A. T. Ariyaratne

Sri Lankabhimanya Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne is the founder and President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka.

Born November 5, 1931, he was a high school teacher at Nalanda College and is a devoted Buddhist.

He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1969, the Gandhi Peace Prize from the government of India in 1996, the Niwano Peace Prize in 1992, the King Beaudoin Award and other international honors for his work in peace making and village development. In 2006, he received the Acharya Sushil Kumar International Peace Award for 2005, among first recipients of this award was Joan Tolengy and in 2004, his Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. In 2007 he received the Sri Lankabhimanya, the highest National Honour of Sri Lanka.cite web |url=http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/12/02/new50.asp |title=Conferred Sri Lankabhimanya |accessdate=2007-12-02 |year= |format= | language=]

Ariyaratne, a strong believer in Gandhian principles of non-violence, rural development and self-sacrifice, has shaped the Sarvodaya Movement in ways that forged a significant link between secular principles of development and Buddhist ideals of selflessness and compassion.

As a devote Buddhist, he has led tens of thousands of “family gatherings” and meditations with millions of people throughout Sri Lanka and other parts of the world.

References

External links

* [http://www.sarvodaya.org/about/our-founder/ The Sarvodaya Official Site - About A.T. Ariyaratne]