Monks March Across West Alabama For Healing And Community
Nealy two dozen Buddhists Monks and their loyal dog Aloka are on a 120-day, 2,300-mile "Walk for Peace". They awoke to the coldest day of the walk at 21° this morning. But the cold is not stopping them, they are heading eastward out of Meridian, MS this morning on U.S. Highway 80. They are expected to cross into Alabama later today and walk across Sumter, Marengo, Greene and Perry counties in West Alabama as they travel to the nation's capital.
The venerable monks have made several stops on their trek between Fort Worth, TX and Washington D.C. to address crowds and are expected to do so in Alabama as well. Their mission is to promote peace, unity and kindness. They left Oct. 26 from their Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth with a completion date of sometime in February in D.C.
The monks say their mission is to support a suffering society and promote healing worldwide. “We walk not in protest, but to remind Americans that peace is not a destination. It is a practice. And that peace resides within each of us,” Bhikkhu Pannakara, spiritual leader of the Walk for Peace, wrote on the group's Facebook page.
“The walk is a reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to communities, families and society as a whole,” he said.
Despite an accident in East Texas involving a pickup truck that hit the group's support vehicle, which left one monk hospitalized and another with minor injuries, the group remains committed to their journey. They are attempting to walk up to 25 miles each day and make stops along the way to discuss the message of peace, hope, compassion, love and harmony.
On their Facebook page, the group has invited global citizens to join them in spirit, writing: “Walk with Us Mentally! As we take physical steps for peace, we invite everyone to join our journey in spirit. Peace and unity begin within each of us. Today, practice kindness in your own life to walk with us mentally!”
The venerable monks are providing a live map online for supporters to follow their walk.
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