Monks travel the Trace on their Peace Walk to Washington
By Randy Bell
Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara
A group of Buddhist monks on a 2,300 mile Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington passed just south of Clinton on December 9. They left a monastery in Fort Worth in late October, traveling twenty to twenty-five miles a day. Some of the monks are from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and France, and they range in age from twenty-nine to seventy. Their leader is Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, who is keeping an ancient tradition alive by walking barefooted.
During a rest stop on the Natchez Trace west of Raymond, he said most of the other seventeen monks wear shoes; and, if the group encounters snow and ice, he’ll do so, too. For now, though, he prefers to go shoeless as he and his companions bring a message of hope and healing to those they meet along the way.
“We decided to take on this journey, hopefully to raise the awareness of peace, love, kindness and compassion. Hopefully, everyone will look within themselves, because peace is not something that the world can bring to us, but something that we can absolutely create.”
Buddhist monks on a Walk for Peace head north along the Natchez Trace on December 9, 2025.
Pannakara said it starts at the local level.
“Peace in the small community. And it will spread out from there.”
After walking across Texas and Louisiana, the monks entered Mississippi at Natchez and headed north on the parkway, leaving the noise and danger of the busier highways behind.
“This Trace is very beautiful,” he said. It was certainly a safer walk than what the monks experienced near Houston just over a month into their journey. A truck crashed into their escort vehicle, pushing it into some of the walkers, leaving a Georgia monk with serious leg injuries, which required an amputation.
“He [was] willing to offer that leg to this journey,” Pannakara said.
Since then, there haven’t been any other casualties.
“We are very grateful and honored that we have the support from the police departments and sheriffs that escort us these days, so we feel safe.”
Screenshot
And help for the monks is coming, not only from law enforcement, but also from the public. At their rest stop on the Trace, several people showed up to meet the walkers. Karen Armstrong and her husband came from Terry.
“It’s an incredible commitment that they have made to do this,” she said. “We came out to pay our respects but also to bring them supplies. We brought nuts and fruit. And then we thought, gosh, maybe they need socks. So, we brought socks and gloves.”
At each stop they make, Pannakara said there’s an opportunity for the monks to share their message with all kinds of people.
“All different skin colors, different faith beliefs—we all can sit down together and talk. On this journey, we are not trying to convert anybody into Buddhism.”
One of their goals is to visit as many state capitals as possible to engage government leaders and meet more people. They held a rally at the State Capitol in Jackson on December 10.
In addition to the eighteen monks who are walking, there’s one dog who’s right there beside them.
Aloka, the dog with a heart on his head.
“His name is Aloka. He’s from India.”
That’s where Aloka, a mixed breed stray, joined up with Pannakara during a peace walk in 2022. Although the dog was prone to wander off, “he always came back. After that journey, I brought him here. Now, he’s a U.S. citizen.”
And as these monks ask people to open their hearts to the idea of world peace, Aloka carries a distinctive marking which promotes the concept. Pannakara explains: “Everybody just stares at the heart on his forehead.”
To find out more, visit the Walk for Peace Facebook page.
