VISHVODAYA THROUGH VISHVADANA
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VISHVODAYA
THROUGH
VISHVADANA - extracted text
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VISHVODAYA
THROUGH
VISHV ADANA
May it please,
Your Majesties, the King of Belgium,
and Queen Fabiola,
Your Royal Highnesses Prince Albert,
Princess Paola,
Hon. The Prime Minister,
Hon. Ministers and Members of Parliament,
Chairman and Board of Directors
of the King Baudouin Foundation,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with a deep sense of humility and renewed faith in
the goodness of humanity that I stand before you in this
august assembly to accept the King Baudouin International
Development Prize.
I consider this to be an occasion where honour and
recognition are being bestowed by the Foundation upon all
those humble or prudent individuals and groups who have
accepted the Sarvodaya Thought and pursued the
Shramadana Action to build up a more human society.
Therefore, this memorable occasion is a moment of joy not
only for me but equally also for several thousands of
brothers and sisters who tread the Sarvodaya path. On
behalf of all of them ranging from the humblest people in
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the backwoods of Sri Lanka to discerning people of
advanced societies who gave them fraternal cooperation, I
wish to thank the Foundation most sincerely for selecting
me to receive this prestigious award.
In the Words of my Supreme Teacher The Revered
Gautama Buddha, who dwelt in North India during the
Sixth Century B.C.
“Mandpubbangama dhamma
Manbsettha manbmapa
Manasa ce padutthena
bhasati ua karbti ua
Tatb nam dukkhamanueti
cakkam ua uahatb padam".
The meaning of this Pali stanza is ;
“ Mind is the forerunner of (all evil) states. Mind is chief ;
mind - made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked
mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the
wheel follows the hoof of the draught - ox. ”
Then the Exalted One continues with a second stanza :
“Mandpubbangama dhamma
Manbsettha manbmaya
Manasa ce pasannena
bhasati ua kardti ua
Tatb nam sukhamanueti
chaya'ua anapapini”.
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which means—
“ Mind is the forerunner of (all good) states. Mind is chief;
mind-made are they . If one speaks or acts with pure mind,
because of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s
shadow that never leaves.”
The lesson we learn from this teaching is that if we can
put our mental faculties right then everything else in the
world would be put right.
Looking at our human society dispassionately, you will
bear with me when I say that in spite of the great affluence
and marvels of science we see around us, most human
beings are unhappy. Some do suffer due to their excessive
indulgence in the pleasures of the senses. Others suffer
because they lack the basic needs of a decent life. Yet
others suffer due to hierachical violence imposed upon them
by the way their societies are structured or from wars and
strife imposed upon them by opposing religious, ethnic, or
ideological confederates.
The governments of the world have generally failed to
show a way out of this sad impasse. But governments are
formed of human beings. If governments have failed then
we have to acknowledge that as human beings there is
much for us to do. If we are to succeed in our endeavour
we have no choice but to accept the importance of
re-building man, his immediate family his community and
probably his whole environment. This is a great and difficult
task fraught with immense challenges but I do believe that
there is no easier way.
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Such a human re-construction effort has to be sustained
locally as well as globally in its thought as well as its
practice. The motivation for such an endeavour has to be
derived from very powerful reflection relevant to the times
we are living in. It should have an unique appeal to the
affluent and the deprived in our world so that together they
may search for and march towards a common goal of real
happiness.
The supreme thought that we have chosen in order to
march towards that happiness is Sarvodaya. Sarvodaya is a
word coined by Mahatma Gandhi. ‘Sarva’ means All ;
‘Udaya’ means Awakening. Therfore Sarvodaya means the
Awakening of All — the awakening of the entire humanity as
individuals, families, rural and urban communities, national
societies and as inhabitants of the one and only planet in
which all of us live.
What is Awakening ? If I apply it to myself, the human
being, it is a three dimensional integrated process that
should take place in my personality.
Firstly, 1 must continuously awaken myself to the real
nature of my own psycho - physical entity called my
personality. Who am 1 ? What is the path leading to my
supreme happiness ? Is it through increased greed, hatred
and ignorance within me that 1 can find happiness or is it
through a process of gradual decrease in these threefold
defilements ?
Secondly, how do I awaken to the realities of society with
all its complexities ? What should be the nature of the
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moral, cultural, social, political and economic environment
which will help me to awaken my personality to the fullest ?
Thirdly, how do I awaken myself to the realities of my
natural environment consisting as it does of land, water, air
and sunshine and various living beings including the plant
kingdom ?
If I succeed in getting my personality to awaken in this
three-fold dimension then I believe that I am on the path to
happiness which will help my inner life to be in harmony
with the outer world.
