NEWS

Monks' Walk for Peace in Crawford-Lexington, Georgia (Rick LaFleur photo)

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A grueling 2,300 mile, 120-day “Walk for Peace” across ten states is scheduled to enter North Carolina on or about January 10, passing through Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh.

The Walk for Peace, undertaken by two dozen Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is rapidly becoming a social media phenomenon. The monks are documenting their journey on a daily basis through their Facebook page. They are accompanied by their beloved pet, Aloka the Peace Dog, who has his own Facebook page and devoted following.

The Walk for Peace began in Fort Worth, Texas on October 26, 2025, and is scheduled to finish on or about February 13, 2026, in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, January 7, the monks will be 74 days into the walk, having crossed into South Carolina from Georgia on January 6. Along the route, the monks are stopping at state capitols and historic landmarks.

In a statement released in October 2025, the spiritual leader of the Walk for Peace, Bhikkhu Pannakara, explained, “We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us.” He added that “the Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole.”

As they have walked mile after mile through several states, the public interest in their journey has steadily grown.

In a heartfelt post on January 1, 2026, the monks reported that both the Facebook and Instagram pages for the Walk for Peace had reached over 500K followers. They shared that Aloka the Peace Dog’s Facebook Page had 168,000 followers as of January 1.

In thanking their followers and supporters, they added: “This is not about numbers. This is about hearts. This is about a growing community of people who believe in peace, who practice kindness, who walk together even when separated by distance.”

Proximity to Davidson

Having passed through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, the monks are scheduled to cross into South Carolina on the afternoon of January 6, spending the evening in McCormick, South Carolina. They are scheduled to cross into North Carolina on January 10 or January 11.

To see the monk’s daily route, follow the Walk for Peace Live Map. The live map is updated with a specific daily route, highlighting where the monks will stop for their daily meal at midday, and where they will stop for their rest overnight. The organizers update the live map every evening, setting out the specific route for the following day, and continue to update the live map every few hours as they walk.

While it is not yet possible to determine the exact time and date of the route’s closest point to Davidson, the Walk for Peace overview map estimates that the walkers will pass through Charlotte, continuing northeast toward Concord, Kannapolis, and Salisbury, between January 10 and January 20. Dates and routes will become more specific as the walk gets closer to our area.

People in the Davidson area can also keep up with the journey on Facebook to assess where they might be able to intersect the walk. The monks advise that the Daily Live Map and their nightly update posts on Facebook are the most accurate way to track the journey as it gets closer. Each day there are two opportunities for visiting time with the walkers: During their lunch (10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.), and at night at their overnight location (6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.).

Sacrifice, risk, and resilience

The steady, persistent walk over thousands of miles during winter months has demonstrated a spirit of sacrifice and resilience. The monks maintain a challenging pace of 20-23 miles per day.

The monks maintain a disciplined, ascetic regimen that is part of their spiritual practice. They limit themselves to only one meal a day, at midday. They sleep outside, under trees, regardless of the weather. The resilience of the monks and their willing sacrifice of comfort serves as a reminder of the benefits of peace over the suffering and catastrophic losses caused by war. In a growing number of global conflicts, millions are displaced, fleeing from conflict zones. Hunger, environmental devastation, disruption, violence, and death are the costs of increasing conflicts.

The monks frequently walk beside roads, followed by a pilot vehicle that carries supplies. On November 19, near Dayton, Texas, a truck hit the pilot vehicle at a high rate of speed, causing the pilot vehicle to veer into the walkers. Two of the monks were seriously injured. One of the monks, Phra Ajarnh Maha Dam Phommasan, suffered a severe leg injury and underwent amputation.

In an interview in Houston from his hospital bed, Maha Dam explained that losing his leg was a sacrifice he was willing to make for peace.

“Because everywhere you have a lot of conflict,” he said. “Peace is important.” After approximately a month’s recovery, Maha Dam was able to reunite with his fellow walkers in Georgia on New Year’s Eve.

The monks have said that they are energized and motivated by those who come to witness their walk. They cherish simple gifts of flowers, smiles, and “happy tears” shared with them along the route. For those who are interested, the Walk for Peace has shared several ways to support the cause.