A group of Buddhist Venerable Monks' journey to spread peace brought them to the foot of the State House on Jan. 10th, surrounded by thousands of South Carolinians who met them on the street and gathered to hear them speak.
The Walk for Peace initiative is a pilgrimage from Texas to Washington, D.C. that a group of Buddhist Venerable monks are taking to spread peace and mindfulness. A Venerable monk is recognized in the Buddhist community for their spiritual commitment and teachings, according to Wisdom Library.
South Carolina State Sen. Deon Tedder declared Jan. 10 Walk For Peace Day in a speech addressed to a crowd gathered to see the monks at the statehouse.
“Now more than ever, we are reminded of the deep need for peace and community in our lives,” Tedder said in his speech. “The values embodied by this pilgrimage — wisdom, compassion and mindfulness — speak across faiths, cultures and various backgrounds.”
The gathering at the statehouse kicked off with a few words from the coordinators of the Walk for Peace team, including Cate Mayer, the founder and director of South-Carolina-based nonprofit Be The Ones. Be The Ones is a community partner with Walk for Peace and seeks to remove barriers to civic participation through community programs. Following the mayor and senators’ speeches, Venerable Maha Sangha spoke to the crowd about the monks’ mission.
“For the year of 2026 let us move forward without hatred, without anger, only having kindness and compassion,” Sangha said.
Maha Sangha means "great community" in Pali, a language featured in many Buddhist works.
Jan. 10 marked the Venerable monks’ 77th day — and their 1,520th mile — of travel. Their journey began in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 26, 2025, when Sangha gathered fellow monks from Thailand, Vietnam, France and the U.S. to spread peace upon seeing so much suffering in his community, he said to the crowd at the statehouse.
“I have to do something to support our communities, our society, our country, and the people around this world and for all beings,” Sangha said to the crowd. “If I continue staying at the temple to serve the small communities, I won’t be able to spread what I practice to all the people around.”
First-year psychology and Mandarin student Caroline Hoffman said she has been following the Walk for Peace on social media since the group left Texas.
The Venerable monks update their progress on Facebook and through a live map, allowing anyone to follow their location. Hoffman met up with the Walk for Peace with her mom to hear their message of peace in order to be able to spread it herself.
“Just being able to be a part of that," Hoffman said. "And tell my peers, ... ‘Hey, I got to do this really cool thing over the weekend.'”
Observer Mary Lynn Harlow also wanted to hear the monks' message of peace after following their journey on Facebook. Harlow said it warms her heart to see larger crowds gathering to see the monks each day.
“Their whole story of peace and how important that is, and the country where we’re living today — we need some peace, and we need harmony,” Harlow said. “We need people being kind to each other.”
Buddhist monks with the Huong Dao Vipassanā Bhāvanā Center attempt to get Aloka the Peace Dog to keep walking during the Walk for Peace on Jan. 10, 2026. Aloka was adopted by the monks while in India and accompanies them as they walk from Texas to Washington, D.C.
Sangha also mentioned the growing crowds in his peace talk, praising their support and hospitality throughout a grueling journey.
“All of us encounter blisters and stepping on nails, screws and glass. We have leg injuries. We have knee injuries, back problems and everything,” he said. “But we have never given up.”
The Walk for Peace Initiative received support from Prisma Health, Sage Massage and local law enforcement, among other organizations, Mayer said in her address.
The Venerable monks wake up at 4 a.m. daily to begin their walk, Sangha said. Walking across state lines and through historical sites like the statehouse makes him sad because of the dark history they contain and continue to hold onto, Sangha said in his talk.
“Let us now let go of all the hatred and all those angers,” he said to the crowd. “Let all those cease within love and kindness and compassion so that peace can be bloomed and flourished throughout this country and around the world.”
While most of the crowd came to support the monks, Harlow observed a few protesters along the streets earlier in the day, resulting in a dispute where police officers interceded, she said. One religious group, Born Again, traveled from Georgia to spread the gospel to the monks along their pilgrimage.
The gospel brings the good news that Christ came to save sinners from sin to grant them eternal life, said RaShaa, a Christian in the Born Again group. Because the monks don’t follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they have no access to the true path of happiness, peace or love, he said.
A born-again Christian's mission is to spread Jesus' message, according to the Christian Courier.
“We love the monks. That’s why we're here to tell them the truth,” RaShaa said. “We love them even though they disagree with us. We love them enough to tell them, 'Hey, the road you’re on right now is going to lead you to hell.'”
RaShaa said Born Again will stop by other locations along the monks' walk to continue to spread their message.
In his peace talk, Sangha also addressed the multifaith application of Buddhist teachings.
“Mindfulness isn’t about Buddhism,” Sangha said to the crowd. “It’s for all beings, and we are not traveling to convert anybody. Simply just walk with mindfulness.”
Sangha emphasized the power of mindfulness in his talk, but the Venerable monks’ ultimate goal is something bigger.
“D.C. is not the final destination because we do need world peace,” Sangha said to the crowd. “So we have to walk until the end of our life so that this world will be a better place for our future generations."