30/01/2026
World is witnessing the historic journey of the Walk for Peace 🌍
This pilgrimage is a quiet force of healing across the United States, carried forward through discipline rather than declarations. On October 26, 2025, Vietnamese Theravada Buddhist monks departed from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning a nearly 2,300-mile walk toward Washington, D.C., planned over roughly 120 days. Their commitment is a living practice of compassion, nonviolence, and mindfulness, expressed through daily action on public roads.
Since leaving Texas, the monks have walked through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, crossing cities, small towns, and long rural stretches. They maintain a meditative pace, often walking barefoot, carrying no money, and accepting food, water, and shelter only when freely offered. Communities have responded with respect, care, and quiet gratitude. Austin recognized the pilgrimage on November 5, 2025, declaring Walk for Peace Day, followed by Greensboro, North Carolina, on January 19, 2026.
The journey has demanded real sacrifice. On November 19, 2025, near Dayton, Texas, a traffic accident involving the es**rt vehicle seriously injured two monks. One later lost a leg due to his injuries. The pilgrimage slowed, reflected, and then continued. In early January 2026, the injured monk rejoined the group in Georgia, transforming hardship into resilience and showing that peace persists even when life changes unexpectedly.
Walking faithfully beside the monks is Aloka the Peace Dog, whose quiet loyalty has become one of the most moving symbols of the journey. Aloka has covered thousands of miles, offering companionship without condition. After knee surgery on January 12, 2026, in South Carolina, the walk adjusted itself to honor care and healing, reminding everyone that patience and compassion are central to the path.
As of late January 2026, the monks continue through North Carolina, preparing to move toward Virginia and ultimately Washington, D.C. While one goal is to encourage recognition of Vesak, the Buddha’s birthday, as a federal holiday, the deeper message has already been delivered: peace is not announced. It is practiced daily, mile by mile, through humility, endurance, care, and the courage to keep walking together.