to enter his homeland did not come, and on December 13, 1947, he passed away. “Nicholas Roerich always thought,” wrote Svetoslav Roerich, “that in the end the main task of life is self-improvement. Art or any other creative achievement can be very great, but the focus of everything remains the life of the person himself, his personality. He believed that his creative life, his art are only accomplices of self-improvement.

1 Roerich N.K Diary sheets. Moscow: MCR, 2002.T. 3.P. 101.

vania. He always worked on himself first of all. He wanted to rise above who he was and end his life as a more perfect person. And in this he succeeded. He became a completely exceptional person, a man of wise, remarkable personal qualities. I met a lot of people all over the world, but I didn’t have to meet another person like Nikolai Konstantinovich ”1.

These words express the main quality of Nicholas Roerich, inseparable from his whole life - constant self-improvement. Thanks to this quality, Nikolai Konstantinovich was able to remain a devoted student of his Teachers all his life. And at the same time, Roerich, constantly working on himself, became a true Teacher, who was awarded the most honorable title in the East - Guru.

The worldview and selfless life of N.K. Roerich attracts more and more attention of the cultural community of Russia and the whole world. The attractiveness of Roerich's life feat is that it reveals the Master's unshakable faith in a better future and serves as a wonderful, inspiring example for all people striving to build their lives on the basis of Knowledge and Beauty. Outstanding achievements of N.K. Roerich in the field of culture are recognized all over the world. In 1935, in Washington, twenty-one countries of the American continent signed the Pact on the International Protection of Cultural Monuments during Military Operations, known as the Roerich Pact. On its basis, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted. Together with the Pact, Roerich proposed a distinctive symbol to denote cultural institutions. It was later named the Banner of Peace. This Banner - a white cloth with three red circles enclosed in a red circle - has been adopted by many cultural and educational institutions around the world. Museums of many countries exhibit paintings by N.K. Roerich and S.N. Roerich. The International Center-Museum named after N.K. Roerich has been operating in Moscow since 1990, formed on the basis of the cultural heritage of the Roerich family, which was donated to Russia in 1990 by S.N. Roerich.

Nicholas Roerich's works contain, along with the author's pedagogical views, the deepest philosophical ideas that reveal his worldview, without mastering which it is impossible to genuine Teaching. Therefore, the works of our great artist will provide invaluable help to everyone who, perhaps, is already moving forward along the wonderful, albeit difficult path of teaching, or is just getting ready to step on it.

1 Shaposhnikova L.V. Great journey. Book. 1.S. 585-586.

The names of Helena Ivanovna and Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich are now known to very many in our country. He is a prominent artist, thinker, archaeologist, traveler, and public figure. She is a spiritual leader, ascetic, philosopher. Her main feat in life is that she conveyed to humanity the secret teachings of the Himalayan Mahatmas.

14 books of Living Ethics or Agni Yoga forever brought her name into the treasury of planetary spiritual culture, immortalized him. Living Ethics Books were published in 20-30. in Riga and in Western Europe in Russian. Now it is the most popular series among people striving for spiritual perfection. They have been translated into many languages. All over the world there are societies of Living Ethics followers.

Elena Ivanovna Shaposhnikova / Roerich / was born on February 12, 1879. in Petersburg, in a noble family. Her family included Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov and composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky. She was gifted from birth with many abilities, including supernatural - clairvoyance and clairaudience. Elena Ivanovna brilliantly graduated from the Mariinsky female gymnasium, then entered the St. Petersburg music school, tk. possessed excellent musical abilities. After graduating from college, she was going to enter the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

The last two decades of the XIX century. were a period of maturation of the self-awareness of the Russian intelligentsia. A period that prompted the intelligentsia to reassess its values. Faith and hope in future changes was accompanied by fear of the disintegration of established forms of being.

