A group of 19 monks from the Buddhist monastery Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, began their 2,300-mile journey to Washington, D.C. in October 2025. They walk for peace, calling the journey an act of meditation. The monks hope to gain support from Congress to recognize Vesak, Buddha’s day of birth, as a national holiday in order to inspire acts of peace and kindness around the nation.
December 30, 2025, the monks stopped in Decatur, Georgia and greeted a crowd of smiling faces. Senator Raphael Warnock spoke to the crowd and provided an inspiring speech on the importance of a community-centered society before handing the stage off to Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the monk leading the walk. Pannakara continued to pray over the crowd and spread a message of peace and love, with everyone listening. After an hour of meditation and wise words from Pannakara, the monks resumed their journey and left for their next stop.
“I went with my best friend and her family to see the monks in Decatur, and it was a crazy experience. We waited for around five hours before the monks finally arrived; there were hundreds of people there to see them, too. When the head monk started speaking, everyone got silent. It was really beautiful, honestly, seeing everyone who showed up and knowing we were all there for the same reason. It gave me hope,” junior Jasmine Kihara said.
The walk for peace gained massive traction online as citizens flocked toward the monks and recorded their walk in silence. People shower the monks with flowers and water as a show of support, wishing them well as they grow closer to D.C. Numerous videos show the monks blessing police officers and other bystanders as they pass through cities, spreading their love to others.
The monks aim to unite people around the country, spreading a message of unity and prosperity between all religions. This goal stems from the rising tensions in the U.S. and the increasing extremism on all sides of the political spectrum that forces people apart. The monks preach the sanctity of inner peace and the importance of empathy among different groups of people. Peace walks stand as a popular form of protest across South Asian countries and an exemplary way to spread this message. Pannakara led multiple peace walks in various countries, notably his 112-day walk for peace across India in which he met a stray dog, Aloka, who continues to journey beside him in the U.S.
While the majority of Americans do not practice Buddhism, its philosophy rings true in the heart of humanity. Inner peace and unity among different demographics serve to help ease tensions as civil unrest rises in the U.S. Pannakara and the monks who accompany him demonstrate the power of meditation and empathy through their dedication to their cause. Their journey will end in mid-February; the common crowd hopes that they will succeed in implementing Vesak as a national holiday and continue promoting peace and love to those fortunate enough to encounter them.
“The most profound thing is that they [the monks] do this when things are not good, when they aren’t going great. They do this when they see there are a lot of things going on in the world that aren’t peaceful, that aren’t in the best interest of humanity. So, the fact that they’re marching right now is a pretty big symbol, and it’s supposed to send a message to the U.S. that something is wrong,” honors Biology teacher Leslie Lane said.
