US Trends

what kind of monks are walking for peace

The monks who are “walking for peace” in the viral U.S. story are Buddhist monks, specifically from a Vietnamese Buddhist tradition based at Huong Dao Temple/Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Who the monks are

  • They are a group of about 19 Vietnamese Buddhist monks undertaking a long-distance peace pilgrimage called the Walk for Peace (sometimes also described as a walk for world peace).
  • They come from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center (Huong Dao Temple) in Fort Worth, Texas, and follow Theravada-style monastic discipline with traditional robes, shaved heads, and a simple, meditative lifestyle.

What their walk is about

  • Their walk runs roughly 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., intended to spread a message of peace, compassion, loving‑kindness, and nonviolence across the United States.
  • The monks frame the journey as a pilgrimage rather than a protest, emphasizing quiet presence, prayer, and mindful walking instead of political slogans or confrontational activism.

Key features of this peace walk

  • The group moves slowly on foot in their saffron or brown robes, often in silence, sometimes with a few monks walking barefoot as an expression of humility and devotion.
  • They stop in towns along the route to greet people, accept offerings, share blessings, and hand out simple bracelets as symbols of protection and goodwill.

Their companions and online presence

  • A rescue dog named Aloka (often called “Aloka the Peace Dog”) walks with them and has become a kind of mascot for the pilgrimage, attracting extra attention on social media.
  • Their journey is widely followed on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and news sites, where supporters share photos, videos, and reflections on the monks’ example of peaceful, disciplined living.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.