At this time, Elena Ivanovna, a recognized secular beauty, had great success in the world and attracted everyone's attention. Here is how one of her contemporary, a witness of those years, recalls her: "She had some kind of charm, charm and unusual femininity of her whole appearance. She loved outfits, always dressed in the latest fashion, very elegant. She had a developed sense of beauty." She paid some kind of outward tribute to secular life, attended balls, as was customary in her circle, but this was a romantic nature with high spiritual aspirations, secular life did not captivate her. She decided to marry a highly talented man in order to inspire him to high deeds, serve and help him. Her dream of meeting a close-minded person came true. There was a feeling of inner kinship and community of views, goals, aspirations. A mutual love of rare purity was born, which passed many years of testing and only increased in adulthood. In 1901. they got married in St. Petersburg, and from that time of their lives they merged into one, and then we can only talk about the Roerichs - Helena Ivanovna and Nikolai Konstantinovich. In 1902. son Yuri was born - the future famous orientalist, and in 1904. - the second son, Svyatoslav is an artist, like his father.

In 1903-1904. the spouses make a trip to Russian cities: Nikolai Konstantinovich strove to reveal the origins of national history and culture. They traveled around 40 cities in 2 years. At this time, their hobby is collecting works of art and antiques. Gradually, a magnificent family collection was formed, over 300 works, which they donated to the Hermitage after the revolution.

A little later, Elena Ivanovna's passion for the East begins. She reads about India, studies the works of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Ramacharaka. Subsequently, Elena Ivanovna recalls these sources of knowledge with gratitude, calling them "my first teachers". By this time, Nikolai Konstantinovich was growing into a major artist and public figure. In their family, thoughts about universal, worldwide ways of cultural development, about the approaching general crisis, about the fate of mankind, about new ways of its development come to the fore.

The Russian intelligentsia was divided into two camps: one supported the ideas of the revolution, the other preached death, decadent aesthetics, and hopelessness. The Roerichs see the reason for the coming destruction in the impoverishment of the spirit. Together with the best representatives of the intelligentsia, they were looking for a way out of the impasse. Gradually, confidence came: knowledge of the East is that spiritual light that can lead peoples out of the dead end of development. At the same time, there was a premonition of the mission of Russia, which is a bridge between the West and the East. This view was not too original and alien in the public life of Russia. The idea of ​​Russia's middle position was first expressed by Karamzin. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy saw the fateful role of Asia in the spiritual and historical development of Russia. The works of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky occupy a special place in the formation of Helena Roerich's worldview.

From 1907 to 1909 The Roerichs are more and more immersed in the study of India and Tibet. If Nikolai Konstantinovich strove to comprehend Asia through the study of archeology, ethnography, folk customs, then Elena Ivanovna strives to study Eastern philosophy, mythology, and religion. She was especially interested in the legend of Shambhala. In her, Elena Ivanovna saw the spiritual stronghold of Asia, where esoteric knowledge about man and the Universe was collected. Her thoughts and feelings gradually rush to the Himalayan Teachers. The premonition of a meeting with the Great Teacher does not leave her. The Roerich family met the revolution in Karelia, where they lived for 2 years until 1918.

The long-term gravitation towards the East translates into a decision to make a long trip to India, Tibet and Mongolia in order to study Indian culture and get closer to the Himalayan ashrams. Such a difficult expedition required serious preparation. In 1919. the Roerich family moved to England. The first meeting of the Roerichs with representatives of the Hierarchy and the Great Teachers of the East takes place in England. Here they get to know Rabindranath Tagore and HG Wells, keen on Eastern metaphysics.

At this time, Nikolai Konstantinovich received an invitation to take part in a tour of the United States with an exhibition of his paintings. America, where they counted on the sale of paintings to provide an expensive expedition, becomes the next stop on the way to India. They stayed in America for 3 years.

Exhibitions of paintings by Nikolai Konstantinovich were held with a triumphant success, but a new enterprise was conceived - the Pact of Peace - an interstate convention designed to preserve the cultural values ​​of peoples during wars. Elena Ivanovna continues to work on the book "The Call", begun in England. The book presents the call of the Teacher to the disciples to carry the Knowledge of the East.

In America, the Roerichs set up several cultural organizations: the Flaming Heart International Society of Artists, the Institute of United Arts and the Crown of the World Art Center.

In 1923. Elena Ivanovna and Nikolai Konstantinovich set off on an expedition equipped with funds from US public organizations under the American flag. In India, the Roerichs study ancient monuments of art and culture, visit monasteries, and follow the route that Buddha walked while preaching. The expedition lasted 5 years. Together with the members of the expedition, Elena Ivanovna overcame dangerous passes, climbed high mountain ranges, defended herself from the attack of bandits, walked more than 25 thousand kilometers.

