The Fort Worth Buddhist monks who embarked on a 2,300-mile walk for peace to the nation\u2019s capital are coming home on Valentine\u2019s Day, officials announced.<\/p>\n
Since their October departure, the monks \u2014 along with their loyal pup Aloka \u2014 have touched the hearts of many as they journeyed from their Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in east Fort Worth as a means to promote peace and national healing across the country through reflection and prayer.<\/p>\n
The monks are expected to arrive at the final destination at American University in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning, which is day 108 of the journey, officials wrote<\/a> on Facebook. They will depart by bus on Feb. 12 and make their homecoming in downtown Fort Worth at 8 a.m. on Feb. 14.<\/p>\n From there, the monks will walk about 6 miles to the temple in Fort Worth\u2019s Historic Stop Six neighborhood where the Walk for Peace initiative began. Details on the starting location and route will be posted on the Walk for Peace Facebook<\/a> and Live Map<\/a>, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would be deeply honored to have you walk with us on this final homecoming walk and to share in the joy and gratitude of returning home,\u201d Walk for Peace officials said.<\/p>\n If you go\u00a0<\/p>\n What: Walk for Peace arrives in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n Time: 10 a.m. to noon<\/p>\n Date: Feb. 10<\/p>\n Where: American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n If you go\u00a0<\/p>\n What: Walk for Peace returns to Fort Worth<\/p>\n Time: 8 a.m.<\/p>\n When: Feb. 14<\/p>\n Where: Downtown; the starting location and detailed route will be updated later, officials said. The monk\u2019s Fort Worth walk on Feb. 14 will conclude at Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center, located at 4717 E. Rosedale St.<\/p>\n Viral walk\u2019s origins in east Fort Worth<\/p>\n Millions have followed the monks\u2019 journey. Their Facebook page often shows swaths of supporters standing or kneeling on the side of roads waiting for them to pass, often holding flowers to give or signs with words of encouragement.<\/p>\n Videos posted to the Walk for Peace\u2019s Facebook page show thousands of people gathering in city streets or walking along with the monks for a period of time within each state. Children and adults alike have offered the monks gifts like flowers or fruit. The monks bestow blessing cords<\/a> to some of the individuals they have encountered along the way. Local law enforcement have also recognized the monk\u2019s efforts by presenting pins<\/a> to Bhikkhu Pannakara, the temple\u2019s vice president who leads the group.<\/p>\n The initiative has amassed 2.6 million followers<\/a> on Facebook and over 1.2 million followers on TikTok<\/a>. Aloka also has his own Facebook page<\/a>, with about 956,000 followers.<\/p>\n The Walk for Peace is not a parade, protest or ceremony of faith, Pannakara, who also goes by Rev. Nguyen, said during an Oct. 19 press conference. Instead, it is \u201ca journey to bring blessings to countless lives in a world filled with uncertainty and restlessness.\u201d<\/p>\n The monk\u2019s walk faced peril.<\/p>\n Early into the journey, a traffic collision<\/a> outside Houston injured some of the monks in November and resulted in a leg amputation<\/a> for one of the participants.<\/p>\n The monks recently braved through snow and ice<\/a> in the Carolinas and Virginia, following a massive winter storm in late January that hit<\/a> Texas and many states on the eastern side of the country.<\/p>\n Aloka, 4, underwent surgery<\/a> for an injury to one of his legs in January and continues recovering. Today, the tan and white pooch is seen in some social media videos walking or resting in a vehicle.<\/p>\n The Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center has been in Fort Worth for more than 26 years. The temple serves a predominantly Vietnamese-American community that follows the Buddhist faith.<\/p>\n The center is the future site of the $200 million Dhammacetiya Project, which is 14-acres that will feature 840 stupas, or shrines, each engraved with sacred scriptures representing the Buddha\u2019s wisdom and compassion. The project was announced in 2022 and the temple kicked off the expansion<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n Buddhist monks dedicate their lives to practicing and sharing Buddha\u2019s teachings through meditation, study and service. Following Buddha\u2019s example, monks often undertake walking pilgrimages that can last for months.<\/p>\n The monk\u2019s return will bring the journey to a full circle, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a deeply meaningful moment,\u201d officials said. \u201cPlease come celebrate peace with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This article<\/a> first appeared on Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n