Today, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared it was Walk for Peace Day in our state. For today, the Venerable Monks who are undertaking a long-distance spiritual pilgrimage across a portion of the United States arrived in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. The pilgrims are Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. They are walking through 9 states to reach Washington, D.C., promoting peace, compassion, and nonviolence all along the way. They have been in North Carolina, the 8th state on their journey, for a week and a half. By reaching the state capitol building, they have completed about 1,800 miles of their 2,300 mile pilgrimage…all on foot.

Now, I can’t say this is true of all North Carolina, but I can’t describe how excited my personal local communities (homeschoolers, teachers, and spiritual seekers) have been about this. All week we’ve been swapping information about where the monks will be when and what are the best opportunities to see or hear them. My spiritual center organized a group trip to listen to them on Wednesday night in Siler City, a smaller town in Chatham County. They were staying overnight at a high school there, and spent over an hour talking to us on the football field there. They were running late, having walked 14 miles that day, so their spokesperson, Bhikkhu Kannapara, didn’t begin his talk until nearly 8:00 in 30 degree weather. He did the Loving Kindness Forgiveness meditation for us, and discussed several topics related to mindfulness and how to move from suffering to peace, in our own lives and our families, but ultimately in the entire world. Not only the monks, but the entire crowd of people to came to see and listen to them, exuded such an energy of peace and love. We were dark and cold physically, but absolutely lit up within. Afterwards, the monks handed out peace bracelets as a sign of blessing for those who wanted them. My friend Jamillah took this photo of the monk who gave us our bracelets:

I had other friends who went to the public session on Thursday night in Pittsboro, to catch them walking down the highways, or during their time in Apex. Here are some photos and videos by my friends Tina, Reese, and Vasu:

Apparently people were parked for over a mile along highway 64, which the monks took from Pittsboro to Apex.

Here is their support vehicle (used by the support team and only monks needing medical services):

And its dashboard…

A closer shot of spokesman Bhikkhu Kannapara. He has been given pins by many of the places they have visited and they adorn his shawl.

And one of the best things about this visit is that the monks’ faithful canine companion, Aloka the Peace Dog, rejoined them after having had surgery earlier in the month.

It looks like he has recovered well!

Then this morning, my friend Tedrick Kelly was on his Saturday morning run and captured this video of the monks walking by him:

So for those of you who don’t live in this area or couldn’t get out, I am trying to allow you a taste of this experience of the Walk for Peace. But I can’t convey what wonderful positive energy we have gotten from seeing these deeply devoted men in person. If they are coming your way, I highly recommend you put the time and effort–because it does take some effort–to see them yourselves.

Most of all, I just want to document that thousands and thousands and thousands of people turned out in the dark and in the cold to show their desire for and commitment to peace. I’ve been following the Walk for Peace in North Carolina closely in the media, and I have not heard of one “protester” or anyone opposed or insulting or ugly to the Venerable Monks along their journey, at least in person.

As Governor Stein told the monks at the Peace Rally at the State Capitol, “You’ve had a crowd following everywhere you’ve gone and a much larger crowd following you online. That is because you are bringing people hope. You are inspiring people at a time when so many are in need for inspiration.” And as Bhikkhu Kannapara said during his talk at the Peace Rally, “Look [around] now. We have different backgrounds, different faiths and beliefs, different skin colors, different languages. But we are able to come here together in this weather in front of this Capitol, just to support the mission of peace. It means there’s no difference between all of us.“

May we all be able to live those words during the times that threaten to turn us against each other.