At the beginning of the expedition, there was a meeting with the Teacher, which left the deepest impressions on Elena Ivanovna and Nikolai Konstantinovich. They receive another assignment - to hand over to the Soviet government a casket with the sacred Himalayan land on the grave of Lenin, whose name was highly revered in the East, and a message to the leaders of the USSR, where help was offered based on knowledge accumulated over thousands of years.

In 1926. The Roerichs arrive in Moscow, where, fulfilling the will of the Teachers, they convey the message of the Mahatmas to the Soviet government. The help was not rejected, but it was not accepted either. It was postponed "until better times." The way back to India lay through Altai, Siberia, Mongolia. After long wanderings across Asia, in 1928, the Roerichs again arrived in the north of India and acquired a house in the Kullu valley. The task of scientific processing of the obtained materials arose. During the expedition, rare books, manuscripts, manuscripts, collections of archaeological finds, and objects of religious cults were collected. For this purpose, the Roerichs created an institution called "Urusvati", which means "Light of the morning dawn". Elena Ivanovna becomes the honorary president - the founder of the Institute and his soul. Its collaborators were such scientists as Albert Einstein, Nikolai Vavilov and others.

The period of the hardest tremendous work has come. The daily routine was scheduled by the minute. We got up at sunrise, at 5 am, and worked until late at night, with short breaks to listen to records with classical music. All went to their rooms and worked hard. Letters came from all over the world, and not a single one remained unanswered. Scientists from different countries, invited to work at the Urusvati Institute, as well as representatives of international Roerich societies came to Kullu. The reverence that surrounded the family in India was immense. Their names were surrounded by legends.

All the books of the Agni Yoga series were written here: "Signs of Agni Yoga" /1929/, "Infinity" /1930/, "Hierarchy" /1931/, "Heart" /1932/, "Fiery World" / 1935. /, "AUM" /1936/, "Brotherhood" /1937/. Part II of the book "Brotherhood" and the last in the series "Overground" - remained unfinished.

The promulgation of Living Ethics is the main life feat of Helena Roerich. Her mission was accomplished so brilliantly that the Mahatmas called her the "Mother of Agni Yoga".

This is a new moral and spiritual Teaching, combining the ancient wisdom of the East with the philosophical and scientific achievements of the West, giving the ethical foundations of behavior and means of in-depth self-knowledge. This is a whole encyclopedia of spiritual improvement and transformation. This is a teaching about hidden resources and human capabilities, about creative energies that are in the depths of consciousness. This is a cosmic teaching about the multidimensionality of being, about the immortality of the soul, about the integrity of the universe.

Speaking on almost every page about the disclosure of the enormous psychoenergetic potential of a person, Agni Yoga criticizes the fascination with magic and all purely mechanical methods of awakening hidden forces. A person becomes a slave of artificially caused forces that are incomprehensible to him and runs the risk of becoming a medium. According to living ethics, a person should carry out all the work on the internal transformation of consciousness in ordinary life conditions, without interrupting ordinary activities.

The teaching of Agni Yoga is all-human, it was given to the whole world, but in this teaching there was a certainty that it would be accepted, first of all, in Russia. "To new Russia - my first message" / "Call" /.

World War II was brewing - the largest battle in world history. Elena Ivanovna proposes to establish an interstate public organization - the League of Culture. The creation of such a league was thought of as the unity of all light forces against the onslaught of darkness. The organization was created and existed for some time. Since the beginning of the Second World War, the Roerichs' connection with societies and circles was interrupted. Scientists from other countries stopped coming. The Roerichs were experiencing a threat hanging over their homeland. During all five years of the war, they never once doubted the ultimate victory. We were eager to help achieve it. They donated money to the Red Cross Fund and the Fund for Assistance to the Soviet Union, gave lectures and radio broadcasts. Several times Yuri Nikolaevich and Svyatoslav Nikolaevich applied to the Soviet embassy to enroll them in the ranks of the Red Army. The Roerichs' patriotic speeches made them many enemies.

