{"id":376744,"date":"2026-07-17T12:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/376744\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T12:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:01:09","slug":"how-a-2300-mile-walk-for-peace-thrust-a-texas-monk-and-his-rescue-dog-into-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/376744\/","title":{"rendered":"How a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace thrust a Texas monk and his rescue dog into the spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., sits with his dog, Aloka, before an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, bottom center, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., hands out postcards and signs autographs for attendees at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Buddhist<\/p>\n

Buddhist monks take pictures of Aloka before an event with Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, foreground right, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., carries flowers as he pays his respects at a monument during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and his dog, Aloka, walk to Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., pets his dog, Aloka, while waiting for an event to start in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"A<\/p>\n

A woman bows as she greets Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led the 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and his dog, Aloka, at an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and fellow monks take group pictures at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"An<\/p>\n

An attendee holds a framed painting depicting Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and his dog, Aloka, during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Attendees<\/p>\n

Attendees hold flowers while waiting to greet Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., receives flowers from well-wishers during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, third from right, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., poses for a group photo as his dog, Aloka, rests nearby in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and his dog, Aloka, are greeted by well-wishers during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong\"Bhikkhu<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., poses for a portrait in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong\/AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Chien Le first met the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara in 2005, a few years before Pannakara became a novice monk at the Texas Buddhist temple where he is now the deputy abbot.<\/p>\n

What struck Le then, and amazes him still, is Pannakara\u2019s iron-clad determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he decides to do something, he goes all the way,\u201d said Le, secretary of the temple \u2014 the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth. \u201cHe\u2019s never been afraid of obstacles. He always finds a way through them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That indomitable will was in full display during the meditative Walk for Peace that Pannakara led earlier this year with an international group of monks and his rescue dog, Aloka, who has become a mascot for the movement. The 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) journey started in Fort Worth on Oct. 26 and ended in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 14.<\/p>\n

An ascetic walks into the spotlight<\/p>\n

Pannakara\u2019s discourses on mindfulness and kindness in churchyards, town squares and in front of the Lincoln Memorial drew large, diverse crowds. Millions worldwide followed along online.<\/p>\n

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Within weeks, the Walk for Peace had propelled this obscure monk into the spotlight as a leading voice for inner peace and unity in an increasingly divided nation. His popularity continues to soar, with some drawing comparisons with the Dalai Lama, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the late Thich Nhat Hanh, a revered Zen master and peace activist who shared Pannakara\u2019s Vietnamese roots.<\/p>\n

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Pannakara, who traveled to Southern California last weekend with Aloka for several speaking engagements, said he doesn\u2019t care for all the attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no fame for monks,\u201d he said. \u201cI made a vow to walk to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness and compassion. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of his Theravada Buddhist practice, he follows \u201cVinaya\u201d \u2014 a strict code of monastic rules. That means no social media accounts, personal possessions or handling money, and the practice of celibacy and modesty.<\/p>\n

He doesn’t eat after noon and, according to Le, sleeps sitting up, which is not mandatory for Theravada monks, but adopted by some as an ascetic practice to deepen mindfulness.<\/p>\n

The pivot from engineer to monk<\/p>\n

Pannakara was born in Dak Lak, Vietnam, in 1981, the youngest of 10 children. He says his family was Buddhist in \u201cname only.\u201d He immigrated to the U.S. in 1997 and graduated with a degree in information technology from the University of Texas at Arlington. He said his first exposure to Buddhism was in the U.S. through temple summer camps and youth leadership.<\/p>\n

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Pannakara stepped away from his engineering career to become a novice monk and became fully ordained in 2010 by his teacher, the Venerable Ratanaguna, who he has often cited as his source of inspiration. There was not one life-changing event that prompted his decision, he said, but the cumulative effect of seeing his loved ones suffer and people trying to step on each other to move up.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me everything just seemed fake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Le recalls that Pannakara\u2019s parents were inconsolable.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven on the day he was ordained, his mother came, and she cried a lot,\u201d he said, adding that they eventually accepted it.<\/p>\n

Le said Pannakara was a quick learner, completing several projects on their campus including landscaping, a new kitchen, homes for the monastics and a memorial hall for deceased members.<\/p>\n

