These Buddhist monks’ walk for peace captivated Americans. It ends this week : NPR

Buddhist monks walk near the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill during their peace march.

Rahmat Gul/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Rahmat Gul/AP

WASHINGTON — Thousands of people gathered at the Washington National Cathedral Tuesday to see Buddhist monks who completed a 108-day, 2,300-mile journey on foot from Texas to the nation’s capital.

Surrounded by leaders from several religious traditions, including Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde, the monks explained how the practice of compassion can transcend religious differences.

“In front of all of you, you can see the leaders of all religions gathered here for the same mission: peace,” said Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, head of the monks. “This is the first time for me that we have worked together. We are walking together on this path to find peace for ourselves, to share it with our nation and the world.”

At the event, titled “A Sacred Stop on the Peace Walk,” the 19 monks from Fort Worth’s Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of young and old, some of whom had waited hours to secure a spot near the monks. Many held flowers or signs, while others wore homemade “Walk for Peace” clothing.

Why the monks walked

The monks are part of a Vietnamese Theravada Buddhist tradition and practice Vipassana meditation.

The march, which began on October 26, 2025, was “not about bringing you peace,” Paññākāra said, “but about awakening the consciousness of peace so that you can unlock this box and set it free.”

While calling mindfulness the “key to peace,” the monk said it was not about Buddhism per se.

“All you have to do is just practice mindfulness to unlock that box that you have kept peace and happiness inside and locked it up and then left it somewhere,” he said. “Now it’s your job. It’s your duty to find it and unlock it. Only you can do it, not the venerable monks, not the reverends, not anyone but you.”

Paññākāra offered humor and practical advice for incorporating mindfulness in a world where distractions abound. (“Please don’t touch your phone when you wake up in the morning” was one.)

He led the crowd in a short mindfulness practice, asking participants to take three deep breaths, hands over heart, in unison. In a resounding echo, the crowd shouted the daily mantra offered to them by Paññākāra: “Today is going to be my peaceful day. »

“It may take seven days, seven months or seven years to find inner peace,” Paññākāra said, but “each of us has our own path, and remember, don’t expect our path to be smooth and flat.”

During their more than three-month journey, the monks faced harsh winter conditions, roadblocks and even a serious accident that resulted in the surgical amputation of one monk’s leg. But they also received food, flowers, prayers and hospitality from well-wishers along the way.

Kimberly Bassett, Secretary of State for the District of Columbia, presented the monks with an official proclamation. “Today may mark the end of a 2,300-mile march, but it is not the end of our journey to peace,” she said. “Your pilgrimage brought together people across cities, states and communities, of all faiths, from all walks of life, all of us together, united in the common belief that we can choose healing over evil, understanding over division, and peace over conflict. Each of your steps carried a message, and that message now lives here with all of us.”

The monks answered questions from a handful of religious leaders, who wondered how to help future generations and how to reconcile spiritual tranquility with the duty to fight for justice.

The monks’ pilgrimage resonated with many Americans

Many of those who came to see the monks followed their journey online.

Susan Dorr and two friends drove 11 hours from Camden, Maine, to follow the monks as they walked from American University to the cathedral and George Washington University.

“By believing things, belief systems sow discord and just put up walls between people,” said Dorr, who said he doesn’t identify with any faith. “But there’s no belief system attached to mindfulness. Its simplicity and undeniable truth. I love that they say, ‘This is the thing that we can do, that anyone can do at any time,’ that’s what’s really compelling. We don’t have to believe in anything.”

Danny Latifzadeh, a 27-year-old from Bethesda, Maryland, believes mindfulness is an antidote to the distractions of the world.

“I’m not particularly religious, but this experience seems to be able to cross many boundaries between people of different cultures and religions, because especially with their messages, it transcends scripture, it transcends generations, ages, messages, and whatever period of history,” he said.

After the cathedral event, the monks continued on their way to the Lincoln Memorial.

This story was produced through a collaboration between NPR and Religion News Service.