04/01/2026
🥰🙏
A Buddhist monk named Phra Ajarn Maha Dam Phommasan faced a life-changing moment. While on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., he was hit by a pickup truck near Dayton, Texas on November 19, 2025. The accident left him badly injured, and he lost his leg.
Maha Dam serves as a senior monk at Wat Lao Buddha Khanti of Atlanta, and he is back home in Snellville, Georgia. He was welcomed home with a ceremony. At Piedmont Healthcare and OrthoAtlanta, spine surgeon Dr. Tuan L. Bui helped care for him. The doctor's team shared how inspired they were by Maha Dam's strength and his commitment to peace.
Even after losing a leg, he said he was not angry and expressed forgiveness and compassion toward the person who hit him. Shortly after the accident, his home temple released a statement saying, "Please continue to pray for Ajarn." And a few weeks later, the temple created a GoFundMe page on his behalf. Many people have rallied behind Maha Dam in support and have raised over $93,000 to help with his medical bills and other expenses.
(Photo: Courtesy of Wat Lao Buddha Khanti of Atlanta / Walk for Peace)