The Wisdom of the Aryas.
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., 1923. First Edition. Hardcover. Small Octavo. xxx + 148pp. Brown cloth with black titling to spine and upper board; blind stamped decorative border to upper board. A series of essays on Buddhism, mostly written in 1917-1918. The author, Charles Henry Allan Bennett (1872-1923), joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1894. With George Cecil Jones he went on to become a friend and teacher to Aleister Crowley, but after a time he left the Order, travelling to Asia both for health reasons, and to further his studies of Buddhism, which he eventually embraced wholeheartedly. In 1902 he was ordained as a monk (Bhikkhu) of the Theravada tradition - being reputedly only the second Englishman ever to have done so, and in that same year founded the International Buddhist Society (Buddhasasana Samagama), issuing a number of English language books aimed at promoting Buddhism. In 1908 he returned briefly to England, and was active in the formation of the "Buddhist Society of Great Britain and Ireland." On account of this, and his subsequent publishing activities, he is generally considered to have played a seminal role in the Introduction of Buddhist practice to that country. Light rubbing to spine ends and tips of corners, endpapers browned. Overall a tight, bright VG+ copy (lacks dust jacket). Scarce. Item #61861
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