Truly great is seen only in the distance. That is exactly what happened with the creative legacy of the Russian writer and philosopher Elena Roerich. All that she created in the first half of the twentieth century, has recently entered the spiritual and cultural life of Russia. The works of E.I. Roerich aroused genuine and deep interest among our compatriots who tried to find answers to many questions of life. This article will describe a brief biography of this outstanding woman.
Childhood and study
Roerich Elena Ivanovna was born in St. Petersburg in 1879. The girl's father was a famous architect - Ivan Ivanovich Shaposhnikov. On the maternal side, Elena was a distant relative of the greatest composer M.P. Mussorgsky and the cousin of the great-granddaughter of the commander M.I. Kutuzov.
From childhood, the girl showed outstanding talents. So, by the age of seven, Elena had already written and read in three languages. And as a teenager, she was seriously interested in philosophy and literature. Shaposhnikova received her musical education at the Mariinsky Gymnasium. All teachers predicted her career as a pianist, but fate decreed otherwise.
Marriage
In 1899, Elena Ivanovna met a young and talented artist N.K. Roerich. He became a like-minded girl for the girl and shared all her beliefs. Thanks to high ideals and mutual love, this union was very strong. Their whole life was spent in joint creativity. In 1902, Nikolai and Elena had a son, Yuri (in the future he would become a famous oriental scholar), and in 1904, Svyatoslav, who followed in his father's footsteps.
Relocation to the USA
After the revolution, the Roerich family was cut off from their homeland. Since 1916, they lived in Finland, where Nikolai Konstantinovich improved his health. Then they were invited to London and Sweden, where the Roerichs took part in exhibitions and prepared scenery for the opera house. In 1920, Nikolai Konstantinovich and Elena Ivanovna arrived in the United States. The wife immediately took up cultural activities. Over time, she had students who helped the woman open several institutions in New York - the Crown Mundi Art Center, the Master Institute of the Arts, and the Museum of Nicholas Roerich. Soon, under the auspices of these organizations, many educational institutions, creative clubs and various societies rallied to improve their lives and embody humanistic ideals.
Arrival in India and expedition
The Roerichs have long wanted to visit this country, rich in its cultural and spiritual traditions. And in December 1923 they arrived there. And a couple of years later, Elena Ivanovna took part in a unique three-year expedition to the little explored and inaccessible places of Central Asia. The organizer of this event was her husband.
The starting point of the expedition was India (Sikkim). From it, travelers passed to Ladakh, Kashmir and Chinese Xinjiang. The Soviet border in the Tien Shan area is where the three members of the expedition went from there - Nikolai Konstantinovich, Yuri Nikolaevich and Elena Ivanovna. Moscow became the next point of arrival for the Roerich family. In the capital, they held a number of important meetings, and then joined the main expedition bound for Mongolia through Buryatia and Altai. Then travelers entered Tibet to visit Lhasa. But right in front of this urban district, they were stopped by representatives of local authorities. The expedition had to live in summer tents for about five months on the snowy and frosty plateau of Chantang. It was here that the caravan died, and all the guides died or fled. And only in the spring the authorities allowed the expedition to move on. Travelers set off for Sikkim through the Transhimalaya.
Writing books
In 1926, Elena Ivanovna lived in Ulan Bator (Mongolia). There she published the book "Fundamentals of Buddhism." In this work, Roerich interpreted a number of fundamental philosophical concepts of the teachings of Buddha: nirvana, the law of karma, reincarnation and the deepest moral side. Thus, she refuted the basic Western stereotype of thinking that in this religion a person is considered an insignificant, forgotten creature by God.
The picturesque Kulu Valley (Western Himalayas) - this is where Elena Ivanovna moved with her family in 1928. The writer's activity at that time was entirely devoted to a series of books on agni yoga (philosophical and ethical Doctrine of Living Ethics). The works were created in close collaboration with a number of anonymous philosophers who called themselves Masters, or Great Souls, or Mahatmas.
Living Ethics Books
They have become desktop for many people. In these works, ethical problems are brought to the forefront, addressing the real, earthly conditions of life for each person.
The appearance of the Living Ethics books was directly related to the processes taking place in the spiritual life, culture and science of the first half of the twentieth century. But the main impetus was the “scientific explosion”, which laid the foundations for an innovative holistic approach to the study of reality. At that time, many outstanding minds (philosophers N. A. Berdyaev, P. A. Florensky and I. A. Ilyin, as well as scientists A. L. Chizhevsky, K. E. Tsiolkovsky, V. I. Vernadsky) spoke about the inseparability the fate of mankind from the life of Cosmos. They also stated that in the new era, people will collaborate with other worlds.
Based on the modern achievements of Western science and the ancient teachings of the East, Living Ethics creates a system of knowledge and reveals the specifics of the cosmic evolution of mankind. Its key component is the Laws. They determine the development of the Universe, human behavior, the birth of stars, the growth of natural structures and the movement of planets. Nothing exists in the Cosmos outside these Laws. Also, these rules determine the social and historical life of mankind. And until people realize this, they will not be able to improve their being.
"Cryptograms of the East"
This work by E.I. Roerich was published in Paris in 1929. But on the cover, it was not her surname that appeared, but the pseudonym Zh. Saint-Hilaire. "Cryptograms" described the historical and legendary events of the past, revealing to people the unknown aspects of the life of the four Great Teachers - Apollonius of Tiana, Christ, Buddha and Sergius of Radonezh. Elena Ivanovna devoted a separate work to the latter. In it, the writer’s deep love for the ascetic was combined with an excellent knowledge of theology and history.
"Letters"
In the heritage of E.I. Roerich they occupy a special place. If the Living Ethics doctrine, Elena Ivanovna, whose photo is in many philosophical encyclopedias, was created in collaboration with teachers, then the “Letters” became a product of her individual creativity. Roerich had an amazing gift of an enlightener. Not trying to simplify the problem, she made it accessible even to poorly trained people. In a simple language, Elena Ivanovna explained to her correspondents complex questions about the relationship of matter and spirit, about the influence of cosmic laws, about the place of man in the universe. The content of these letters is striking not only with Roerich's deep knowledge of ancient philosophical systems, treatises of European and Eastern thinkers, but also with a clear, broad understanding of the foundations of life.
The heroine of this article answered people with different levels of consciousness, but always in the spirit of goodwill and tolerance. For many, her cordial, warm attitude became a true support in difficult moments of life. In Riga in 1940, the two-volume “Letters by E. I. Roerich” was published. This work is only a small part of the great epistolary heritage of the writer.
Last period
1948 - this is the year in which Elena Ivanovna left the Kulu valley. The philosopher, along with her son Yuri, went to Khandala and Delhi (the husband of the writer has already died). After staying there for a while, they decided to settle in the resort town of Kalimpong (India).
Elena Ivanovna made repeated attempts to return to Russia. She wrote to the Soviet Embassy many times asking for a visa, but she was constantly refused. Until the very end of her life, Roerich hoped to return to Russia in order to bring all the collected treasures and work for several years for the benefit of her homeland. But this never happened. In October 1955, the heroine of this article died in India.
