A group of Buddhist monks And their rescue dogs roam single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans across the country Inspiring groups of local people To greet them along their way.
Men march in their loose saffron and yellow robes, for peace. It is a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and now echoing in the United States, seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma, and politics that divide the nation.
Their journey began on October 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress for recognition. Buddha’s birth day and enlightenment As a federal holiday. Besides promoting peace, their top priority is connecting with people along the way.
“I hope that when this walk is over, the people we have met will continue to practice mindfulness and find peace,” said Venerable Bhikkhu Panakkara, the soft-spoken leader of the group who is making the trek barefoot. Teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness, and healing at every stop.
The monks preferred to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, and were surprised to see their message transcending ideology, drawing huge crowds to churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. By documenting their journey on social media, they – and their dog Aluka – have amassed millions of followers online. Thousands gathered on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina, where monks chanted slogans on the steps of the Capitol and received an announcement from Mayor Daniel Rickenmann.
At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrey Pierce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and cried when Panakkara handed her a flower.
“There is something painful and heartbreaking that happens in our country every day,” said Pierce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and saw peace. They subject their bodies to such physical torture, and yet they radiate peace.”
The 19 monks, coming from Theravada Buddhist monasteries around the world, began their 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) journey at Havana’s Hong Dao Vipassana Center in Fort Worth.
Their journey was not without danger. On November 19, as the monks walked along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, A distracted truck driver collided with their escort vehicleTwo monks were injured. One of them lost a leg, reducing the group to 18.
This is Panakkara’s first trip in the United States, but he has walked through several South Asian countries, including a 112-day trek through India in 2022 where he first met Aluka, an Indian pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.
The stray dog then followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At some point, he became seriously ill and Panakkara took him in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.
“I named him Light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Panakkara said.
The monk’s feet were now heavily covered as he stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. He said his mindfulness practice makes him happy despite the pain caused by these injuries.
However, traversing the southeastern US presents unique challenges, and pounding the pavement day after day was brutal.
“In India, we can take shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there is a lot of private property,” Panakkara said. “But what made it beautiful was how people welcomed us and hosted us even though they didn’t know who we were and what we believed in.”
In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman Craig hosted the monks on Christmas Eve at his United Methodist parish.
He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. He said that the monks are like the Magi who appear on Christ’s birthday.
“Anyone who works for peace in the world in a public and sacrificial way stands close to the heart of Jesus, whether he shares our tradition or not,” Hitchman Craig said. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of people who attended.”
After spending the night in the church garden, the monks arrived the next afternoon at Collins’ farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks, the largest gathering she had ever seen there.
“There was a calm and a warmth and a sense of community among people who had never met each other before, which was very special,” she said.
When they arrive in Washington, the monks plan to have Vesak, the day that marks the birth and enlightenment of Buddha, recognized as a national holiday, said Long Si Dong, spokesman for the Fort Worth temple.
“Doing so would recognize Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of their faith,” he said.
But Panakkara stressed that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trip is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre grounds to house Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.
Monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by Buddha himself as essential to achieving enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection – observing breathing and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some monks, including Panakkara, walk barefoot to feel the earth directly and be present in the moment.
Panakkara told the gathered crowds that they did not aim to convert people to Buddhism.
The peace march tradition in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when Maha Gosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches through war-torn areas littered with landmines to promote national healing after his country’s civil war and genocide, said Brooke Shednick, a religion professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
“These marches really inspire people and inspire faith,” said Shednick. “The main goal is to get others to watch and be inspired, not by words, but by how willing they are to make that sacrifice by walking and showing up.”
On Thursday, Becky Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Gable, who was raised Methodist, said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and her parents.
“I felt in my heart that this would help me achieve peace,” she said. “Maybe I can move on a little further in my life.”
Gable says she actually took one of Panakkara’s teachings to heart. She promised herself that every morning, as soon as she woke up, she would take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk had described.
“Today is my peaceful day.”
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Freelance photojournalist Alison Joyce contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP cooperation With The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the AP is solely responsible for this content.