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Story Publication logo February 3, 2016

Sri Lanka: Good Karma in Dead Parts

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Blind woman sitting outside a shop in Colombo. Image by Ross Velton. Sri Lanka, 2015.
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The Buddhist practice of giving gifts to help those less fortunate has made Sri Lanka one of the...

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Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero is a champion of organ donation in Sri Lanka.
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero honours the Buddha's relics. Image by Ross Velton. Sri Lanka, 2015.

Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero is the founder of the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in Sri Lanka.

Thousands of followers around the world are attracted to the pure form of Theravada Buddhism he preaches.

The monk is a champion of the idea that donating body parts after death creates good karma which increases the chances of being reborn into a better life.

This belief has helped Sri Lanka become one of the world's leading suppliers of corneas (the clear front part of the eye).

But while most Sri Lankans wait until they die before giving their parts, Kiribathgoda is doing it while he is still alive.

From the main Mahamevnawa monastery in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka Kiribathgoda explained more.

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