On October 26, 19 Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center set off from Fort Worth, Texas to walk 2,300 miles to Washington, D.C.
Along the way, they’ve stopped at state capitols and historic landmarks to call for peace and reflection.
“We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us,” spiritual leader Bhikkhu Pannakara expressed in a written statement.
“The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole.”
As their walk nears its end, temperatures have plunged, and wintry conditions have taken hold.
But on Day 100, as snow blanketed the ground, thousands still gathered in the streets of Richmond, Virginia, to support them — and their beloved rescue dog Aloka.
“The temperature was low, but the warmth in every heart was overwhelming,” Walk for Peace wrote in an Instagram caption on February 1. “It felt deeply touching that so many souls chose to come out in the cold evening to be together, to listen, and to share in the spirit of peace and mindfulness.”
“That willingness to brave the weather and the dedication to being present moved the venerable monks profoundly,” they continued, adding that the crowd's support warmed their hearts “more than any fire could.”
Buddhist monks have led peace walks for thousands of years, but this iteration was first inspired by a march that originated in Cambodia in 1992. After four Cambodian factions signed the region’s Peace Accords, refugees were repatriated to Thai border camps.
It was at that time that spiritual leader Maha Ghosananda led a movement of “socially engaged Buddhism.”
“Peace is growing in Cambodia, slowly, step by step .... Each step is a meditation. Each step is a prayer,” Ghosananda expressed.
According to Kathryn Poethig, a professor of global studies at California State University, Monterey Bay, the walk would go on to inspire Cambodia’s annual Peace Walk Dhammayietra, or pilgrimage of truth.
“Maha Ghosananda’s instruction to move ‘step by step’ toward peace reappropriates dangerous mobility — the massive relocation during the KhmerRouge era, refugee flight, the danger of treading on land fed with mines — and turns walking into a mindful act,” Poethig wrote in a paper published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Every year, the Buddhist monks are greeted by villagers along the route. Even in war-torn regions, the monks have been given clemency to pass.
In August 2025, Cambodian Buddhist monks marched from Wat Phnom to the Independence Monument in central Phnom Penh to call for a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, as well as the release of 18 detained Cambodian soldiers.
Although that particular walk was only a mile long, it was the sheer number of participants— 2,569 monks — that drew global attention.
On December 30, Thailand released the prisoners of war after 155 days in captivity.
“The repatriation of the 18 Cambodian soldiers was undertaken as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building, as well as in adherence to international humanitarian principles,” Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
At the time of publication, the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand still held.
And in the United States, the Walk for Peace marches on.
“Our suffering mostly comes from our wandering minds,” Walk for Peace shared in a statement. “With our chasing thoughts, we get lost elsewhere —in the past we cannot change, in the future we cannot control — drifting so far from the peace of this present moment.”
“And we ache,” they continued. “We feel lost. We wonder why peace seems so hard to find.”
“But dear hearts, this here and now, this present moment, is our home … Peace is right here. It has always been right here, waiting for us like a warm home with the door open. We can come back to it simply by returning to our breath — breathing in, breathing out, feeling the gentle rhythm that has been quietly holding us this whole time.”
To track the Buddhist monks on their Peace Walk, you can follow their progress on their map.
You may also like: As Buddhist monks walk across the country in winter weather, Peace Dog Aloka hitches a ride in a warm van
Header image via Peace Walk / Instagram
