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Mahatma (Mə-HÄT-mə) is Sanskrit for "Great Soul" (महात्मा ''mahātmā'': महा ''mahā'' (great) + आत्मं or आत्मन ''ātman'' ()). It is similar in usage to the modern Christian term saint. This epithet is commonly applied to prominent people like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Munshiram (later Swami Shraddhananda), Lalon Shah, Ayyankali and Jyotirao Phule. According to some authors Rabindranath Tagore is said to have used on March 6, 1915, this title for Gandhi;.〔Dutta, Krishna and Andrew Robinson, ''Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology'', p. 2〕 Some claim that he was term Mahatma by the residents of Gurukul Kangadi in April 1915,〔(और इस तरह गांधी महात्मा बन गए, 01-Oct-2012 )〕 and he in turn termed the founder Munshiram a Mahatma (who later became Swami Shraddhananda). However a document honoring him on Jan 21, 1915, at Jetpur, Gujarat, termed him Mahatma is preserved.〔jaitpur men hue Gandhiji Mahatma, Jansatta, Nov. 22, 2006〕 The use of the term Mahatma in Jainism to denote a class of lay priests, has been noted since the 17th century. == Theosophy== The word, used in a technical sense, was popularized in theosophical literature in the late 19th century, when Madame Helena Blavatsky, one of the founders of the Theosophical Society, claimed that her teachers were adepts (or Mahatmas) who reside in Asia. According to the Theosophical teachings, the Mahatmas are not disembodied beings, but highly evolved people involved in overseeing the spiritual growth of individuals and the development of civilizations. Blavatsky was the first person in modern times to claim contact with these Adepts, especially the "Masters" Koot Hoomi and Morya. Alvin Boyd Kuhn wrote about mahātmās: "The Masters whom Theosophy presents to us are simply high-ranking students in life's school of experience. They are members of our own evolutionary group, not visitants from the celestial spheres. They are supermen only in that they have attained knowledge of the laws of life and mastery over its forces with which we are still struggling."〔Kuhn (1930), – p. 147.〕 In September and October 1880, Blavatsky visited A. P. Sinnett at Simla in northern India. The serious interest of Sinnett in the Theosophical teachings of Mme. Blavatsky and the work of the Theosophical Society prompted Mme. Blavatsky to establish a contact by correspondence between Sinnett and the two adepts who were sponsoring the society, Koot Hoomi and Morya. From this correspondence Sinnett wrote ''The Occult World'' (1881) and ''Esoteric Buddhism'' (1883), both of which had an enormous influence in generating public interest in theosophy. The replies and explanations given by the Mahatmas to the questions by Sinnett are embodied in their letters from 1880 to 1885, published in London in 1923 as ''The Mahatma Letters'' to Sinnett. The Mahatmas also corresponded with a number of other persons during the early years of the Theosophical Society. Many of these letters have been published in two volumes titled ''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom'', Series 1 and Series 2. There has been a great deal of controversy concerning the existence of these particular adepts. Blavatsky's critics have doubted the existence of her Masters. See, for example, W.E. Coleman's "exposes". However, more than twenty five individuals testified to having seen and been in contact with these Mahatmas during Blavatsky's lifetime.〔''(A Casebook of Encounters with the Theosophical Mahatmas )''〕 In recent years, K. Paul Johnson has promoted his controversial theory about the Masters. After Blavatsky's death in 1891, numerous individuals have claimed to be in contact with her Adept Teachers and have stated that they were new "messengers" of the Masters conveying various esoteric teachings.〔(Madame Blavatsky & the Latter-Day Messengers of the Masters )''〕 Currently various New Age, metaphysical, and religious organizations refer to them as Ascended Masters, although their character and teachings are in several respects different from those described by Theosophical writers.〔Leadbeater, C.W. ''The Masters and the Path''. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1929 (Reprint: Kessinger Publishing, 1997).〕〔Partridge, Christopher ed. ''New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities'' Oxford University Press, USA 2004.〕 It is expected that Mahatma Maitreya (also called World Teacher) will contact with all Humanity in January 2017.〔By whom?〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mahātmā」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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