The walk for peace was organized by a group of 24 monks from the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. These monks belonged to the faith of Theravada Buddhism, and it is because of the beliefs of this religion that they went on this journey. The Theravada Buddhists believe that these long pilgrimages are an excellent form of meditation, as well as a way to reduce their attachment to the physical world. Rather than expressing their beliefs through politics, the monks use walks like this to promote peace, calm, and forgiveness. Due to their beliefs, the monks relied on donated food and shelter. By committing to this walk and all its hardships, the monks promoted their beliefs by making themselves a source of inspiration for people needing calm or peace in their life without getting into politics.

The monks that participated in this walk were nothing but kind to the people who they met. These monks gave out peace bracelets to those they met on their journey, a symbol of peace and blessing to the Buddhist faith.

Even as the monks passed from city to city, they always had one companion that never left. The monks were accompanied by Aloka. Aloka is a rescue dog from India who has participated in a peace walk in India and later went to America. Aloka accompanied them for most of the walk, however he took a rest for a few days to get surgery on his CCL on January 12th. Fortunately, this is a very common condition in dogs and he was able to walk fine in just a few days. Aloka served as a mascot for the monks, displaying their dedication and acting as a symbol of peace.

It wasn’t always safe travels for the monks, however. Early into their journey, on November 19th, as the monks were walking on highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, the group’s escort vehicle was hit by a truck, and two monks were seriously injured. One of the monks, Phra Ajarn Maha Dam Phommasan, was transported to the hospital by helicopter. The other injured monk, Venerable Bhante Dam Phommasan had to get surgery in December, the lower portion of his leg was removed.

But the monks continued their walk, traveling through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolina’s, and finally Virginia before reaching Washington D.C. The monks walked roughly 20 miles a day for 2300 miles and faced many hardships, but they have now reached their destination, and took a bus back to their home in Texas.