WASHINGTON — The Fort Worth Buddhist monks — now known by millions across the country — made it to the nation’s capital, marking a significant and sacred milestone in their 2,300-mile journey for peace.
After 108 days, the monks participating in a nationwide Walk for Peace crossed the Chain Bridge separating Virginia and Washington, shortly after 7 a.m. Central time on Feb. 10.
Before making the momentous cross, Bhikkhu Pannakara, the temple’s vice president leading the group addressed the Walk for Peace Facebook livestream to thank Virginia for the “love and support.”
Pannakara, who also goes by Rev. Nguyen, asked those watching to continue adhering to the meaning behind the initiative “so we can have peace for ourselves and change this world together.”
Portions of their day will be livestreamed on their Facebook channel and on the Washington National Cathedral’s YouTube channel this afternoon.
Since their October departure, the monks — along with their loyal pup Aloka — have inspired many and gained millions as they journeyed from their Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in east Fort Worth as a means to promote peace and national healing across the country through reflection and prayer.
The group gathered at Bender Arena at American University on Tuesday morning for a public gathering.
They are expected to gather at the west lawn of the National Cathedral at noon Central time, or
1 p.m. Eastern, for an interfaith ceremony. The monks and religious leaders of other faiths then will gather inside the cathedral at 12:30 Central time and is closed to in-person attendance.
This portion of the ceremony will be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.
The monks are expected to walk to the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday for a peace gathering and concluding ceremony, according to their website. The group will then walk to Maryland for a gathering at the Maryland State Capitol on Thursday before getting on a bus that will bring them back to Fort Worth.
The monks are scheduled to arrive in downtown Fort Worth on Feb. 14 for a 6-mile homecoming walk to their temple in the Historic Stop Six neighborhood. Details on the starting location and route will be posted on the Walk for Peace Facebook and Live Map, officials said.
Viral walk’s origins in east Fort Worth
Millions across the country are following the monks’ journey.
Their Facebook page often shows hundreds or thousands of supporters standing or kneeling along roads waiting for them to pass, often holding flowers or signs with words of encouragement. Many follow behind them for a portion of the walk.
Children and adults have offered the monks gifts, such as flowers, fruit or even lip balm as they walked through the bitter winter cold.
The monks bestow blessing cords to some they have encountered along the way. Local law enforcement have recognized their efforts by presenting pins to Bhikkhu Pannakara, the temple’s vice president who leads the group.
Buddhist monks walk up Arizona Avenue NW in the Walk for Peace initiative Feb. 10, 2026, shortly after crossing into Washington, D.C. (Sarah L. Voisin for Fort Worth Report)
The initiative amassed 2.6 million followers on Facebook and over 1.2 million followers on TikTok. Aloka also has his own Facebook page, with about 956,000 followers.
The Walk for Peace is not a parade, protest or ceremony of faith, Pannakara said during an Oct. 19 press conference announcing the walk. Instead, it is “a journey to bring blessings to countless lives in a world filled with uncertainty and restlessness.”
The monk’s walk faced peril.
Early into the journey, a traffic collision outside Houston injured some in November and resulted in a leg amputation for one of the monks.
They recently braved through snow and ice in the Carolinas and Virginia, following a massive winter storm in late January that hit Texas and many states on the eastern side of the country.
Aloka, 4, underwent surgery for an injury to one of his legs in January and continues recovering. Today, the tan and white pooch is seen in social media videos walking, resting in a vehicle or sharing a moment with one of the monks.
The Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center has been in Fort Worth for more than 26 years. The temple serves a predominantly Vietnamese-American community that follows the Buddhist faith.
The center is the future site of the $200 million Dhammacetiya Project, which is 14-acres that will feature 840 stupas, or shrines, each engraved with sacred scriptures representing the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. The project was announced in 2022, and the temple kicked off the expansion in May.
Buddhist monks dedicate their lives to practicing and sharing Buddha’s teachings through meditation, study and service. Following Buddha’s example, monks often undertake walking pilgrimages that can last for months.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Alysa Horton is a reporter for the Cronkite News, produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