The acceptance of the thought of awakening of all or
Sarvodaya motivates one to work not only for one’s
Personal well - being but also for the well - being of all other
human beings. It even extends further. One has to
safeguard the purity, survival and sustenance of one’s
environment. Truth, Non-violence and Self-denial become
living tenets in such a person’s life.
Why do we as individuals need such an unassailable value
system ? Because we need strong personalities in the world
guided by such value systems if we are to develop the sense
of faith needed to survive as a species on this planet. We
have always to remember that we are living in a world
where greed in man is manifested in wide-spread extremes
of poverty, hunger, squalor and disease, where suspicion
and hatred among nations are manifested in the swelling
stockpiles of armaments in rich and poor countries alike and
where organised ignorance is manifested by the mountains
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of propaganda and counter propaganda material
distributed the world over in order to force one’s
sectarian views down the throats of others.
The type of human being we need for the world today is
one which has the courage to reject these dreadful systems
of organised evil which have made us decivilized ; we need
the type of leadership which will strive to re-build a new
man who has the strength of character to harness the good
that is in all of us. This new man in turn shall re-build our
human society and a new human civilization on more
abiding values.
The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is determined o
build a new man and a new society. In Sri Lanka we started
this process by enabling human beings to come together to
share their time, thought and energy for the awakening of a
process of sharing which is called Shramadana.
We selected several of the poorest of the poor villages in
Sri Lanka and while living and working with the villagers,
together we evolved a series of concepts and a
methodology to improve their quality of life by their own
efforts. Self reliance, Community Participation and a
Planned Programme to satisfy their basic human and
community needs were three important ingredients in this
self-development process.
Sarvodaya defines development as an awakening process.
An ever increasing accumulation of goods and services
created to feed greed in man is not development. On the
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contrary development is an awakening process taking place
within individuals, families and communities in which their
needs are first satisfied without polluting the mind,
poisoning the body, destroying the ecological balance,
violating the cultural boundaries, widening prevailing
disparities or demeaning human nature.
Development in a true sense should enrich people both
materially and spiritually so that qualities of sharing,
brotherhood and peace ennoble all people.
The Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka has grown in
stature in its 25 years of existence. The participation in its
programmes of thousands of people from all walks of life
and from all parts of the world has enabled it to attain its
present strength. Today the movement is active in over
5000 villages in Sri Lanka alone. People in these Sri
Lankan villages belong to different religious, ethnic,
linguistic and political groups.
Building a Nation is Building its People. People mean
infants, children, youth, mothers, farmers, workers, elders
and other adults. Nobody can be excluded, not even the
infirm and the disabled. Sarvodaya has designed a
development process so that all categories of people are
enabled to participate meaningfully in their own
development.
Nearly five thousand nurseries for pre-school children,
over 300 village re-awakening and coordinating centres, 24
district development education institutes, several
agricultural and rural technical services centres, and over
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3000 Shramadana camps organised every year, are
conducted by the movement as a living and growing
experience in its endeavour to build a new man and a new
society.
A common characteristic of all these programmes is their
indigenous spirituo-cultural base on the one hand and their
international dimension for universal application on the
other.
The Sarvodaya effort as inspired and encouraged
governmental and many non-governmental institutions to
adopt several of its concepts and programmes in the
services of the nation. Similarly the Sarvodaya message and
services have reached many countries both rich and poor
because of its universal validity.
I first came to Belgium in the late nineteen sixties. At
that time I was surprised at the poor level of understanding
of the so-called third-world problems and the indifferences
displayed towards these even by people who could claim to
be educated.
I remember the days and late evenings I spent with
communities in Belgium beginning with the village Balen,
and then Merrhout and Zelzate and later with many others
to explain the importance for the peoples of our countries
to establish communication link of their own so that one
day there could be a dialogue on problems we face in each
other’s situations and the ways and means of helping each
other to find solutions to those problems. The day the first
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village link-up programme was established between Balen in
Belgium and Halmillawewa in Sri Lanka, that was a historic
day of joy for me. 1 was very much moved when I came to
learn that I was nominated for this award by one of those
pioneers in Balen, Mr. Jef Sleeck who is now a Member of
Parliament. Today we have over forty such links in
Belgium. The Netherlands, West Germany and Canada
followed suit immediately after.
I must mention here with a sense of gratitude the
contribution made by the people of Belgium through the
National Centrum of the 11-11-11 Campaign and the World
Assembly of Youth towards the promotion of our
Movement. This was the first ever international contribution
our Movement received. Later NOVIB of the Netherlands,
Friedrich Naumann Stiftung of West Germany, Helvetas in
Switzerland, OXFAM (U.K.), OXFAM (Canada), OXFAM
(America), World University Service (Canada), International
NGO Division of CIDA (Canada), NORAD (Norway),
UNICEF, WHO, ATI (Washington), HKI (U.S.A.), IDRC
(Canada), Ford Foundation, DANIDA (Denmark) and ITDG
(U.K.) and several other individuals and groups helped the
Movement at various stages to reach its present level of
development and credibility.
