Monk who led peace walk to D.C. tells CBS News peace "begins from within"

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The Buddhist monk who led a "Walk for Peace" from Texas to the nation's capital said helium believes bid tin beryllium achieved adjacent successful a satellite filled with conflict, citing the overwhelming displays of nationalist enactment for his locomotion arsenic a root of anticipation for aboriginal change.

"Peace ever begins from with ourself. It's not the satellite bid retired there," the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara said successful an exclusive interrogation with CBS News connected Wednesday. "No 1 tin alteration this world, but together, each radical and each the venerable monks are walking unneurotic connected this journey. ... We tin marque a difference."

Pannakara, who serves arsenic vice president of the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center successful Fort Worth, Texas, embarked connected a ngo to dispersed that connection of mindfulness, interior bid and unity connected Oct. 26, 2025, with the temple arsenic its starting point.

Joined by a radical of 19 Buddhist monks from the Fort Worth country arsenic good arsenic temples successful Georgia, New York, Utah, positive others overseas from Thailand and Vietnam, the 15-week procession would yet transportation them crossed 2,300 miles of the confederate United States.

The venerable — joined by Aloka, the 5-year-old "peace dog" — sat down with CBS News astatine George Washington University Wellness Center, wherever the monks spent the night. They were acceptable to spell connected a shorter locomotion connected Wednesday to the Lincoln Memorial, aft which the radical of monks was scheduled to instrumentality to Texas by bus.

"Mindfulness is the cardinal to amusement radical that bid is thing that is imaginable and ever begins from within," Pannakara said. "So erstwhile we walk, radical spot us, they tin pause, they tin halt doing everything, and they look backmost within. And that's wherefore I travel up with this 'Walk for Peace.'"

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Their locomotion culminated successful Washington, D.C., connected Tuesday, aft a trek that lasted 109 days, brought unsafe acold upwind and an mishap that caused 2 of the monks to endure injuries, 1 of whom required an amputation. Pannakara said the hardest portion was the freezing weather, and the mode they dealt with pugnacious conditions is to simply absorption connected their breathing.

"We signifier mindfulness meditation portion we walk," helium said. "The much you absorption connected the breathing ... it volition make vigor for america to walk."

The cohort was greeted upon accomplishment by a assemblage of cheering supporters who had been tracking their journey.

The size of the crowds that popped up physically connected their route, portion significant, paled successful examination to the millions who followed the bid locomotion digitally through livestreams and different updates shared connected societal media and a website dedicated to the plight, Pannakara noted. He said their responses suggested the overarching connection of their ngo — to "raise the consciousness of peace" — was received.

When asked if bid tin beryllium achieved successful a breached world, Pannakara said: "It is possible."

"Like these days, from Texas to here, I ever accidental that bid has begun, has bloomed, due to the fact that everyplace we spell now, radical conscionable lining up connected the thoroughfare and gathering to enactment this ngo and to locomotion with us," helium said.

The monks besides encountered critics during their procession, but Pannakara said they did not deter the group's focus.

"On our travel alone, determination are haters. There are radical that shout, and determination are radical that curse astatine america arsenic well, and protestation everything we have," helium said. "But those volition not fuss us, due to the fact that our extremity is to bring the consciousness of bid to each people. And truthful we conscionable absorption connected that..."

"Peace with a information that is not peace," Pannakara added. "It volition not last. So, successful immoderate condition, if we're beryllium capable to enactment calm and chill and patient, that is erstwhile bid begins. That is simply a existent peace."

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