After the war, the whole family was going to return to their homeland. Suitcases were packed, boxes with paintings were sent to the port, but Nikolai Konstantinovich suddenly dies. In 1948. Elena Ivanovna, together with Yuri Nikolaevich, makes another attempt to return to their homeland. But the visa was not received. Only in 1958. Khrushchev, during his stay in India, gave permission to return to Yuri Nikolaevich.

Elena Ivanovna continues an active correspondence, leads the Roerich societies scattered all over the world. In her latest letters, she increasingly refers to the mission of Russia. "The best country will be the cosmic foundation of the world's balance."

Two concepts - "Russia" and "humanity" - are fused together for Helena Ivanovna and Nicholas Roerichs. In the article "Testament", which was the testament of the great artist and great thinker, it is written: "This is what I bequeath to all of you: love your Motherland, love the Russian people, love all peoples throughout our immense Motherland. May this love teach you to love all of humanity. Do not. in separation, but only in the unification of people, there is that tremendous force that will help not only to withstand the Russians, but will help create a new state unprecedented on earth, which will be the spiritual reservoir from which, as from the source, all of humanity will take life-giving forces. "

Introduction
Hierarchy
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Annie Besant
Ramakrishna
Alice Bailey
Vivekananda
Rudolf Steiner
Sri Aurobindo

FIRST TEACHERS

“Once in Finland I was sitting on the shores of Lake Ladoga with a peasant boy. A middle-aged man walked past us, and my little companion got up and took off his cap with great respect. I asked him after: "Who was this man?" And with particular seriousness the boy replied: "This is the teacher." I asked again, "Is he your teacher?" "No," the boy replied, "he is a teacher from a nearby school." "Do you know him personally?" - I insisted. "No," he replied in surprise ... "Then why did you greet him so respectfully?" Even more seriously, my little companion replied: "Because he is a teacher." ... This small plot from N. Roerich's essay "Guru - Teacher", perhaps, most accurately expresses his attitude to the Teachers, who played a huge role in the life of the Master.

A document has survived, certifying that Nicholas Roerich was born in St. Petersburg in 1874 on October 9 (September 27, O.S.) into the family of a notary Konstantin Fyodorovich Roerich and his wife Maria Vasilievna. Roerich was lucky with teachers. He studied at one of the best educational institutions of the then St. Petersburg - K. May gymnasium. His first mentors, who gave their students all the heat of their hearts, showed an example of a highly moral attitude to their work. By their example, they helped Roerich to form his highest qualities, to which the Master was faithful all his life - a deep consciousness of personal responsibility for everything that he had to do, and of the personal duty that life placed on him.

Nicholas Roerich writes about his teachers with amazing warmth and cordiality. “We ourselves, remembering our school and university years, turn especially cordially to those teachers who taught clearly and simply. It does not matter from the subject itself, whether it is higher mathematics or philosophy, or history, or geography - absolutely everything could find clear forms among gifted teachers. " .

After graduating from high school, he simultaneously studied at the law department of St. Petersburg University and at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Already as a student, Roerich communicated with famous cultural figures - V.V. Stasov, I.E. Repin, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, D.V. Grigorovich, S.P. Diaghilev, A.N. Benois, A. A. Blok and others. During this period N. Roerich was engaged in archaeological excavations, wrote the first literary works, created paintings. In 1897, Nikolai Roerich's diploma work "The Messenger" was acquired by Tretyakov for his gallery.

A.I. Kuindzhi, under whom he studied at the Academy of Arts, had a tremendous influence on the moral and, in general, creative development of the young Roerich. “I remember, - wrote N. Roerich, - in the most lofty words about my teacher, Professor Kuindzhi, the famous Russian artist. His life story could fill the most inspirational pages of a biography for the younger generation. He was a simple shepherd boy in the Crimea. Only by a consistent, passionate desire for art was he able to overcome all obstacles and, finally, become not only a respected artist and a man of great opportunities, but also a real Guru. for his disciples in his lofty Hindu concept " ... What, apart from the rare diligence and dedication, sincerity and love for his students in the guise of Kuindzhi, inspired Roerich to the sublime veneration of his teacher? Kuindzhi was a Teacher in the highest sense of the word. He was a Guru. Once, Roerich recalls, students of the Academy of Arts raised a revolt against the vice-president of the Council of Tolstoy. And no one could calm them down. The situation has become very serious. Then Kuindzhi came to the meeting and told the students that they had come to the Academy to become artists, and therefore he asked them to start work. The rally ended immediately. Such was the authority of Kuindzhi.