On this historic occasion it is equally fitting that I should
refer to the Belgian youths who came to Sri Lanka and
worked for the Movement and participated in its activities.
They blazed a new trail in international development
co-operation where the need for building psychological
bridges between our countries was recognised. Today
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volunteers from over 30 different countries are working
shoulder to shoulder with our workers in the Movement.
With this ceremony at which I receive the King Baudouin
Award for International Development in the presence of
Your Majesties our mutual concern for the people of our
two countries and our commitment for a new world order
are further cemented and strengthened.
In our Sarvodaya terminology I wish to call such a
friendship ‘Vishvadana’ which means Universal Sharing. If
in your country people suffer due to the ill-effects of an over
industrialized technological civilization such a situation
should become the concern of us in Sri Lanka too. By the
same token if people in my country suffer due to an
international system of economic or political exploitation
such a situation would no doubt receive your concern too.
With mutual respect and understanding we should be able
to help each other to overcome our problems by a process
of universal sharing.
I do not like the word aid in vogue today. It has a
connotation which demeans the giver as well as the
receiver. On the other hand a process of sharing the best in
our tultures for the mutual benefit of human awakening
towards peace and happiness ennobles both parties. No
country in the world could lay claim to what they have
achieved as the outcome of their own exclusive endeavour.
Universal Sharing or Vishvadana should invariably lead to
Universal Awakening or Vishvodaya. Universal Awakening
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is not a distant or illusory ideal. It is with you and me here
and now.
What we call ‘I’ is only continuously changing phenomena
of the five aggregates, namely, of form, feelings,
perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. These
make up the sum total of all human existence. We should
not pre-suppose that there is an ‘I’ as distinct and separate
from the ‘world’. In reality T and ‘world’ are part of the
experience which arises because of consciousness. Through
mindfulness of the arising of phenomena we can liberate
ourselves from the illusory conjuring of the mind.
The first, second, third and even fourth worlds of which
we are talking are all illusions of our mind. Apart from our
consciousness, these worlds do not exist. Therefore let us
look at our own minds and try to observe how universal we
are, The more I develop a universal consciousness, to that
extent I am free. Only true freedom leads to true happiness.
Universal consciousness awakening — Vishvodaya — and
universal sharing — Vishvadana — have to develop and
progress hand in hand. The one cannot develop without the
other. Without progress in both there will never be an end
to suffering suspicion, exploitation, strife, wars and misery.
Let us not wait until North - South and East - West
dialogues succeed. Let us radiate from our minds and
hearts a universal love towards the entire living world. Let
every single one of us take a personal responsibility and
make a personal commitment to eradicate hunger of a
.
“
COMMuNiiY HEALTH CELL
47/1,(First FI*or)St. Marks Road
BANGALORE - 560 001
fellow human being somewhere on this planet, to bring
shelter to a family exposed to sun and rain, to help
self - development of a community of people who are
denied their fundamental human rights and last but not least
bring joy of living and mental peace to millions of human
beings who are spiritually starved.
This is what I meant at the beginning of my address when
I spoke about putting our mental faculties right. This
personal commitment on our part will extend itself to our
families, groups, institutions and governments so that we
become active participants in liberating a universal process
where causes that lead to suffering are removed from this
earth. When the causes are removed the effects will not be
there. This is the true joy of living.
The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is committed to
strive towards this universality. Its target groups are drawn
not only from the materially impoverished but extends to
the spiritually starved as well. The recognition you have
given this Movement re-affirms our faith in the efficacy of
our thought and actions. The monetary award you have
given will go in toto into a common fund to help and
encourage individuals and small groups in Sri Lanka and
elsewhere who selflessly work for harmony, development
and peace among human communities. I appeal to all
concerned human beings, families and institutions, to make
a commitment to strengthen this effort. I appeal to all
governments of the world and their leaders to invest more
of their time and resources to rebuild a new world on the
solid foundations of personality, family and community
reawakening.
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Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies and
distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
May I in all humility appeal for your continued
co-operation in spreading the message of peace, harmony
and goodness among all peoples.
May the Whole Living World be Well and Happy I
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Address delivered by Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, the
President of the Saruodaya Movement on
receiving the King Baudouin Award
for International Development at the
presentation ceremony held at the
Royal Palace in Brussels
Belgium on 24th
November 1982.
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