Sarvodaya organises Massive Peace Meditation in Sri Lanka

Richard S Brooks in Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka reports:

Silent crowds of close to 650,000 people from throughout the island of Sri Lanka convened in the sacred city of Anuradhapura on Friday, March 15 to meditate for peace. Convened by the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, the gathering may well have been the largest meditation event ever held in the world.

Sarvodaya founder, Dr A T Ariyaratne, led Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu participants from the Sinhala and Tamil dominated parts of the country in an hour long meditation. "We wanted to focus the positive energy of millions of people on the movement toward peace and non-violence" he said. "Rather than the force of arms and high-level discussions, the people here commit their lives to living in harmony."

Ariyaratne urged the cessation of all forms of violence. "We meditate not merely for a continuation of the cease-fire in Sri Lanka's civil war but also for the promotion of "inner peace" that sets the stage for peace in all of humanity", he said.

President and Prime Minister send recorded messages
Thousands of buses delivered pilgrims dressed in white from the North and East as well as distant villages in the South. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and President Chandrika Kumaratunga sent recorded addresses to the gathering.

During the meditation Wickremasinghe was at a precedent-setting visit to the city of Jaffna, the hotly-contested focus of LTTE and government conflict over the years. US Under Secretary of State, Christina Rocca, also visited Jaffna and urged the LTTE to respect the democratic process. President Kumaratunga claimed to have scheduling conflicts.

Roads jammed by participants
Meanwhile, roads from all parts of the country were clogged from the pre-dawn hours of the morning of the 15th. Before noon the grounds of the sacred Maha Bodhi tree where Buddha himself had meditated more than 2,000 years before, were transformed to a sea of white punctuated by the bright orange and maroon robes of Buddhist monks. Every square foot of shade hosted congregations of travellers waiting for the formal activities to begin in the hot afternoon sun.

Hand grenade hits Sarvodaya HQ
Although the Sarvodaya headquarters in Moratuwa had been hit by a small hand grenade the night before, security at the Anuradhapura meditation was light. Police and military personnel were more witnesses than security guards.

Sarvodaya organisation excellent
Having conducted many mass meditations before, Sarvodaya's village workers were well disciplined in the art of gentle crowd management. Youth from the nationwide Shanthi Sena Peace Brigades provided first aid and helped marshal the large numbers of barefoot pilgrims. There were no incidents whatsoever at the meditation.
For the period during the meditation the only sound to be heard among the throngs of seated attendees was the singing of temple birds.

“1000 village link up”
Before the mass meditation began Sarvodaya launched a "1,000 Village Link-up" programme matching communities in Tamil and Muslim areas with villages in the South. Village representatives exchanged symbolic gifts and lists of potential projects for shramadana (voluntary labour) camps.

American peace activist Joanna Macy, who joined scores of international representatives at the meditation, commended the Sarvodaya Movement and the country of Sri Lanka for their grassroots efforts to build awareness of the roots of peace. Viewers from at least 20 countries witnessed the gathering through live on-site broadcast and web cast on the Internet.

Richard S. Brooks, Sri Lanka.
Email: oks@dcs.wisc.edu