When 19 Buddhist monks departed from the Huong Dao Buddhist Temple in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 26, 2025 on a historic Walk for Peace across 10 states to Washington DC, they knew there would be some unique challenges. They also believed deeply that the walk would inspire many people to have greater awareness of “peace, loving kindness and compassion.” Both results came to pass as thousands of people in Georgia and other states have reached out to the monks on their 120-day, 2,300-mile journey.
Buddhist monks have a long global history of walking for peace, but the 2025-2026 walk from Texas to Washington D.C. is the first large scale U.S. peace walk.
The monks have been hiking at a quick pace through towns and on rural highways, stopping only for meals and overnight hospitality. They mingled with hundreds and sometimes thousands of local residents and people who traveled long distances to meet them and to listen to short evening lectures. Being in the presence of the monks has been for virtually everyone a deeply meaningful, sometimes lifechanging experience.
Accompanying the monks is their faithful dog Aloka the Peace Dog. Aloka, who has a natural heart shaped mark on his forehead, was once a stray who followed a group of monks for 100 days on a peace walk across India that included the current March for Peace leader Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra. Aloka is about 4 years old and has his own Facebook page, “Aloka the Peace Dog,” with about 560,000 followers. The monks often stop briefly to allow children to pet the always calm Aloka…