Nikolai Konstantinovich was selflessly devoted to his teacher. His wife, Helena Roerich, wrote about this quality of Roerich: “Kuindzhi was a great teacher,” Elena Ivanovna recalled. - But only his student N.K. he himself became great. The same students, who were not averse to belittling him and even calling him simply "Arkhip" behind their backs, gradually completely deteriorated and faded away " ... Nicholas Roerich carried his exalted reverence for the Teachers, gratitude and devotion to the Teachers throughout his life. I cannot refrain from recalling Roerich's recollection of Indian Gurus, in which he reveals the essence of teaching and his attitude to teaching.

“Many years later,” Roerich wrote, “in India I saw such Gurus and saw devoted disciples who, without any servility, enthusiastically honored their Gurus, with the sensitivity that is so characteristic of India.

I heard a delightful story about a little Indian who found his teacher. He was asked: "Can the sun darken for you if you see it without the Teacher?"

The boy smiled: "The sun should remain the sun, but in the presence of the Master, twelve suns will shine for me." .

Roerich's first teachers helped him find himself in the space of true culture and beauty. Roerich's wife Helena Roerich, nee Shaposhnikova, had no less influence on him. Roerich met her in 1899, and in 1901 Helena Ivanovna became his wife. The Roerichs will pass their entire lives together, spiritually and creatively complementing and enriching each other. Helena Roerich, who announced to the world about a new, cosmic worldview in the books of Living Ethics, will become the spiritual guide of all creative endeavors of N.K. Roerich, and Nicholas Roerich will sensitively listen to the advice of his "friend" and implement her ideas in artistic, scientific and literary creation.

Nicholas Roerich highly appreciated Helena Roerich. He published many of his books with a dedication: "To Elena, my wife, friend, companion, inspirer." Helena Ivanovna was a bright genius of the Roerich family, who encouraged all its members to spiritual and creative achievements. N.K. Roerich embodied in his artistic creativity the inspired ideas and images that arose in Helena Ivanovna. Their sons, Yuri and Svyatoslav, took part in the cultural activities of the Roerichs. The Roerich family was a single whole and lived with a constant and unshakable striving for culture, knowledge and creativity in the name of the Common Good.

Nicholas Roerich's creative heritage, inseparable from the cultural heritage of his family, is so multifaceted that everyone who embarks on the path of spiritual improvement will find priceless spiritual treasures in Roerich's heritage, without mastering which it is impossible to truly develop a person. Roerich's books cannot be simply read, as one reads a historical narrative or a literary essay, for each of his works kind of opens a window into an absolutely wonderful world - the state of Roerich. This is a world of unique discoveries and deepest insights of the thinker-artist, helping to feel the enchanting beauty of the Universe. In Roerich's state, the synthesis of religion, art and science is embodied, fusing all the spiritual accumulations of mankind into a single whole. Cowardice, weak-willedness, betrayal and much more, from which a person needs to be freed, are absolutely not welcomed there. The borders of this state are guarded by selfless people, devoted to a common cause, withunshakable will and pure heart, always ready for a heroic deed.

Nicholas Roerich never stood still in his scientific, artistic creation and cultural projects, he was constantly improving. For him, it was a way of being. He did this exclusively for the Common Good and for the service of Culture, to which Roerich devoted many works - "Culture - Veneration of the Light". "Culture is a winner", "The value of beauty" and others. People serving Culture are really happy. Not gold is happiness, Roerich notes, but beauty, which is personified in nature, human relationships and works of art. Those who are drawn to Culture, making it the basis of their lives, stand up and win in the most difficult situations in life, since Culture gives a person confidence in his strength. Although victory may be invisible, for its space is ultimately the spiritual world of man. That is why Culture acts as the basis of Teachers, the sphere of which is the spiritual improvement of a person.

