“The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole,”- Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra Starting in Texas and ending in Washington D.C., the nearly two dozen monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, are walking 2,300 miles over 120 days to promote national healing, unity and compassion. The journey began on Oct. 26 and is expected to end on Feb. 12. The monks will have crossed 10 states and endured some of the harshest winter weather these states have seen in years. Historically, walking was a teaching method for the Buddha, focused on mindfulness. Monks sometimes practice dhutanga, which includes walking long distances barefoot. Peace walks originated in Cambodia in 1992 during the repatriation of refugees from Thai border camps amid the Khmer Rouge. Following the 1992 walk, the event became an annual tradition in Cambodia. In the second walk, an estimated 3,000 people joined the procession, though participants faced shelling and crossfire. In the third walk, which traversed through a war zone in western Cambodia, a monk and a nun lost their lives.

“Our walking itself cannot create peace. But when someone encounters us — whether by the roadside, online or through a friend — when our message touches something deep within them, when it awakens the peace that has always lived quietly in their own heart — something sacred begins to unfold. This is our contribution—not to force peace upon the world, but to help nurture it, one awakened heart at a time.”