Maryland state leaders welcomed two dozen Buddhist monks into Annapolis on Thursday to cap off a multi-state “Walk for Peace.”
The roughly one and a half mile trek from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to the Maryland State House was just a drop in the bucket for Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra and his companions.
The Theravada Buddhist monk has been leading a 2,300-mile pilgrimage dubbed the “Walk of Peace” for the past 109 days.
And Paññākāra had one key phrase for people to remember, which he asked the crowd of around 6,000 people to call back to him: Today is going to be my peaceful day.
With the state capitol’s grand Italian marble staircase behind him, Paññākāra told a sea of observers that visiting Maryland on day 110 was a last-minute addition after receiving a heartfelt invite from state leaders.
The monks’ journey began back in Texas on Oct. 26 with a plan to walk — barefoot — through eight states, with eyes on a finish line at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
The group faced some serious challenges, like severe winter weather and a vehicle accident in December that led to the surgical amputation of one of the monk’s legs.
Paññākāra said he vowed to make the journey three years ago to promote mindfulness and peace in a nation he called “deeply in suffering.”
He told an estimated six thousand spectators that peace already exists within all humans, and tactics like breathwork, thinking before you speak and letting go of hateful thoughts are the keys to unlocking it.
“Without practicing mindfulness, peace is just a saying. Peace is just a word. It will never happen. And don't expect anybody to bring peace to us. It will never happen either. We have to create it ourselves,” Paññākāra said.
His words evoked some strong emotions from members of the crowd, including a tearful Shannon Shea from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Despite being local, similar to the monks, Shea’s in-state commute to Annapolis was actually her shortest trek to participate in the “Walk of Peace.”
“I've been following them for– since the beginning, and then I've seen them probably about 10 times. Different places I've walked with them, and they just– they just move me. They've changed my life,” Shea said.
She says Paññākāra’s speech was a little bit different at each stop, but the message of finding peace within was a throughline from state to state.
“It's all about you, how you react to everything. It's not what people do to you, it's how you react to what they do. And that message has been clear over and over again. It's just been amazing.”
Prior to the monks’ arrival at the state house, DC-based artist Demont Pinder set up an easel and canvas at the base of the capitol steps.
Pinder proceeded to paint a live portrait of Paññākāra throughout the morning, occasionally chatting with intrigued members of the crowd as he guided his paint brush.
Although he wasn’t tracking the Monks’ journey to the extent of a dedicated supporter like Shea, it wasn’t lost on Pinder that he was witnessing history.
“A picture like this right here represents a moment that we'll never see again, ever. I don't think so — not in this lifetime,” Pinder said. “For somebody to walk 2,300 miles for a sign of peace and unity — I'm sitting here cold, but I had to get that out my mind knowing that they walked 2,300 miles in the cold to be here. So I just wanted to create and document the moment in real time.”
As the monks’ closed in on the Lincoln Memorial, Paññākāra said he felt empty at the thought of the journey coming to an end.
But his emotions shifted when the monks’ were received with what he called an overwhelming amount of love and support.
“After this walk, we are not alone. We have so much people walking with us on this path together, for the better,” Paññākāra said.
The monks’ were initially planning to turn around and return to Texas on foot.
But in order to be back in time for an event with Sri Lankan leaders, the group will be giving their feet some much deserved rest and taking a bus back to Texas.
