Walk for Peace
I am sure many of you have heard about the Walk for Peace—a journey of venerable monks and Aloka the Peace Dog walking 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to spread awareness of peace, mindfulness, compassion, loving-kindness, and unity. Several of my friends have gone out to witness the monks on their walk and speak of the joy it brought them to see people united for the message of peace. It blows my mind to think of them on this journey through these frigid temperatures this week as they make their way through Virginia. This morning, Isabelle shared a post with me that was written on the “Walk for Peace—Official Community Page” on Facebook. I am linking the page here… but also copying the post from Charlie Nguyen. It is beautifully stated, and I don’t think I could say anything more poignant today!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2438066113278866/
“I am a Christian, and I have been watching the Walk for Peace with tears in my eyes. As other posters have said, I also gave up on the news and instead just watched videos of the monks walking and I’m filled with joy each day!
For many weeks now, I have witnessed something extraordinary, the Buddhist monks walking 2,300 miles from Texas to Washington DC, many of them barefoot, sleeping in tents, eating one meal a day. Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara's feet wrapped in bandages from rocks and glass and nails. One monk lost his leg when a truck struck their escort vehicle and then rejoined the mission after recovery. Another young man who also walked with the monks was hurt but now also returned to walk with the monks! Such courage. Such sacrifice. Such devotion to peace.
Then I started to notice something and I keep thinking about what happened 2,000 years ago.
In Luke chapter 10, Jesus sent out 72 of his followers on a similar mission. He told them to take nothing with them, no purse, no bag, not even sandals. They were to walk into towns completely vulnerable, completely dependent on the hospitality of strangers. When they entered a house, they were to offer a blessing: "Peace to this house."
Like those 72, these monks walk in vulnerability. They carry almost nothing. They depend entirely on the kindness of those they meet along the way. And at every stop, they offer peace bracelets and blessings to everyone who approaches them. It is their own way of saying "Peace to this house."
But it's what happens when they encounter hostility that has taught me the most. In Georgia, Christian protesters met the monks with signs reading "Hell Awaits" and shouts about false peace. And the monks' response? "I wish you well." Then they kept walking.
This reminds me of what Jesus told those 72 disciples. He said that if a town rejected them, they should shake the dust off their feet and move on. For years I thought this was about pronouncing judgment. But watching these monks, I understand it differently now.
I read in one of the community post that a monk gave us this image about a man offering you a burning branch. You can choose not to take it. If you refuse the branch and walk away, the fire only burns the one still holding it. When someone offers you their hatred and you don't accept it, when you simply bless them and continue on your way, you leave them holding their own fire. You don't carry their burden. Your peace remains intact so you can offer it to the next person.
Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). He taught us to forgive not seven times but seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). Paul wrote that love "keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5). You cannot radiate peace while holding onto anger. You cannot spread love while keeping a ledger of grievances. These monks are showing the world what that actually looks like in practice.
There is another thing I noticed in video after video. People line the streets to greet the monks, offering flowers. The monks receive each flower with gratitude and the giver experiences joy in the giving. Then as the monks continue walking, they give those same flowers to others along the way. And those new recipients are overwhelmed with joy. The same flower. The same gift. But the joy multiplies with each giving.
This is what Jesus was doing when He sent out those 72 with nothing! Their vulnerability invited participation. The hosts who fed them and sheltered them became part of spreading peace, not just recipients of a message but active participants in the mission. Peace and love are not like material resources that deplete when shared. They multiply through the giving.
I do not write this to diminish anything these monks have accomplished or to suggest they are merely following someone else's script. Not at all. What I see is something far more beautiful and overwhelmingly (to me) heart warming. I recognize that these monks have demonstrated in the most powerful way what it looks like to actually live out these principles of love and compassion.
People who would never enter a church are lining the streets to receive peace bracelets. Communities divided by politics are gathering together at peace sharing talks. Millions are watching online and learning that there is another way to respond to a hostile world.
And I am reminded that Jesus's final command to all His disciples was simply this: "Love one another" (John 13:34).
These monks are walking that command across America, one painful step at a time.
To Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara and all the monks on this Walk for Peace, thank you! Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for showing us what peace looks like when it has feet.
May your walk continue to awaken the peace that lives within each of us. May your feet carry you safely to Washington. And may the God who loves all His children bless every step.
With deep respect and gratitude, A Christian who has been struggling with faith found a renew hope by learning from your example.”
The photo on this page comes from The Prince William Times, credited photographer, Travis Long, courtesy of the Walk for Peace Facebook Page.