The Foundation of the Sangha of the West Being an Account of the Upasampada Ordination of Bhikkhu Ananda Maitriya (1902)
Selected Essays of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya - (Volume 2 of Allan Bennett, Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya: Biography and Collected Writings) - Elizabeth J. Harris
Allan Bennett [+]
Allan Bennett (1872-1923) was 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.
Description
This is the talk given by Allan Bennett, now Ananda Maitriya, when he received upasampadā (higher ordination) in Akyab in May 1902. After words of thanks to all who had helped him reach his ordination ceremony, he outlined the main ‘ambition’ of his life – to give Buddhism to the west. He explains that he will start by founding an international Buddhist society (Buddhasāsana Samāgama) and a monthly subsidised journal, Buddhism, both of which would attract westerners to come to Burma to train as Buddhist monks. This presentation expresses his early idealism, hope and determination.