[Thespiritexpress] The Monks ~ A long Walk for Peace🙏

[D. Sangraal]

Come join us today for Tai Chi for Peace at the Casper Community Center
12:00 to 1:00!!
I feel this is an important event that is juxtaposition with other events
going on in the world. A gift and blessing,
Dyana

On Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 10:29 AM Ron Nadeau via Thespiritexpress <
thespiritexpress at lists.mcn.org> wrote:

> Thank you Sue in Santa Rosa for sending this~
>
> 🙏
>
> Checking in on the monks’ progress as they continue their Walk for Peace
> through bitter cold and snow, I continue to be inspired and moved on a
> daily basis.  (Yes, I confess, I am binge-watching monks.)
>
> The piece below just came across my radar.  Better than I ever could, it
> captures in words much of what I’m witnessing and sensing, but couldn’t
> name so clearly.  “*This walk is a sermon without words*”…  my heart
> feels this truth and is enlivened by it. 🙏   (Keeping these reminders
> close by for the road ahead.)
> *Buddhism
> <https://www.facebook.com/BuddhismPageFB?__cft__[0]=AZZmRsMuC_z5UBjnYRdk2xvkAvqbhvHLspYDKZVj7Os8ezU9WZvi438lxNYAbtyIAR7e8037-a3_UJl9CecASNjlxxCMotxDnpN6t3IjND4tWudadGWz7kofeflWcjd7Ofjw2y3okemUujLPG6lPe4XG-DuYDdxUwXYrd9or8Qj6X1QWywAtAds4FkqlJoemglxpixToTy3Fv0sCibHBSHu1&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R>*
>
> *January 25 at 9:36 AM*
> <https://www.facebook.com/BuddhismPageFB/posts/pfbid0pkqcVRWVHG8zeawe6tJqg2EqusGCJ1TfcWTyS2Kd35gokfPRyeqWA1zvedcZfJaUl?__cft__[0]=AZZmRsMuC_z5UBjnYRdk2xvkAvqbhvHLspYDKZVj7Os8ezU9WZvi438lxNYAbtyIAR7e8037-a3_UJl9CecASNjlxxCMotxDnpN6t3IjND4tWudadGWz7kofeflWcjd7Ofjw2y3okemUujLPG6lPe4XG-DuYDdxUwXYrd9or8Qj6X1QWywAtAds4FkqlJoemglxpixToTy3Fv0sCibHBSHu1&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R>
>  ·
> A lot of people think this walk by Buddhist monks is just walking.
> It’s not.
> It’s a moving mirror.
> And honestly, it makes modern society uncomfortable.
> Here’s why:
> *This Walk for Peace isn’t about distance.*
> It’s about how human beings are meant to move through the world.
> *1. Courage*
> They walk into uncertainty with no guarantees.
> Cold. Heat. Fatigue. Loneliness.
> Nothing is dramatized. Nothing is resisted.
> No flexing. No bravado.
> Just quiet courage—the kind that makes loud “tough talk” look fragile.
> *2. Determination*
> They don’t quit when it gets hard. And it does get hard.
> Every step is deliberate.
> They remind us that purpose matters more than comfort.
> The road isn’t the enemy. Giving up is.
> *3. Willpower*
> Their minds lead. Their bodies follow.
> Pain is noticed—but not obeyed.
> No force. No theatrics. Just discipline.
> Real strength is self-control, not domination.
> *4. Patience*
> They don’t rush. They don’t rage.
> Delays aren’t insults. Obstacles aren’t personal attacks.
> Patience turns suffering into training.
> Peace doesn’t grow in impatient soil.
> *5. Humility*
> No spotlight chasing. No ego parade.
> They walk gently, not loudly.
> They don’t need applause to know who they are.
> True greatness doesn’t announce itself.
> *6. Compassion*
> They aren’t walking only for themselves.
> Each step is for suffering they may never witness—
> friends, strangers, even people who might never agree with them.
> That level of compassion unsettles people,
> because it quietly asks more of us.
> And beside them walks Aloka—a rescued dog.
> No robes. No vows. No philosophy.
> Just presence.
> Somehow reminding the world that peace doesn’t require perfection—only
> kindness.
> *7. Non-Violence*
> They don’t argue their way to peace.
> They embody it.
> Hostility meets silence. Anger meets calm.
> Peace isn’t demanded. It’s demonstrated.
> *8. Discipline*
> Same routines. Same standards. Every day.
> Not harsh—consistent.
> Discipline creates clarity, not control.
> Freedom doesn’t come from chaos.
> *9. Mindfulness*
> They are actually present. Imagine that.
> Each breath. Each step. Each moment.
> Walking becomes meditation.
> Life becomes intentional instead of reactive.
> *10. Faith*
> They don’t see the whole path—and walk anyway.
> Not blind belief. Deep trust.
> Faith is what keeps them moving when certainty disappears.
> *11. Unity*
> No one rushes ahead. No one is left behind.
> Same pace. Same purpose.
> Together over ego.
> That alone challenges everything we’ve been taught.
> *12. Sacrifice*
> Comfort is optional. Convenience is surrendered.
> They walk for something larger than themselves—without complaining.
> Peace has never been free.
> *Final thought*
> This walk is a sermon without words.
> No shouting. No signs. No slogans.
> Just example.
> Every step teaches.
> Every footprint leaves a lesson.
> And as these monks—and one quiet dog—move through the world,
> they aren’t trying to change it by force.
> They’re showing us what peace looks like
> when it’s lived,
> not preached.
>
> Perhaps others of you also got to see an interaction today, outside a
> church, between the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara and a “hell
> awaits” placard carrying gentleman in their path.  The man was insisting
> that "they are walking their way to hell,” deceiving people even if they
> don’t realize it, that Jesus is the only way, and that theirs is “false
> peace.”  He stated many times that he loved the monks, and his earnestness
> was beyond question. The monk’s assurances that he understood the man’s
> message, along with his clarity, listening, and compassionate engagement,
> were lessons to live by.  The man was not to be swayed.  After honoring
> that they each have their own journey and, at the end, will come together,
> the monks continued on.  Powerful.
>
> Love, Sue
>
>
>
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