Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken

Who was Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken?

Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, also known as Bô Yin Râ, was a German poet, painter, and theosophist.

Schneiderfranken studied art in the 1890s and 1900s in spite of financial hardship, eventually becoming a professional painter in his thirties. In 1912, he began studying theosophy and left for Greece. Upon returning to Germany in 1914, he began teaching under the pseudonym Bô Yin Râ. He later painted a picture of Jesus, claiming to have seen him in real life using "spirit travel."

Schneiderfranken influenced author Gustav Meyrink, composer Felix Weingartner, and Eckhart Tolle.