Henry Steel Olcott’s Buddhist revival work in Ceylon

Record summary

Henry Steel Olcott’s 1880 conversion to Buddhism in Ceylon and his subsequent educational and organizational work helped shape a modern Buddhist revival connected to Theosophical networks. His Buddhist Catechism, first published in 1881, presented Buddhism in a rationalized and internationally portable form, while local monks and lay activists pursued their own agendas. This lead allows comparison of esotericism, colonial modernity, print culture, and Buddhist reform. The category “Buddhist revival” should not obscure disagreements between Olcott’s universalist presentation and local traditions.