Over 100 days ago, a group of monks set off from Fort Worth to walk thousands of miles for peace. They returned to North Texas on Feb. 14.
FORT WORTH, Texas — After walking more than 2,300 miles for peace, a group of Buddhist monks have returned to Fort Worth.
The group started the walk to Washington, D.C. on Oct. 26 at the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth. About two dozen monks set out to promote peace through their journey, and along the way, the monks have picked up 2.6 million followers on Facebook and 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
When the walk is completed, the monks departed Washington by bus on Feb. 12 and arrived in downtown Fort Worth around 8 a.m. on Feb. 14, the group said in a social media post.
From there, they walked the 6 miles back to where the journey began. Once they arrived at the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center, there was a peace celebration to commemorate the journey.
The group has been providing frequent updates on Facebook, where they show crowds of people lining the roads to meet the monks. The group is joined by their loyal dog, Aloka, who is named after a Sanskrit word meaning enlightenment.
“Somehow it’s given a lot of people some hope,” said Venerable Bhikhhu Pannakara.
He led the team of 19 monks on the journey spanning 10 states.
“Our mission is very simple- to raise awareness of peace to all the people we meet along the road,” he said.
Three monks were injured along the way. One was hit by a truck in Houston. His leg had to be amputated.
“He really wanted us to continue this walk,” said Pannakara. “That’s what he said, ‘I offer my legs to this walk for peace.'”
He said the goal is to help guide the millions of people who spent time watching and waiting for the monks to complete their journey, calling it a lesson.
“Peace begins within you if you slow down, if you take a break. Stop doing everything else and focus within your heart, within your breath you will find peace,” he said.
He said peace starts within.
“Tell the universe that today is going to be my peaceful day, so that no one in the world can mess it up, only ourselves,” he said. “This is something they can practice every day to bring peace to themselves. I say, if we can do that together, we can change this world.”