Participants in the Walk for Peace initiative. Image courtesy of Walk for Peacc USA.
Walk for Peace recently crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, which was the site of a vicious attack on a peaceful civil rights march in 1965. The WFP group of Buddhist monks, led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, started in October from their Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The 2,300-mile trek will end in Washington, D.C. sometime in February.
Bhikkhu explained the purpose of the walk. “We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us.” The Walk for Peace Press Release reminds us that “peace is not a destination. It is a practice.” And as America faces various challenges, its pilgrimage to the nation’s capital “offers a simple yet profound message: peace begins within the heart of each person and extends outward.”
The monks observe strict ascetic vows, including eating only one meal a day and sleeping outside beneath a tree or in a modest facility. One of the monks stated that their message was one “of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world.” And someone on social media wrote in response, “This moment stands as a testament to what is possible when compassion leads the way.”
The Christmas season has always been about peace and goodwill. In Isaiah 9.6, the coming one is referred to as the Prince of Peace. And the next chapter warns the reader: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights, and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people” (Isaiah 10.1-2).
In the Vedic tradition, many Sanskrit prayers and teachings end with Om shanti shanti shanti. The term shanti, which means peace, is a blessing bestowed upon the world. And it is spoken three times to emphasize its importance. Everyone in society wants peace and prosperity, but we are at a loss as to how we can attain it.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/walk-for-peace/
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