RICHMOND, Va. — After 100 days and thousands of miles on foot, a group of venerable Buddhist monks participating in the Walk for Peace drew thousands of people to Richmond, marking a milestone in their journey toward Washington, D.C.
The Walk for Peace is led by the Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra and began in late October at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. On Feb. 2, the group marked its 100th day in Richmond, where members of the public were welcomed by the venerable monks to participate in a roughly two-mile Join the Walk event, which was followed by a large public peace gathering at Richmond City Hall, where thousands of people participated. The Walk for Peace journey spans approximately 2,300 miles and is expected to conclude in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10 and 11.
Organizers described the walk as a pilgrimage, emphasizing nonviolence, compassion and mindfulness through sustained daily practice. The venerable monks walk an average of 15 to 20 miles per day, relying on local communities for rest stops, shelter and basic support along the route. During each day, thousands of people have lined streets, sidewalks and back roads to observe and support the Walk for Peace.
Acts of Support Along The Route
Marshall Pugh, a resident of Kitty Hawk in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, joined the Walk for Peace for a second time in Richmond after encountering the monks earlier in the journey near the North Carolina-Virginia border. His first interaction with the walk came when he and three close friends set up a roadside hot tea station near Lake Gaston, just south of the state line, after coordinating with Walk for Peace organizers.
“A friend of mine reached out to one of the coordinators and got permission to set up a hot tea stand. It was cold, and they had already been walking for hours. You could kind of see it on their faces when they realized it was hot tea,” Pugh said. “About half of the monks accepted the tea. It was just a simple thing, but it felt meaningful.”
Seeing the monks continue their journey despite freezing temperatures, winter storms and difficult walking conditions left a lasting impression on Pugh. He described the walk as a physical expression of values he has tried to incorporate into his own life, including nonattachment, mindfulness and choosing calmness over anger in everyday situations.
“I’ve been a pretty spiritual person for a while, and I kind of pull from a lot of different philosophies. Buddhism is definitely one of them,” Pugh said. “For example, if you’re in traffic and somebody cuts you off, and you get angry — they don’t know you’re angry. You’re just doing that to yourself.”
Although Pugh does not identify as a practicing Buddhist, he said Buddhist philosophy has influenced his worldview, particularly the idea that negativity is often self-created and that peace begins with individual responses to daily challenges. He described the walk as nonpolitical but said its timing — and its destination in Washington, D.C. — feels significant given current divisions in the country.
“They’re obviously peaceful and nonpolitical. But it is interesting that this is happening right now,” Pugh said. “I’m for humanity. We should be a human family. How hard is it to get along?”
Pugh said the decision to join the walk again in Richmond came after organizers opened limited opportunities for the public to walk alongside the venerable monks. He said the scale of the Richmond gathering, combined with the quiet discipline of the monks, reinforced his belief in shared humanity and the power of collective intention.
Participants Reflect On Peace And Presence
Chris and Robin Gruszkos, a Richmond couple, attended the Walk for Peace’s 100th-day Join the Walk event and community peace gathering to support the venerable monks as they passed through the city on the way to Washington, D.C. Both described the event as a rare moment of shared purpose, bringing together people from across the community around a simple goal — peace.
“We’re here for the 100th day of the monks’ Walk for Peace from Texas to D.C.,” Chris said. “We’re in Richmond with the community, and it’s a great feeling to see so many people come out to support them.”
Chris said the walk symbolized what can be accomplished when people commit to a goal together, even with limited resources. He emphasized that the monks’ journey demonstrated resilience, focus and the ability to move forward without becoming consumed by division or negativity.
“If you let the bad things cling to you, you get bogged down. People like this show you not to let the bad things become part of your life,” Chris said. “Simply taking a walk with your neighbor might start a good conversation — instead of being on social media looking at everything bad that’s going on.”
Robin said the walk resonated with her deeply and represented courage on a personal level. She described the venerable monks’ commitment as an example of believing in something so strongly that obstacles fall away.
“If you believe in something strong enough …,” Robin said. “They just have the fortitude. They believe in this so strongly.”
Together, the couple framed the Walk for Peace as an invitation to reconnect through large public events, but also through everyday acts like walking with neighbors, listening to others, and engaging in difficult conversations with openness rather than avoidance.
Katriona Dean and Matthew Williams, from Cobourg, Ontario, traveled from Canada to Richmond to walk alongside the venerable Buddhist monks participating in the Walk for Peace. They said they made the trip to join what they described as a growing collective intention centered on unity, harmony and presence.
“We drove from Ontario to be part of the Walk for Peace and to share our hearts with all the hearts that have gathered here,” Dean said. “Many hearts together are more powerful than one.”
Dean said they drove from Canada over two days after deciding they wanted to contribute their energy and support in person. She described the Join the Walk event as an opportunity to “stand in presence” — aligning with values of mindfulness and peace that she said are central to her own work and daily practice.
“At the core of this for us is the opportunity to stand in presence, walk in presence, and be in presence — which is exactly what the monks teach,” Dean said.
Williams emphasized the symbolic importance of the walk as a reminder to remain present, especially amid personal or global challenges. He said the monks’ practice offers a model for returning to breath, awareness and shared humanity during times of division.
