Bhikkhu Pannakara shares a gentle yet powerful message to the world

Описание: The Walk for Peace is a remarkable spiritual pilgrimage taking place across the United States in 2025–2026, led by the Vietnamese-born Theravada Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Pannakara. Beginning on October 26, 2025, from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, this journey will see Pannakara and a group of fellow monks walk approximately 2,300 miles (about 3,700 km) to Washington, D.C., with the aim of sharing a message of peace, loving-kindness, compassion, and unity at a time of great global and national stress.

Bhikkhu Pannakara’s early life and spiritual path are rooted in Buddhist tradition. Before ordination, he spent years studying and practicing the teachings of the Buddha. After entering monastic life, he embraced the rigorous disciplines of Theravada Buddhism, including meditation, mindfulness, and simplicity of living. Pannakara’s longstanding commitment to peace and contemplation led him to undertake extensive silent walks and activities focused on inner and outer harmony long before this current pilgrimage. While much of the focus today is on the United States walk, his earlier spiritual experiences, including long walks abroad, shaped his belief that peace arises first within the individual before it ripples outward into society.

The Walk for Peace is more than a symbolic trek; it is a lived practice of Buddhist principles in action. Each day the monks walk roughly 20–30 miles, usually starting at dawn and concluding in the early evening. They carry minimal possessions, walk mindfully, and spend nights in tents, community halls, or outdoors under the sky. Their pace is slow and deliberate—not to rush to a destination, but to embody the very peace they wish to convey. Many of them, including Pannakara, have chosen to walk barefoot as a deeper expression of simplicity and vulnerability.

Across southern and eastern states—from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and into the Carolinas and Virginia—the monks have been greeted by surprised and often moved crowds. Thousands of people have lined roads, gathered at state capitols, and welcomed the monks with flowers, prayers, and open hearts. In several cities the public response has been so profound that officials have offered proclamations, and people of many backgrounds have expressed how touched they feel by the monks’ quiet presence and message.

Central to the Walk for Peace is the message that true peace begins within the heart of every individual. Pannakara and the monks gently invite people they meet along the way to reflect on mindfulness, compassion, forgiveness, and healing. Their approach is not political or confrontational; instead, they seek conversations and connections across cultural, religious, and ideological divides. As Pannakara has said, his hope is that “when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace” in their daily lives.

Accompanying the monks is a beloved rescue dog named Aloka, whose presence has become a symbol of the light and warmth that this pilgrimage offers. Aloka draws smiles and curiosity in towns large and small, further opening doors for the monks’ message of gentleness and hope.

The Walk for Peace is expected to conclude in early February 2026, when the monks arrive in Washington, D.C., where they intend to bring their message directly to the heart of American national consciousness. Their journey is a testament to the power of simple acts—step by step—to touch hearts, build bridges, and remind the world that peace is a path walked with every breath, every step, and every kind act.