Stone Grove at A Peaceful Path

01/29/2026

Prayers!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻☮️💜

Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra has been feeling physically unwell in recent days and is now walking at a gentler pace, toward the end of the line.

He is under attentive medical care and is receiving necessary treatments, including IV fluids and antibiotics. Today, he is feeling slightly stronger.

He is being monitored closely, and his health and safety remain the highest priority.

I join the Walk for Peace team in thanking you for the prayers, kind thoughts, and quiet support you have shared with him.🙏🏻

Sometimes peace also means slowing down.

01/29/2026

Hello beautiful Crystal Tribe! How about this weather! 🤯 ❄️ May everyone stay well, warm, and safe! We are gonna try some very limited hours this week. Still having a bit of ice issue around the front step area due to all the shade there this time of year and constant refreezing. But we will make sure you get in the door safely! All open hours are contingent on the weather.
💎 THURS 1/29 & FRI 1/30: OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY AFTER 2:00pm
💎 SATURDAY 1/31 & SUNDAY 2/1: CLOSED ❄️❄️
☮️ Call or text @ 910-305-8354

01/29/2026

This….☀️☀️✨

THE SUN JUST HIT EARTH — AND THE MAGNETIC FIELD IS RESPONDING

A high-speed stream of solar wind from an Earth-facing coronal hole has arrived.

This impact is now triggering geomagnetic storm conditions, compressing Earth’s magnetic field and injecting energy into the upper atmosphere.

When this happens, effects aren’t limited to the poles.

Auroras can expand farther south
Satellites and radio signals may be affected
Power grids and GPS systems are monitored closely
Many people report sleep disruption, headaches, or feeling “off”

This isn’t fear — it’s space weather in real time.

If you noticed anything unusual today, drop your location 👇

01/28/2026

💜☮️💜 Day 95. Reaching Virginia! 🙏🏻☮️

📌 Update for Day 95 (1/28/2026): Crossing into Virginia - Heading to Gasburg, VA!

On Day 95, we continue our journey, crossing from North Carolina into Virginia—our eighth state on this walk for peace! We will be heading from Warrenton, NC to Gasburg, VA. Step by step, we carry the message of peace, mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion forward. We are deeply grateful for the continued support and warm welcome we receive along the way.

📌 Itinerary for Day 95:

- Lunch Stop: The lunch stop location is undisclosed. No visitation at the lunch location. However, we will still show the full path of our walking route on the Live Map so that everyone can easily follow and track the journey.

- Overnight Rest: Pleasant Hill Christian Church, 175 Ankum Rd, Gasburg, VA 23857 (Visiting Hours: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM)

We warmly welcome everyone to visit us during the evening visiting hours at Pleasant Hill Christian Church!

📍 Please check the Live Map frequently in the pinned/featured post on top of our page, as the route may change slightly when needed. The Live Map will have the most current route and location updates for today.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏

01/28/2026

And in comes the snow ❄️❄️… are you ready? Even as I am sooo over all of this frigid weather, this gives me a beautiful renewed perspective on it…

Brigid is not the goddess most people think she is. (Though you probably knew that.)

A lot of modern writing frames her as a quiet hearth goddess. Comfort. Domestic fire. Gentle warmth. Nope.

In early Irish sources like Sanas Cormaic, Brigid’s name is linked to breo-saigit meaning “fire arrow.”

She is credited with inventing keening, the vocal crying and wailing performed after death. She rules poetry, healing, and smithcraft. All transformative, powerful disciplines.

But here’s what really stood out when I went back to the Carmina Gadelica.

Brigid isn’t just associated with fire. She uses her breath to wake the earth from winter.

In Scottish Gaelic tradition, winter was sometimes called am mìos marbh (“the dead month”) or an ràithe marbh (“the dead quarter”). On Brigid’s Day, she uses her breath and her white wand and breath to reanimate the land itself.

After this awakening, a serpent associated with winter’s venom is drawn up from the earth and slithers away.

Brigid is not a passive hearth figure.
She’s the catalyst.

And she arrives this Sunday.

Read more about her powers, myths, and how to work with her here: https://www.pagangrimoire.com/brigid-goddess/

01/28/2026

💜☮️💜 Today is my peaceful day. 🙏🏻

01/27/2026

For all my beautiful soul sisters of all ages 🌟🥰

For the woman missing her younger self, here is how the Buddha’s wisdom helps 🪞

You catch your reflection in a store window or the bathroom mirror, and for a split second, you don't recognize the woman looking back.
You pull the skin of your cheek back slightly. You think, "I look so tired."

You remember the girl you used to be, the smooth skin, the energy, the feeling that time was endless.
You feel a quiet grief.

Society tells you that you are "fading."
But the Buddha taught that you are not losing anything. You are simply moving from one form of beauty to a higher one.

🍂 The Beauty of "Jara" (Ripening)

In the modern world, we treat aging like a disease that needs to be "cured" with creams and dyes.
But in the Dhamma, the concept of "Jara" (Aging) is not a tragedy. It is a Truth.

The Buddha didn't see aging as "withering." He saw it as Ripening.

Think of a green mango. It is smooth and firm, yet hard and sour. It hasn't lived yet.
A mango that has aged is soft. It has spots. But it is sweet. It is full of flavor.
You are not withering, dear friend. You are finally becoming sweet.

🌳 The Flower vs. The Ancient Tree

Here is the shift in perspective you need today:
Society only teaches us to admire the Flower.
A flower is bright, colorful, and smooth. But its beauty is fragile. One strong wind, and the petals fall. It has no history.

The Buddha found his enlightenment not under a flower, but under a Tree.
Look at an ancient Banyan or Oak tree. Its bark is rough. It has deep grooves and lines.
Why is it beautiful? Because it has survived.
Those grooves are not "flaws." They are the map of every storm it withstood.

