Walking for world peace with Metta, Muditha and Karuna

Initiated in the United States last year, there is a unique pilgrimage undertaken by a small group of Buddhist monks – around 19 to 24 Theravada Buddhist clergy members from the Huong Dao Buddhist Temple in Fort Worth, Texas, led by spiritual leader Ven. Bhikkhu Pannakara. The purpose is peace.

On 6 January, when this writer finished the needed research and began writing this article, it was day 73 of what can be described as a deeply needed spiritual panacea for our world.

It is one of the most unique cross-country monastic Dharmic endeavours in the United States, drawing mass-scale interest and thus having a strong impact on local communities. Not because of the number of participating Buddhist clergy, but rather for the profound authenticity of what they are engaged in.

Walk for Peace is fast gathering momentum in terms of global public awareness as a result of the campaign having a very strong online presence. The team behind the online updates of the monks’ routes had uploaded that they had entered South Carolina (from Georgia) in the middle of the first week of 2026 and were proceeding onward. The walk is intended to encourage peace, loving-kindness and compassion across America and the world. The walk is passing through 10 states overall, and will have covered 2,300 miles over 120 days when the mission ends in Washington, DC, around mid-February this year.

The monks have been stopping at state capitols, and those who cannot see this beautiful initiative in person can follow it using a live online map.

Every day, the Venerable Theros have a lunchtime rest stop and a night rest stop, sharing the locations and times with the public, who are invited to join them at these times on the understanding that this is a time of meditation. Reportedly, and as seen in photographs on social media, alms and donations for the monks have been consistent. The Buddhist monks who have embarked on this peace walk have a support vehicle following them and, interestingly, a former stray dog, rescued from India and named Aloka, walking beside the Buddhist clergy members but getting rides whenever it is cold or tired.

The Walk for Peace monastic route will pass through Raleigh between January 20 and 30, including a stop at the North Carolina State Capitol, the online content reveals.

The public is requested to provide lodging and food through the website – https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/food-donation-offer

The organisers emphasise that it is a spiritual “prayer in motion” intended to promote inner healing, empathy and national unity.

This mission began on 26 October 2025, charting routes through 10 states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Throughout this mission, the monks practice their ascetic lifestyle, walking approximately 20–30 miles per day, eating only one vegetarian meal daily, and typically sleeping outdoors in tents. This peace-dedicated initiative had one incident that marked the direction and significance of what they practiced.

Early in the journey near Dayton, Texas (November 2025), a truck struck the group’s escort vehicle, which was pushed into two monks, with one monk, Ven. Bhante Dam Phommasan, suffering severe injuries and requiring a leg amputation. However, he rejoined the group in Georgia in late December 2025 to continue the mission and, most importantly, chose to completely forgive the driver.

The 2025–2026 Walk for Peace initiative was born from a desire to address societal division and suffering through Buddhism and the ancient spiritual practice of meditative walking that the Buddha and his disciples actively used. It officially began on October 26, 2025, at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Centre in Fort Worth, Texas.

nThe walk was organised by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Ven. Thich Tuệ Nhân), the vice president of the Huong Dao Temple. He envisioned the journey as a way to “awaken the peace that already lives within each of us”. The campaign was timed to address what organisers described as a “suffering society” facing mental health crises and deep social and political polarisation. The goal is to prove that “peace begins within the heart” and can extend outward to the nation.

nThe campaign follows the Buddhist tradition of walking pilgrimages, where monks leave their temples to practice mindfulness and spiritual discipline in the world.

nThe journey’s mascot, the rescue dog Aloka, was found by Bhikkhu Pannakara during a previous peace walk in India. Aloka was brought to the US to accompany the monks on this mission.

nBefore launching their peace pilgrimage, the monks held a press conference and religious ceremony on October 19, 2025, where they dedicated their steps to bringing blessings to a “world filled with uncertainty”.

nThe walk is also linked to the temple’s broader Dhammacetiya Project, to preserve Buddhist scriptures and promote global wisdom.