FORT WORTH — They trudged through bone-chilling cold and brutal wind, along icy highways and on jagged roads, sometimes with bare feet. Most nights, they slept in tents pitched outside.
On Saturday morning, the group of Buddhist monks arrived home in Fort Worth, capping a grueling 2,300-mile walk from Texas to Washington, D.C. The monks captivated much of the country and even world, drawing throngs of supporters in cities across the trek with their simple message of peace, compassion and unity.
Fort Worth was no different. Thousands lined streets of the city’s historic Stop Six neighborhood to welcome the monks home. People clutched bouquets of roses and homemade signs that read “Walk for Peace” and “Love heals.”
“This is the message we need right now,” said Jamal Robinson, 44, of Dallas, who brought his two young children. “This is the movement we need right now. I feel hopeful here, and I have not felt hopeful about our country for a long time.”
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The 19 monks and their dog, Aloka, began their walk in late October from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth. At first, their trek drew little attention.
But the monks, clad in saffron and maroon robes, soon became unexpected celebrities. Their message resonated with a nation weary from conflict and political division, and people flocked to them. Even Aloka, recognizable for a heart-shaped mark on his forehead, became a sort of star with a million followers on Facebook.
Speaking through tears Saturday, the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader, thanked supporters who braved the downpour. Many in the crowd took cover beneath umbrellas.
“I don’t know what I have done in the past to deserve this, but I love you all,” Pannakara said. “This is what we need in this world: love and kindness and compassion and peace.”
Pannakara urged the crowd to practice mindfulness every day and put away their phones. He asked everyone to join him in reciting his motto: “Today is going to be my peaceful day.”
The monks’ trek was not without peril. In November, they were walking on the side of a highway outside Houston when their escort vehicle was hit by a truck. Two monks were injured, and one had his leg amputated. Last month, Aloka needed surgery to correct a leg injury before returning to the walk.
Still, the monks did not stop. They practice Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha as core to attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection, observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering.
‘Message of peace’
Yet the crowds gathering across the South have transcended race, religion and politics.
“The news and state of the world are so heavy right now. You sort of want to bury your head in the sand,” said Judy Manning, 61, who attends Preston Meadow Lutheran Church in Plano. “These monks found a way to communicate a message of peace, calm, love and kindness without saying a word. It’s joyful.”
The walk drew the praise of the Dalai Lama, who said in a statement the monks’ humility and calm presence helped convey a message of “peace and mutual understanding” and contribute to “social harmony and public dialogue.”
Steve Vansickle, of Celina, said practicing mindfulness has helped him find inner peace, and he hoped the monks would inspire others around the world to do the same.
“Everything starts with our breath,” Vansickle, 54, said. ”If you can control your breath, you can take control of your world.”
Grasping a bouquet of pink and red roses, Marissa Mayes, 38, said she decided to travel from New Orleans to Texas after following the monks’ journey online. Mayes said their peace walk offered a glimmer of beauty at a time she worried the country was beyond repair.
When they arrived to their temple, the crowd cheered, and Mayes bowed her head.
“They’re home,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.