Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A group of Buddhist monks aren’t letting a car accident stop them from walking across much of the United States to promote peace.
After starting to walk in fort worth, TexasOn October 26, about two dozen monks and their party arrived Georgia They continued on to Washington, D.C., highlighting a long tradition of Buddhist peace activism.
The group plans to hike across Georgia from the town of Morrow to decaturon the eastern edge of Atlanta. To mark the 66th day of the walk, the organization invites the public to attend a peaceful gathering in Decatur on Tuesday afternoon.
The monks and their faithful dog Aloka are traveling through 10 states on their way to Washington, D.C., where they plan to pass through or very close to in the next few days athensGeorgia; this North Carolina city charlotteGreensboro and Raleigh; and richmond, virginiaen route to the nation’s capital.
The organization has amassed a large audience on social media, with over 400,000 followers Facebook. Aloka has its own hashtag, #Alokathepeacedog.
The group’s Facebook page is frequently updated with progress reports, inspirational notes and poems.
“We do not walk alone. We walk together with everyone whose heart is at peace, whose spirit chooses kindness, and whose daily life becomes a growing garden of understanding,” the group recently posted.
This trek is not without danger. Went out last month Houstonmonks walk along a nearby highway daytonIn Texas, their escort vehicle, which had its hazard lights on, was struck by a truck, Dayton Interim Police Chief Shane Burleigh said.
Burley said at the time that the truck “did not notice how slow the vehicle was traveling and attempted to make evasive maneuvers to go around the vehicle but failed to do so in a timely manner.” “It hit the escort vehicle on the left rear, knocking the escort vehicle into two monks.”
One of the monks suffered “serious leg injuries” and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Houston, Burley said. Another monk, who suffered less serious injuries, was taken by ambulance to another hospital in suburban Houston. A spokesman for the organization said the monk, who suffered a serious leg injury, was expected to undergo a series of surgeries to heal the fractures but that his prospects for recovery were good.
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy that evolved from the teachings of Gautama Buddha, a prince and later teacher believed to have lived in the north India and attained enlightenment between the sixth and fourth centuries B.C.
The religion spread to other areas Asia After his death, he came to the West in the 20th century. The Buddha taught that the way to end suffering and free yourself from the cycle of birth and death includes practicing nonviolence, spiritual discipline through meditation, and showing compassion for all living beings.
Although Buddhism has branched into many sects over the centuries, its rich tradition of peaceful activities continues. its social teaching is made up of people like Dalai Lama Thich Nhat Hanh applies the core principles of compassion and nonviolence to politics, environmental and social justice, and peacebuilding efforts around the world.