The Life of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya
(Volume 1 of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya: Biography and Collected Writings)
Elizabeth J. Harris [+–]
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
John L. Crow [+–]
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
This is the first biography of Allan Bennett, one of the first British men to gain higher ordination as a Buddhist monk and one of the seminal figures in the development of Buddhism in the UK.
Bennett rejected Christianity early in his life and turned to late nineteenth century occultism and esoteric new religious movements, namely Theosophy and the Order of the Golden Dawn. His involvement in the latter led to friendship with Aleister Crowley. After he travelled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1899 for health reasons – he had chronic asthma – he was attracted to Buddhism. Believing Buddhism in Burma (Myanmar) was purer than in Ceylon, he opted for ordination there in 1902.
From Burma, he created an international Buddhist network, founding the International Buddhist Society, the Buddhasāsana Samāgama and starting a journal, Buddhism – An Illustrated Quarterly Review. In 1908, he led a Buddhist mission to England. Convinced that the West needed Buddhism as an antidote to growing materialism, he became a prolific writer. Two volumes of his writings were published. The first recorded a series of talks he gave in London in 1917-1918, published just two months before he died (The Wisdom of the Aryas). The second was published posthumously (The Religion of Burma and Other Papers). Controversy has surrounded his life, particularly in western Buddhist circles, because of his early involvement with the occult.
Related Interest/Companion Volume
Selected Writings of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya
(Volume 2 of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya: Biography and Collected Writings)
Table of Contents
Prelims
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Introduction
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
This introduces Allan Bennett/Ananda Metteyya, outlines the methods used by the co-writers and gives a synopsis of the content of the biography.
Chapter 1
The Formative Years [+–]
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter One covers Allan Bennett’s life from his birth in 1872 to his departure from England for colonial Ceylon either at the end of 1899 or the beginning of 1900. It examines what his early years were like, when he lived with the support of his grandfather, who was employed in the arts as a theatrical manager, and the more difficult years, after the death of his grandparents and mother. From that point forward, Bennett depended on the support of his sister, while also taking every educational and employment opportunity presented to him. These opportunities, however, were limited by his poverty and poor health. It was during this period that he encountered both Buddhism and occultism. The first group he engaged with was the Theosophical Society, and, through it, he was introduced to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult initiatory organisation, whose members practised ceremonial magic. In 1899, he met Aleister Crowley through the Golden Dawn. Bennett began teaching Crowley the art and science of ceremonial magic and Crowley gave Bennett a place to live. The relationship continued until the Golden Dawn in London began to deteriorate. Crowley facilitated Bennett’s journey to Ceylon.
Chapter 2
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter Two examines Bennett’s brief but important time in Ceylon, when he explored both Buddhism and Śaivism, opting in the end for Buddhism. Bennett arrived at the beginning of 1900 and almost immediately travelled from Colombo to the south of the island to study Pali and Buddhism at a vihāra (Buddhist monastery/temple) in Kamburugamuwa. After about six months, he returned to Colombo, where he then studied yogic practices under a Hindu politician and Śaivite teacher, who was becoming internationally known, Ponnambalam Ramanathan (1851-1930). In July 1901, he delivered a lecture on Buddhism at a Theosophical Society lodge in Colombo. Shortly afterwards, he travelled to other parts of the island with Aleister Crowley, and then to colonial Burma for ordination as a Buddhist monk. This chapter demonstrates that Bennett’s path towards ordination passed through Hindu yoga, meditation and ritual.
Chapter 3
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter Three covers Allan Bennett’s ordination as Venerable Ananda Maitriya (later changed to Metteyya) in Burma until his mission to Britain in 1908. He gained his novice and higher ordination in Akyab (now Sittwe in Rakkhine State) and, whilst there, wrote two articles that he sent to friends in Ceylon for publication. These laid the foundation for much of his later writing. Soon after his higher ordination, he moved to Mandalay, where he was re-ordained within a relatively new, reformist monastic fraternity. From there, he travelled to Rangoon (now Yangon), from where he developed his plan to bring Buddhism to the west, through the Buddhasāsana Samāgama (International Buddhist Society) and the publication of the journal, Buddhism. During this period, Ananda Metteyya, although still hindered by asthma, was productive and energetic. Although unable to speak Burmese, he taught in other parts of the country with the help of translators and was influential among English-speaking Buddhists in Rangoon, becoming a symbol of Buddhism’s resilience under British colonialism and the Christian missionary threat.
Chapter 4
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter Four focuses on Ananda Metteyya’s six-month mission to Britain in 1908 and his last years in Burma. The mission occupied a liminal space between success and failure. Ananda Metteyya had hoped that thousands would convert to Buddhism. Although this did not happen, Metteyya left behind a functioning, if cash-strapped, Buddhist Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and a nucleus of committed western Buddhists. After returning to Burma, his last six years in the country were marred by illness, the struggle to keep the Buddhist Society in London financially afloat, disappointed hopes and a legal case that went to court in 1910, which implicated him as a former friend of Aleister Crowley, who, by that time, had acquired a notorious reputation. Yet, he continued to write and maintain international contacts, for instance with the Theosophical Society. This chapter uncovers the forces that gathered around Ananda Metteyya in these years, tarnishing his reputation and abilities.
Chapter 5
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter Five examines the last nine years of Ananda Metteyya’s life, which were spent in Britain. He was forced to return to Britain because of the state of his health and disrobed (becoming a lay person again), because the journey would involve handling money. His intention was to join his sister on her return to the United States of America. When his passage to America was refused because of his health, Buddhists in the Liverpool area looked after him, with the Buddhist Society raising money for his support. During World War One, his health rallied and he returned to London, taking on responsibilities within the Buddhist Society, his passion for Buddhism undiminished. During these years, he struggled with poverty and chronic illness but continued to influence many through lectures, writing and conversation. He died of an intestinal obstruction on 9 March 1923.
Chapter 6
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
Chapter Six explores a selection of the diverse ways in which Ananda Metteyya was appropriated and remembered after his death, by both Buddhists and esotericists. In Asia, he was remembered as a pioneer of Buddhist mission to the west, a symbol of the international appeal of Buddhism in the face of western Christian hegemony. In western esoteric and occultist circles, he was lauded as a magician who never left occultism behind, becoming an almost mythical role model. Within western Buddhist groups, his pioneering 1908 mission was not forgotten but new initiatives, which distanced themselves from his memory, developed. In the 1990s, however, the Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre in London brought him to the fore again, through an annual event that commemorated the 1907 mission. The chapter argues that few posthumous representations of Ananda Metteyya, including academic ones, brought the whole of his life together, taking into account his significance not only within the transmission of Buddhism to the west but also within western esotericism.
Conclusion
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
End Matter
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
University of Birmingham
Elizabeth Harris is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Before this, she was an Associate Professor at Liverpool Hope University. She specializes in Buddhist Studies and inter-faith studies, and has published widely in both disciplines. Her publications include: What Buddhists Believe (Oneworld, 1998): Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century Sri Lanka (Routledge, 2006): Buddhism for a Violent World: A Christian Reflection (Epworth, 2010/now published by SCM).
Florida State University
John L. Crow holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Florida State University, where he is an instructional design faculty member assisting other faculty in course design and use of education technology.
ISBN-13 (Hardback)
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Publication
15/09/2025
Pages
300
Size
234 x 156mm
Readership
scholars
Illustration
27 figures
