As the most prominent and internationally renowned socially engaged Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Dr. Ariyaratne built the foundation for the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, a grassroots humanitarian organization that has been active throughout Sri Lanka since 1958, and that has grown into the nation’s largest and most broad-based community-development NGO.
Sarvodaya Shramadana, a self-governance movement, takes an integrated approach to development based on community participation, self-reliance, and sustainability, and founded on the concept of “sharing of labour, thought, and energy for the awakening of all.” In promoting spiritual and cultural development, the movement has built a successful rural economic empowerment program based on micro-finance and developing entrepreneurship, benefiting more than 15,000 underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka.
5 Likes
So sorry to hear this. Dr Ariyaratana was a true original, a dedicated, sincere and insightful man whose service to his country and the dhamma is incalculable. I had the honour of meeting him a couple of times. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a plan to change things for the better. The world is a little dimmer for his absence.
2 Likes
2 Likes