One of my students told me that there is a group of Buddhist monks who are walking from Texas to Washington, D.C. on the Walk for Peace, which aims to “raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion throughout America and the world.”
It’s a 120-day, 2,300-mile pilgrimage that’s gaining more and more attention as they share their journey on social media and local news picks up the story. I missed this because I’m not on Facebook or Instagram, which the monks share, but I discovered today that someone posted about the walk on Mastodon. Here are some Instagram posts from a dedicated mom in Alabama.
Two monks were injured when the car crashed into them, and one had his leg amputated. The monks were protected by a pilot car with flashing yellow lights, and a pickup driver, presumably impatient (circumstances unknown), crashed into their car. It is unclear why the truck driver tried to avoid the road, as the monks were walking on the shoulder. But in doing so, he rammed his car into the monks. Fortunately no one was killed.
Here is the link to the monk’s Facebook page.
The monks are accompanied by a rescue dog called Aloka (meaning “light” in Pali). Aloka (“dog of peace”) has his own Facebook page.
This map shows the route of the Peace Walk and the current location of the monks.