In artistic creation, Roerich revealed the originality of Russian culture, rooted in ancient Slavic traditions. His paintings, depicting the life and culture of the Slavs, were exhibited at the largest exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow. At the same time, he saw in Russian culture such facets that connected it with the culture of the East and West. Studying the culture of past epochs and defending it from destruction and oblivion, Roerich saw in it the seeds of imperishable, eternal, which sprouted as fresh, green sprouts into the future. He viewed the future as a slice of history that is rooted in the past and without the past has no prospects for development.

Nicholas Roerich was striving towards the future, bright and beautiful, all his life. It was for the sake of a better future that he carried out unique expeditions and wrote philosophical works, created paintings and cultural organizations, taking an active part in their work. “About the future,” N. Roerich wrote in his essay “A Better Future,” “they sometimes think about it, but very often it is not included in everyday discussions. Of course, it is not in human power to fully determine the future, but one should strive for it with all one's consciousness. And one should strive not towards a vague future, but precisely towards a better future. In this endeavor, there will already be a guarantee of good luck. " ... Nikolai Konstantinovich could not imagine a better future outside of Culture and Beauty. Roerich was convinced that only Culture and Beauty would help a person overcome many negative qualities and imperfections and reach a higher level of evolution.

N.K. Roerich not only comprehended possible ways of shaping the future, he built it with his entire life. Itcame to life under the pen of the thinker with the deepest ideas and under the brush of the artist - with beautiful images of nature and the inhabitants of the countries that Roerich visited. The future was born in the ascetic cultural projects of the thinker, in numerous cultural organizations created on his initiative, and in many other ways, into which the titanic energy of the Master was poured. Nicholas Roerich was a kind of pioneer who blazed a path to the future for his contemporaries and those who followed them. For him, the past, present and future were united in a holistic stream of history, thanks to enduring cultural values.

Beauty plays the most important evolutionary role in the life of the Cosmos, humanity and man. She, according to Roerich, is a multifaceted energetic phenomenon and acts as the basis for a person's spiritual development. The energy of Beauty contained in the fruits of creativity of spiritual ascetics, such as, for example, V.S.Soloviev, A.N.Skriabin, M.K. Churlionis, N.K. Roerich, nourishes the energy of people in contact with their beautiful creations. It helps people to overcome life difficulties and become better. Therefore, a person, if he wants to improve his life, cannot but aspire to Beauty. Nicholas Roerich, as if developing the thought of Fyodor Dostoevsky: "Beauty will save the world", said: "Awareness of Beauty will save the world." It is the awareness and creation of Beauty by a person in the life of every day that will transform the person himself and the world in which he lives. The clearest example of this is the work of Nicholas Roerich, who created Beauty as an artist, philosopher and cultural figure. In this N. Roerich saw the meaning not only of his life, but also the objective meaning of the life of every person. "After all, everything strives for beauty in its own way" , - wrote N.K. Roerich.

In comprehending the beauty of being, affirming lofty ideals, Nikolai Konstantinovich had someone to take an example from. One of the mentors deeply revered by Roerich was the priest Father John of Kronstadt, who played a very important role in the spiritual development of Nicholas Roerich and in general in the life of his parents and brother Yuri Nikolaevich. The life of N.K. Roerich himself, proceeding under the sensitive guidance of the Teachers, is not perceived otherwise as a feat. The difficulties that accompanied Roerich were comparable to the planetary scale of his personality, the enormous power of his spirit. Roerich together with his family with honor overcame all seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hardships, purposefully and unwaveringly carrying out his mission. By nature, Roerich was a builder, a creator of Culture. “The entire active life of Roerich,” writes V. Ivanov, “which grew out of the Russian land, is a constant and useful, persistent and benevolent construction. It is not for nothing that he often repeats in his writings a French proverb: "When construction goes on, everything goes." .

