At around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2025 a group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog began a 2,300-mile journey at the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Texas as they “Walk for Peace.”
Spanning 10 states, the walk began in Fort Worth, TX and is projected to end on Feb. 13 at the White House in Washington, D.C.
According to the temple’s official press release, the 19 participating monks are following a strict code inspired by the teachings and examples of the Buddha, which include eating one meal per day and sleeping beneath trees.
The walk’s spiritual leader, Bhikkhu Pannakara, explained that the walk is not a protest.
“Our walking itself cannot create peace,” the monks said in a blog post from Jan. 4. “But when someone encounters us—whether by the roadside, online, or through a friend—when our message touches something deep within them, when it awakens the peace that has always lived quietly in their own heart—something sacred begins to unfold.”
Just 25 days into their journey, one of the monk’s escort vehicles was hit by a pickup truck in Dayton, TX, causing monk Phra-Ajarn Maha Dam Phommasak to be rushed to a Houston hospital.
The accident led to the amputation of Phommasan’s injured leg on Dec. 3, 2025. While he has recovered, he can no longer take part in the walk, but will meet the rest of the monks in February when they arrive in D.C. Phommasak stated that he is at peace with what happened as his accident brought more awareness and interest in their cause.
Because other monks also sustained minor injuries, the group took a few days of rest before resuming their journey.
In every city they visit, the monks are met with people showing support through learning how to respect their customs and through gifting them supplies for their journey.
Supplies are held in their escort vehicles, and the monks have had to announce on their social media that they needed supply halts due to vehicle capacity. The monks are often seen carrying bouquets of flowers as gifts from people across the states.
While the vehicles act as a means of protection and supply holding for the monks as they walk on the roads, only rescue dog Aloka uses it for transportation.
The monks met Aloka as a stray during a peace walk in India in 2022, where Aloka decided to follow them on their journey. When the walk concluded, the monks decided to go through the necessary paperwork to take him back with them. Due to persisting injuries he sustained previously, Aloka needed to undergo a short surgery during their walk in early January but has since been reunited with the monks and walks with them in short intervals.
As a result of the social media traction the group has gained, the monks have been met with larger crowds and people recording them for content. The monks have asked content creators to stop tracking them in their journey and maintain a respectful distance from them so they can continue their walk peacefully.
The monks update their approximate locations throughout the journey through an overview map. By the end of the walk, they will have passed through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
