A group of Buddhist monks passed through the county last week in their “Walk for Peace” from Texas to Washington, D.C.
The monks stopped for lunch in Morton and spent the night just east of Forest Friday night.
An AI search on the internet revealed that the walk “involves Buddhist monks from Texas’s Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on a 2,300-mile pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., aiming to spread messages of peace, compassion, and mindfulness across America, a journey that is scheduled to finish in February. Led by Venerable Bhikku Pannakara (Thich Tuệ Nhân), the monks practice Theravada Buddhism and use insight meditation, relying on community support, enduring hardships like traffic accidents, and inspiring people to find inner calm and unity.
Key Aspects of the Walk for Peace include:
• Mission: To promote inner peace, loving-kindness, compassion, unity, and mindfulness across the U.S., offering healing and spiritual support.
• Origin & Route: Started October 26, from Fort Worth, Texas, walking through several states toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
• Participants: A group of about two dozen monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center, sometimes accompanied by a dog named Aloka.
• Practices: They walk barefoot at times, meditate, offer blessings, and encourage mindfulness in those they meet,.
• Community Involvement: People line the routes to watch, offer food, water, and lodging, and join them for short stretches, creating emotional connections.
• Challenges: The monks have faced difficulties, including traffic accidents that injured some participants, but remain committed to their mission.
Follow the monks on Facebook. A post this week concerning their dog, Aloka, reads:
“He began as a stray in India — alone, wandering, searching. But when he saw the venerable monks on a similar journey years ago, something stirred in his heart. He chose to follow them. And they welcomed him.
“From that moment, everything changed.
“Today, Aloka walks beside Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra and the Venerable Monks across America, no longer lost, no longer alone. He has found his home. He has found his purpose. He has found peace.
“His journey reminds us: peace is always possible. No matter how difficult the beginning, no matter how long we’ve wandered—when we choose the path of peace, we find our way home.
“Aloka found his peace. May you find yours too.
“May you and all beings be happy and at peace.”
Aloka also has his own page, Aloka the Peace Dog, for anyone who would like to follow him.