“For me, the walk is about being present wherever you are. If you’re going through trouble, bring it back to your breath and to the things you can control,” Williams said. “We’re all human. We all have the same things that make us tick. It’s important to cooperate and live in peace with each other.”
Both said the journey transcends borders, and that if people choose to gather, it should be around love and peace. They planned to follow the walk as far as possible during its final stretch toward Washington, D.C.
“If you’re going to gather for something, gather for love. Gather for peace,” Dean said.
Why The Walk Leads To Washington, D.C.
As the group moves north through Virginia and toward the nation’s capital, the route brings the Walk for Peace closer to communities across the Mid-Atlantic, where residents and travelers may encounter the venerable monks briefly along roadways or at community-hosted rest locations. Organizers provide both a live tracking map and an overview map on their website to allow the public to follow the journey’s progress and estimated arrival times. They also provide daily updates on social media, including rest stop locations, visitation hours and live streaming.
The Richmond gathering marked one of the largest public responses to the Walk for Peace to date. The group was welcomed at Richmond City Hall by state and local officials, and participants of all ages joined the walk through the city streets before a peace gathering downtown, where the mayor of Richmond, the governor of Virginia and venerable monks spoke to thousands of people.
During opening remarks at the Day 100 peace gathering, Dr. Neeraj Bajracharya, general secretary of the Nepalese Buddhist Association in Texas, explained that the Walk for Peace was intentionally routed through state capital cities. He said the venerable monks believe that by walking to these civic centers, they can symbolically reach and bless the entire population of each state with peace.
“So far, we have crossed through eight states, and we always go to the capital city and the Capitol building,” Bajracharya said. “We make it a point to go to the capital city, because the capital city is the heart of the state.”
Bajracharya said this same belief is the reason Washington, D.C., was chosen as the destination of the Walk for Peace. He emphasized that the venerable monks are not bringing demands or political messages but intend to deliver a peace discourse in the nation’s capital in the hope of reaching all Americans.
“We want to go there, because Washington, D.C., is the capital of the nation,” Bajracharya said. “By going there and delivering a peace discourse, we believe that we can reach out to all 342 million Americans and bless them with peace.”
Richmond Officials Recognize The Walk
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula formally presented a proclamation to the city honoring the Walk for Peace and the venerable Buddhist monks who arrived in Richmond as part of their cross-country journey.
Avula framed the 2,300-mile journey as both a spiritual and patriotic pilgrimage. He described the journey as rooted in Buddhist values of wisdom, compassion and mindfulness, while also aligning with American principles of unity, personal responsibility and mutual respect.
“This pilgrimage comes at a critical time when communities across our nation face rising mental health challenges, divisions and global uncertainties,” Avula said. “Serving as a reminder that peace is not merely a destination, but a practice that begins within and radiates outward to families, to communities and to our nation.”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger formally recognized the Walk for Peace with her first gubernatorial proclamation, designating Feb. 2, 2026, as Walk for Peace Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“They are serving as a powerful reminder to us that peace is a daily practice that begins within and radiates outward to families, communities and nations,” Spanberger said. “I can think of no better first proclamation than one that recognizes the strength and the valor of these venerable monks.”
“Peace Is Something We Have To Work For”
The Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra framed the Walk for Peace as a lifelong practice rather than a finite journey, emphasizing that Washington, D.C., is not an endpoint but a symbolic waypoint in an ongoing commitment to inner and collective peace.
Speaking after 100 days on the road, Paññākāra acknowledged the physical toll of the journey, including illness among the venerable monks due to cold weather, but reaffirmed their resolve to continue. He said the walk has exceeded his expectations in terms of public response, particularly in Virginia, where he noted the size of the crowd and the level of government and community support as the Walk for Peace pushed toward Washington, D.C.
“Washington, D.C., is not the final destination,” Paññākāra said. “Because we here need the world peace.”
Paññākāra encouraged listeners to slow down, practice attention to breath and heartbeat, and resist constant distraction, particularly from mobile devices. He urged participants to commit to mindfulness beyond the event, reminding them that individual inner peace is a prerequisite for peace in families, communities and the world.
“There will be no world peace if our world is not at peace, our world, which is our inner world, in the world of our mind,” Paññākāra said. “Peace is something that is not someone will bring it and give it to us. Peace is something that we have to work for.”
Throughout the journey, organizers have emphasized that participation is voluntary and informal, encouraging people to walk alongside the group for short distances or simply observe in silence. The monks do not sell items or solicit donations during the walk.
“Let their footsteps remind us that peace begins with intention, continues with action, and is sustained by loving kindness and compassion,” Bajracharya said.
Walk For Peace: Washington, D.C., Arrival And Schedule
The Walk for Peace is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10–11, marking the conclusion of a roughly 2,300-mile cross-country pilgrimage that began in Fort Worth, Texas, in late October.
According to organizers, the venerable monks’ arrival in the nation’s capital is intended as a symbolic culmination of the journey.
Confirmed Schedule (as of Feb. 2, 2026)
Feb. 10, 2026
The venerable Buddhist monks will visit Washington National Cathedral as part of their arrival in Washington.
Feb. 11, 2026
The Walk for Peace will host a meditation retreat, with events planned in the afternoon and evening. Organizers say additional gatherings may take place throughout the day.
Feb. 12, 2026
The monks will depart Washington, D.C., by bus to return to Fort Worth, Texas.
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