Your wrinkles are not cracks in the foundation; they are the roots that hold you steady.

📜 The Buddha's Specific Teaching: "Upajjhatthana"

To cure the fear of aging, the Buddha gave a specific prescription called the "Five Daily Remembrances" (Upajjhatthana Sutta).
He instructed his followers to chant these five truths every day, not to make them sad, but to make them free.

The First Remembrance is the one you need today:
“Jaradhammomhi jaram anatito.”
(I am of the nature to grow old. I have not gone beyond aging.)

When you say this, aging becomes a teacher, not an enemy.
You stop fighting reality and say to your heart: 'Of course. This is just nature.'

When we admit this truth, we stop trying to be the "Green Mango." We allow ourselves to finally ripen.

🐾 The Lesson from the Road

Look at the photos of the Monks walking.
Many of them are not young men. Their faces are weathered by the sun and the wind of 2,300 miles.
But do they look "faded"?
No. They look solid.

Think of Aloka.
When he walks, he passes thousands of beautiful wildflowers. They are bright and pretty, but he ignores them when he is tired.
Why? Because a flower offers no shelter.

When he needs to rest, he seeks the shade of the Monks.
He leans against their strong legs. He finds safety in their solid, weathered presence.

Your family finds safety in yours. They don't need you to be a pretty flower anymore. They need you to be their shade.

💊 Your Prescription for Today (Real Life Application)

Now, let's turn that ancient wisdom into a real action.
Next time you look in the mirror, catch that hand before it pulls your skin back.
Instead, try this:

* Trace the line near your eye with your finger.
Don't see it as a wrinkle. See it as a memory.
Say to yourself: "This line is from the time I laughed until I cried at my sister's wedding."

* Trace the line on your forehead.
Say: "This line is from the nights I stayed up protecting my children."

Your face is not a ruined canvas. It is a finished masterpiece.
The Buddha asked us to see the truth of aging so we could stop fighting it and start honoring it.

Do not erase your history. Wear it like a crown.

Words by: ✍🏻 Sahan Vishvajith
Image Courtesy: 📸 Walk for Peace

Did this help you see your own beauty? Follow The Mindful Walk for daily wisdom. 🙏

01/27/2026

💜☮️💜

01/27/2026

💜☮️💜 Day 94

📌 Update for Day 94 (1/27/2026): Heading to Warrenton, NC
On Day 94, we continue our journey through North Carolina, heading from Louisburg to Warrenton. Step by step, we carry the message of peace, mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion forward. We are deeply grateful for the continued support and warm welcome we receive along the way.

📌 Itinerary for Day 94:
Lunch and Night Stops: We kindly ask for your understanding as we will not have visiting hours at our lunch and night locations for Day 94. Due to inclement weather conditions, we would like to keep everyone safe. The locations are undisclosed. However, we will still show the full path of our walking route on the Live Map so that everyone can easily track the journey.

📌 Weather Safety Notice:
We strongly encourage supporters, near and far, to follow and adhere to their local official weather updates and prioritize safety, as these rough and unpredictable weather and road conditions remain a concern.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate these challenging weather conditions. Your safety and the safety of the venerable monks are our top priority.

📍 Check the Live Map in the pinned/featured post on top of our page to track the journey live and our stop locations.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏

01/26/2026

Beautiful lesson to help those of us carrying grief 💗💗

To the Woman Grieving a Loss No One Understands: How the Buddha's Wisdom Helps 💔

Maybe it was a pet who was your only constant companion for 15 years.
Maybe it was a friendship that quietly drifted apart, leaving a silence where a laugh used to be.
Maybe it was a dream you had for your life that simply didn't come true.

The world doesn't send flowers for these losses.
People tell you, "It's just a dog," or "It’s been years, you should be over it by now."
So you grieve in silence.

But the Buddha taught a universal truth that heals this specific pain.
It is the teaching of "Anicca" (Impermanence).

🌊 The River of Change

We often hear "Impermanence" and think it means, "Nothing matters because it ends."
But the Dhamma teaches the opposite: "Everything matters because it ends."

Think of a sunset.
If the sunset stayed frozen in the sky forever, you wouldn't stop to look at it. You wouldn't call your loved ones to "come see this."

It is beautiful because it is temporary.
The pain you feel now is proof of how beautiful that connection was. The deeper the grief, the deeper the love was.

🎒 The Lesson from the Road

Look at the Monks in the photos.
Every morning, they walk into a new town, experience warmth, and then... they leave.
They practice "Gratitude without Clinging."

They carry the warmth of the encounter in their hearts, but they do not try to carry the village on their backs. If they tried to carry everything, they could not finish the journey.

💊 Your Prescription: The Practice of "Pattidana"

The Buddha taught that love does not die; it only changes form.
When we lose someone (or something) we love, we often feel helpless because we can no longer "give" our love to them directly.

To cure this helplessness, the Buddha taught a specific practice called "Pattidana" (Sharing of Goodness).

The teaching is this: You can continue to care for what you lost by doing good in their name.

If you are missing your dog, feed a stray animal today, and in your mind say: "I share the merit of this act with my beloved dog."

If you are grieving a lost friend, help a stranger, and mentally dedicate that kindness to your friend.

By doing this, you transform your Grief (which is heavy and stagnant) into Merit (which is light and active).
You are not "moving on" and leaving them behind. You are taking the love you had for them and using it to make the world brighter.

Say to yourself: "This grief is the price of love. And looking back... the love was worth the price."

Words by: ✍🏻 Sahan Vishvajith
Image Courtesy: 📸 Walk for Peace

Did this story help you? Follow The Mindful Walk for more daily wisdom like this. 🙏