A small group of Buddhist monks on a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” passed through Raleigh this past weekend, turning a bitterly cold January day into something pretty extraordinary. The Walk for Peace began in October 2025 at a Vietnamese temple in Fort Worth, Texas, and will end in Washington, D.C., where the monks plan to share a message of peace, compassion, and unity with national leaders.
As part of their route, the monks entered Wake County on Friday, stayed overnight in the area, and walked into downtown Raleigh on Saturday morning, crossing Boylan Heights toward the State Capitol. Hundreds – and by some counts thousands – of people lined the route and gathered at the Capitol grounds, many standing silently, holding flowers, or pressing their hands together in prayer as the saffron-robed procession passed.
The Raleigh stop included chanting, blessings, and a public gathering focused on healing and nonviolence. Local leaders, faith communities, and families with children all turned out, making it feel less like a spectacle and more like a shared civic moment. For many who attended, the most powerful part was the quiet: no speeches over loudspeakers, just the steady sound of chanting and sandals on pavement, a reminder that peace can be something we practice together rather than argue about online.
The monks’ journey has drawn international attention, especially because they’ve kept walking despite major setbacks – including a serious vehicle accident in Texas that led to one monk losing his leg – and because they’re accompanied by Aloka, a rescue dog who has become a minor celebrity in his own right.
From Raleigh, the Walk for Peace is continuing north and east toward Louisburg and eventually Washington, D.C. For those who were here to see it, their brief time in our city felt like a moving reminder that peace is not just an idea for world leaders to debate, but something that can literally walk down our streets and invite us, for a few moments, to slow down and walk with it.