"Benevolent construction ...". These words, perhaps, express the pathos of Roerich's entire life path. This path was marked by the cultural discoveries of the Master, the formation of which was influenced by the spiritual traditions of Russia, rooted in the distant past. To the past when Saint Sergius performed his asceticism. It has been five centuries since that time. But the appearance of Sergius still "shines in the same way, teaches and guides." For the entire Russian people, Sergius remains a spiritual mentor and teacher. Nicholas Roerich could not help but perceive his ideas. In this he was not alone. Helena Roerich, who wrote an excellent work about Sergius, emphasized the enormous importance of the asceticism of St. Sergius for the construction of the Russian Land. “... The memory of Sergius,” Helena Roerich wrote, “will never die, for the magnet of the spirit is great, which he put in the soul of the Russian people. The history of the development of spirituality in the Russian soul and the beginning of the gathering and construction of the Russian Land are inextricably linked with this great Ascetic " ... Roerich, painting church churches and creating canvases based on Russian history, as it were, continued the cultural and moral traditions formed by St. Sergius. Working in churches, visiting ancient Russian cities, Nikolai Konstantinovich felt the currents of history converging in the space of cultural construction, the unification of the Russian Land. Sergius also laid the traditions of construction, creation, showing an example of communal living, which was based on the high moral authority of Sergius himself. The monk fostered among the community members a spirit of selflessness and asceticism, primarily by personal example. Later, the ideas of Sergius, already in the art of icon painting, were embodied by the great painter Andrei Rublev, who created the world-famous "Trinity". Its plot was based on the views of Sergius about peace and harmony. The result of the ascetic activity of Sergius was the unification of the Russian lands, which made possible the victory of the Russian army in 1380 over the Mamayev hordes.

Nicholas Roerich appeared in Russia much later than Sergius. At the same time, the asceticism of Sergius and the work of Roerich in some of their deepest moments were in contact. The acts of Sergius and all of Roerich's undertakings were united by the motives of creation for the sake of the Common Good. Both the monk and the artist showed by all their deeds that cultural, moral construction lies at the heart of such creation. Nicholas Roerich and Helena Roerich deeply revered the moral precepts of St. Sergius. This, as it were, manifested their heartfelt and reverent attitude towards Orthodox shrines and, in general, towards true Orthodoxy, which was one of the sources of creative inspiration for the Roerichs in their work on paintings and philosophical works.

Many years later, images of St. Sergius will appear on icons. “Church icon painters,” notes L. V. Shaposhnikova, “will carefully and prudently paint it with an unearthly, holy detachment in their eyes. However, history will bring to us another Sergius of Radonezh. Philosopher and thinker, warrior and politician. Man-builder of Russian culture and Russian statehood. Earthly indefatigable ascetic and hard worker. Sharp features, visionary eyes and strong hands, accustomed to hard physical labor. This is how we see Sergius on the canvases of Nicholas Roerich. " It can be assumed that these very qualities of Sergius inspired N.K. Roerich when he portrayed the Reverend in his paintings. The image of Sergius for Roerich was collective, absorbing the best qualities of the Russian people. “Sergius,” Helena Roerich wrote, “is just an example - beloved by the people themselves - of clarity, transparent and even light. He, of course, is our protector. Five hundred years later, looking at his image, you feel: yes, Russia is great! Yes, holy power is given to her. Yes, next to the power, the true one, we can live " Roerich, of course, felt the influence of the ideas of St. Sergius on Russian culture. And this could not but affect his work. In addition, the life of the great Russian Ascetic for Roerich was the highest moral example of serving the Common cause. Therefore, Sergius can undoubtedly be considered as a spiritual Mentor, Teacher of Roerich. With St. Sergius Roerich connected all the best that was in Russia. Contact with the spiritual feat of Sergius, which influenced him through the thickness of the centuries, the work on the image of the monk gave Nikolai Konstantinovich a lot to determine the main milestones of his future life.

ROERICH - TEACHER

Nicholas Roerich not only constantly improved, studied with his teachers, but also, being an excellent teacher, educator, helped others to learn. Together with Helena Roerich, he raised his sons - Yuri and Svyatoslav, whose scientific and artistic achievements entered the golden fund of world culture, primarily due to the fact that Nikolai Konstantinovich was able to instill in his sons a sense of reverent attitude to Beauty, to educate them as people of high culture. It is very important. But no less important is the fact that the sons of N.K. Roerich possessed the highest human qualities. And this was largely the merit of Roerich - father and teacher.

