Right Understanding (1913)
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 a lengthy and passionate article, written for Buddhists and published in Britain and Asia just before Metteyya returned to Britain in 1914. It argues that a better name for a Buddhist would be a Sammādiṭṭhi, one who rightly understands and has fullest insight. It seems to anticipate World War I in its insistence that belief in selfhood nurtures the patriotism that leads to war and the production of death-dealing implements. Metteyya appeals to Buddhists to live their understanding, not only to theorise it, with their eyes on the goal – ‘the great, ancient, holy stream of deathless light’ (nibbāna).