Watch monks celebrate “Walk for Peace” in Washington, D.C.
USA TODAY’s Michelle Del Rey was visiting the Lincoln Memorial after a group of Buddhist monks and their dog Aloka completed a 15-week Walk for Peace.
On their second day in Washington, D.C., a group of venerable Buddhist monks from Texas completed a months-long walking pilgrimage to the Lincoln Memorial.
About 20 monks embarked on the 3,300-mile journey from Fort Worth’s Phuong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center to the capital. The trip will begin Oct. 26 and end Feb. 12, when the men will board a bus in Maryland and return home.
Once you arrive in Fort Worth, take a return walk to the temple.
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Walk for Peace leader Bhikkhu Pannakara thanked the monastic community, governors, ministers, chaplains and local law enforcement officers who welcomed them along the way.
He called on participants to engage in mindfulness and choose love and kindness.
“Love and kindness don’t require power, money, or titles. Just the choice to stop before you hurt and to sharpen before you speak,” Pannakara said. “If each of us took just one second to ask, would we hurt anyone? The world would already be a kinder place.”
A sometimes dangerous path to peace
The monks braved the frigid weather that recently hit the southern United States and East Coast to walk, sometimes barefoot, across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia to reach the capital.
Sometimes the journey was dangerous. In November, two men were hospitalized after a monk’s security vehicle was involved in a traffic accident in a Houston suburb. The driver of a pickup truck rear-ended the car the group was traveling in, pushing the men into the car.
One monk’s leg had to be amputated, but the other monk’s injuries were less serious. Also in January, the group’s 4-year-old dog, Aloka, suffered an injury to one of her legs and required surgery. The pup was then reunited with the men.
Why did monks make pilgrimages?
The trek aimed to foster national healing, unity, and compassion as the nation faces challenges of division, mental health crisis, and internal and international conflict.
“The Walk for Peace aims to remind Americans that peace is a practice, not a destination…This pilgrimage offers a simple but profound message: Peace begins within each person’s heart and spreads outward to families, communities, and the nation as a whole,” said a news release announcing the Walk for Peace.
Along the journey, the monks were greeted by thousands of people and welcomed into communities, churches and state capitols as the streets filled with well-wishers and police officers. It was common to see children handing flowers to monks and monks giving blessing strings in return. In Georgia, I encountered a wedding, where monks blessed the bride and groom.
On February 11, hundreds of people gathered in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the end of their journey. As the men walked along the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to the steps, the crowd cheered in unison, some crying tears of admiration.
Millions of people have followed them on social media since their journey began. Aloka the dog has her own Facebook page with around 1 million followers. The monks have 2.8 million followers on Facebook and 1.3 million followers on TikTok.
Buddhist monks often undertake long walking pilgrimages lasting many months. During the pilgrimage, monks observe strict celibacy rules, including sleeping under a tree and eating one meal a day.
“Everyone is looking for community.”
Amber Kilroy, 46, a dog walker and sitter from Rogers, Arkansas, wore an Aloka sweatshirt to an event in Washington, D.C. She told USA TODAY that she has been following the monks since October and that their walks inspired her to start her own mindfulness journey.
“I feel like Monks really resonates on a level that relates to all humans, regardless of their religion or background,” Kilroy said. “When people are around monks, they can actually face their own suffering, and they can let it go, or they can feel this energy relieving them in some way.”
Dozens of monks arrive in Washington, DC, final destination of Peace Walk
Dozens of monks have arrived in Washington, D.C., the final destination on the “Path to Peace.”
Lana Lewis, 37, handed out carnations to people gathered outside the monument. Flowers are symbols of Buddhism and reflect core teachings such as impermanence, enlightenment, and interconnectedness. She noted that the carnations she handed out were donated by American immigrants who were unable to attend the event, as symbols of peace and nonviolence in America.
Lewis, a Washington, D.C., restaurant worker, said it was important to attend the event to confront what she called disturbing points in history.
“People are very afraid for their lives, for the lives of others, for their freedoms and rights. This is a moment where I think everyone is looking for some kind of community,” she said.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Please contact mdelrey@usatoday.com.