In addition to the sphere of family upbringing, the gift of a teacher manifested itself in N.K. Roerich in the public arena. He took an active part in the education of young people, to whose problems he devoted a number of his works. One of these problems was the relationship between generations. The elders, Roerich said, complain a lot and attack the youth for preferring dancing, avoiding lectures, and not wanting to read. There are other charges against the youth. But if, Roerich believed, to think about the reasons for all this, then a significant share of the responsibility for the moral state of young people should be assumed by the older generation. Roerich always believed in youth and tried to encourage and support them. In youth, he saw, first of all, an aspiration to high human tasks. Despite the tremendous hardships many young people face, they find the strength to affirm good milestones. Are these not wonderful sprouts of the new, which Nikolai Konstantinovich noticed with his sharp eyes, being in the thick of life and communicating with young people? Roerich especially appreciated among young people the striving for a high quality of labor, which, according to Roerich, is more often found among working youth, who met his family more than the wealthy and wealthy youth. Therefore, Roerich stood up for a serious attitude towards young people, for trusting them and involving them in responsible affairs. Roerich assigned a special role in work with young people to the teacher. “... Educate the people's teacher, - wrote Nikolai Konstantinovich, - Give him a tolerable existence. Call youth as co-workers in all things you do. Show the young the beauty of creativity " .

Nicholas Roerich knew the life and work of the teacher firsthand, since for more than ten years he worked as the director of the Drawing School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts in St. Petersburg, and also taught at other educational institutions. Colleagues and students have always respected and loved Nikolai Konstantinovich. So it was at the Drawing School. Roerich was able to direct her work in such a way that the School began to enjoy great prestige both among young people striving to get an art education and among the artistic intelligentsia of St. Petersburg, whose best representatives worked at the School. Nicholas Roerich had his own pedagogical principles, which he firmly and persistently pursued in his work with novice artists. He believed that the main thing was the upbringing of their creative thinking and responsibility for the quality of work. Roerich was a very demanding teacher. And he had the moral right to do so, as he showed high exactingness, first of all, towards himself. These qualities of Roerich, along with devotion, gratitude and love to the Teachers, allowed him to steadily ascend along the path of ascetic construction.

Wherever Roerich collaborated, he became a special spiritual magnet, attracting interesting, talented people. Nicholas Roerich possessed an amazing gift - to unite like-minded people for the Common Good. In unity, he saw the key to the successful creative activity of employees, to whom he approached with a very high moral standard. This is heartfelt trust, and broad goodness, and selfless love for culture, and devotion to it, and much more that a person needs to improve it. When people striving to correspond to this ideal find each other, a commonwealth arises, which Roerich calls the hearth of good deeds. “Commonwealth is such a sweet and heartfelt word,” Nikolai Konstantinovich writes. It is from mutual understanding, and from mutual respect, and from cooperation. This means that it is in him, in the word - commonwealth - that the most self-needed is contained. The community cannot live if the people who have come together in it do not know what mutual assistance is, do not understand what self-improvement is. " .

These wonderful words fit so well on the heart because indeed in the community a person can find what is most needed. And the reason is that fellowship is based on the inner spiritual discipline of the co-workers. They support each other not only in the midst of difficulties, but also in joy. At the same time, they completely lack the envy and whispering so often found in formal societies. Commonwealths can constitute the bulwark of true statehood, for their comrades accept the natural hierarchy that underlies true state power. The energy of the commonwealth is aimed at creation, they have nothing from destruction. The Commonwealth should not be distracted, it always has specific goals and acts in accordance with them. Relationships between co-workers should be free, sympathetic and based on heartfelt trust. Serving humanity, according to Roerich, is the duty of “fellow-friends”. It is all the more joyful because it is carried out for the benefit of the neighbor. Only then will the community be vital. This is how N.K. Roerich imagined the commonwealth. It was for him the ideal of future human relations, to the implementation of which he called on his closest associates.

To a certain extent, this ideal was and continues to be realized in Russia in the pedagogy of cooperation, the ideas of which throughout the history of mankind were developed by spiritual ascetics, outstanding enlighteners and teachers. In Russian pedagogy, these ideas were actively implemented in the 30s. Of the twentieth century, finding further development already in our days in the work of such famous teachers as E.N. Ilyin, V.F. Shatalov, S.N. Lysenkov, Sh.A. Amonashvili and others.

V. V. Frolov

Doctor of Philosophy, Professor,

http://www.pedagogika-cultura.narod.ru/