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At his teacher\u2019s direction, Pannakara traveled to Myanmar between 2018 and 2020 to study and practice Vipassana meditation, an ancient technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. When COVID hit, he returned to Fort Worth and organized food drives, said Amanda Phan, a temple member.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Pannakara) is a rare human being,\u201d she said. \u201cHe is an embodiment of kindness, compassion, wisdom \u2014 a bodhisattva \u2014 a being whose purpose is to relieve others from their suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transformative journey tracing the Buddha’s steps<\/p>\n

In late 2022, Pannakara joined about 100 monks in a 2,100-mile (3,380-kilometer), 112-day pilgrimage tracing the footsteps of the Buddha \u2014 from his birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal, to Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment; Sarnath, the site of the first sermon; and Kushinagar, where he died. The monks emulated Buddha’s journey \u2014 walking barefoot, eating one meal a day, and sleeping under the stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had learned the Buddha\u2019s teachings from the Tipitaka (Buddhist canon),\u201d Pannakara said. \u201cBut with this walk, I experienced it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He also learned about himself \u2014 about his strength to bear adversity and pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that we can do much more than we think we\u2019re capable of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That journey also brought Aloka into his life. Aloka means light in Pali.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when he faced challenges and almost died he walked with us,\u201d Pannakara said of his dog.<\/p>\n

It was on a previous trip to Bodh Gaya \u2014 under the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment \u2014 that Pannakara said he had a vision to build stone stupas to preserve the sacred teachings for generations to come. Seven years later, he told Ratanaguna about his desire. With his teacher\u2019s blessing, the plan for the $200-million Dhammacetiya project was born \u2014 840 stupas bearing Buddha\u2019s teachings in 10 languages, built to last 4,000 years.<\/p>\n

Pannakara knelt before an assembly of monastics and visitors during the temple\u2019s 2022 International Vesak Ceremony and vowed that if he is unable to complete the project in this lifetime, he would \u201cbe reborn to continue this project until its completion.\u201d This project and the peace walks \u2014 which he plans to do more of \u2014 together uphold his vow to promote peace and preserve the Buddha\u2019s teachings, he said.<\/p>\n

Ajahn Nisabho, a Seattle-based Theravada Buddhist monk, said he was moved by Pannakara’s authenticity and commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe story of his quilted robe that he stitched it together from pieces of cloth he picked up during the walk in India \u2014 he was honoring that past and that ethos,\u201d Nisabho said. \u201cAs a fellow monk, it was inspiring for me to see floods of people walking behind him during the peace walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

A conscious decision to steer clear of politics<\/p>\n

Bhikkhu Bodhi, a senior Theravada monk who spoke at the conclusion of the Walk for Peace in Washington, said Pannakara was wise to remain silent on politics during his walk. But Bodhi, 81, hopes he does speak up on critical social issues like poverty, hunger, housing and the climate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope that as (Pannakara) becomes more established and gets accustomed to publicity, he\u2019ll consider taking a stand on these issues that have deep moral and spiritual significance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nisabho believes Pannakara made the right decision to steer clear of politics and activism. He said there are not many spaces today that are able to welcome the kind of diversity the peace walk attracted \u2014 with the exception of Dolly Parton \u201cwho brings truckers and drag queens together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision of a monastic is the one chance someone has, to be inspired toward awakening and find an escape from suffering,\u201d Nisabho said. \u201cIf you bring politics into that, you cause damage by alienating half the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C.,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[133207,133206,49419,32533,8846,116,49485,23681,59373,93145,59370,86795,59371,59372,86160,93144,27,29,28,49422],"class_list":["post-376744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-amanda-phan","tag-buddhist-monk-walk-for-peace-pannakara-texas","tag-dalai-lama","tag-district-of-columbia","tag-dolly-parton","tag-fort-worth","tag-martin-luther-king-jr","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-package-101570-grant-funded-package","tag-product-30109-ap-texas-state-news-no-weather","tag-product-30117-ap-washington-dc-state-news-no-weather","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","tag-product-32509-ap-online-religion-columns","tag-product-46855-religion-grant-funded-text","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-thich-nhat-hanh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}