How an American revived Buddhism in Sri Lanka after moving to India

In 1874, Henry Steel Olcott's life took a dramatic turn. Until then, he had been a journalist, an agricultural expert, insurance lawyer, soldier and an exposer of hoaxes and frauds. But that year, he renewed his interest in spiritualism - a hazy mix of mysticism, belief in a pristine past, and a search for communion with spirits and the paranormal, including the divine kind. The catalyst for this change was a chance encounter with Helena Blavatsky, a Russian émigré with a past as varied as his own. In September, Olcott was investigating a series of "spirit appearances" on a Vermont…