Ahimsa Center
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Lecture
The Power of Love
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Cal Poly Pomona Music Recital Hall
Lecture 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. ? Reception 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Event is free. Pre-registration required by October 22 as space is limited.
To register send email to
Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne is the founder and president of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka, the world's largest spiritually-based people's development movement. Starting his professional life as a school teacher, he has become internationally renowned for his exemplary contributions to promoting social and political change through nonviolence.
Founded on Gandhian and Buddhist principles, the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement for last 50 years ago by Dr. Ariyaratne, works in 15,000 villages for social and economic justice for the poorest of the poor in Sri Lanka. Sarvodaya means "the awakening of all," and Shramadana means “gift or sharing of labor.” Dr. Ariyaratne describes the goal of Sarvodaya as a dual awakening: the awakening of the individual and the awakening of society. "Everybody wakes up” says Dr. Ariyaratne “through sharing labor, energy, resources, and love." Guided by this vision, Sarvodaya seeks to unite all people to work together in building a nonviolent and cooperative society. Sarvodaya has mobilized tens of thousands of people in undertaking housing, water and solar energy projects, food production, preschool programs, legal services, orphanages, child welfare agencies, village banks, and more.
In the spirit of Martin Luther King, he has led peace marches and meditations with millions of poor people. In the mold of Mahatma Gandhi, he has quieted angry masses through his personal example. Like the Dalai Lama he has the impressive ability to rally ordinary citizens to see the spiritual wisdom of looking beyond their own salvation to help ensure the salvation of others. Dr. Ariyaratne has led some of the world's largest peace marches and meditations to address conflicts in his country, with 650,000 people gathering for peace meditation in Sri Lanka in 2004.
For his development work and peace initiatives, he has received numerous international awards, including the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership from the Philippines (1969), the King Boudouin Award for International Development from Belgium (1982), the Niwano Peace Prize from Japan
(1992), and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize from India (1996). More recently, he was honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Service Award from South Africa (2006), and Acharya Sushil Kumar International. Peace Award from Canada (2006).