LEOMINSTER — City resident Wren Eliott recently traveled down to Washington, D.C., for the second time in six months, this time for a much different reason than the first.
The 39-year-old activist journeyed to the nation’s capital earlier this month for the sole purpose of witnessing a group of Theravadan Buddhist monks completing their 108-day, 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. The pilgrimage was initiated on Oct. 26 by two dozen monks who walked 20 miles a day along with rescue dog Aloka, who became a symbol of their peaceful movement.
The monks passed through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia before arriving in D.C. via the Chain Bridge on Feb. 10 to complete their walk. Their overall purpose was to promote peace, compassion and mindfulness across the United States during a time of intense political division, something Eliott strongly aligns with.
“As someone who took refuge in the ideology of Buddhism, this was too important to not go,” Eliott shared. “I got to where the monks were stopping for the night on Monday just in time to welcome them in with many others. I watched them walk with gentle intention up to the podium where they spoke about peace and love, being forgiving, being kind and caring, and to never stop walking for peace. Many people held out flowers and gifted smiles. I held out a box of paper cranes, to which one of the monks took a handful, which I was grateful for. The rest I handed out to the people around me and some of them gave flowers in return. That’s when I got into a conversation with the person who became my roommate for the night.”…