Editor:
While much of the country scrolls through frenetic content on our phones, a group of Buddhist monks left their monasteries for a long winter walk from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., in silent meditation, in one long row, with a dog that was once a stray in India named Aloka the Peace Dog.
They call it a Walk for Peace.
In their tradition, they ask for nothing, which means they rely entirely on the goodwill of strangers. Through this, their daily meals were often offered, and shelter came from churches, centers, and a university.
Along the way, people have extended flowers, snacks, tissues, painted posters, and tears of gratitude that someone was walking for their peace. Some walked behind them for miles to their next stop. Others traveled in icy weather to hear the monks’ message: live in the present, don’t dwell on the past or future, and care for your mind through a daily meditation practice of counting breaths. And write daily, “Today will be my peaceful day.”
More recently, a question was added when they spoke. Are you practicing this?
Following their journey online, I noticed my feeds changed too – from frenetic clips to quieter, longer videos about the Walk for Peace. In fact, their page had 1 million likes in a week, another million the next – a quiet reminder that attention, when turned mindfully, can move like a river toward peace.
As the monks remind us: “We walk not to bring you peace, but to remind you it never left… waiting with infinite patience for you to notice it again.”
Jennifer Puccio
Sweet Home