Texas monk’s peace walk brings an ascetic a global online audience

A Texas Buddhist monk who avoids social media accounts and personal possessions became a widely followed figure online after leading a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Fort Worth to Washington. The Associated Press reported that the journey drew broad public interest because Bhikkhu Pannakara’s message centered on mindfulness, kindness and unity during a divided period in the United States.

The walk began Oct. 26 at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, where Pannakara is deputy abbot, and ended Feb. 14 in Washington, according to the AP. He was joined by an international group of monks and by Aloka, his rescue dog, who became closely identified with the effort.

Chien Le, secretary of the Fort Worth temple, told the AP he has known Pannakara since 2005, before Pannakara entered monastic life there. Le described him as unusually determined and said he presses through difficulties once he commits to a task.

Strict practice, public attention

According to the AP, Pannakara spoke to crowds in churchyards, public squares and near the Lincoln Memorial during the walk. The events drew diverse audiences, while videos and posts about the march reached millions of people worldwide.

Pannakara told the AP that public attention was not his aim. As a Theravada monk, he follows the Vinaya, a monastic code that bars social media accounts, personal wealth and handling money, and requires celibacy and modest conduct, the AP reported.

Le told the AP that Pannakara also does not eat after noon and sleeps sitting up. The AP noted that sleeping upright is not required for Theravada monks but is adopted by some as an ascetic discipline.

From Vietnam to Fort Worth

Pannakara was born in Dak Lak, Vietnam, in 1981, the youngest of 10 children, according to the AP. He immigrated to the United States in 1997, later studied information technology at the University of Texas at Arlington and said his first serious contact with Buddhism came through temple youth programs in the U.S.

He left an engineering career to become a novice monk and was fully ordained in 2010 by the Venerable Ratanaguna, whom he has cited as an important teacher, the AP reported. Pannakara told the AP that no single event drove the decision; he said suffering among people close to him and the conduct he saw in ordinary life built over time.

Le told the AP that Pannakara’s parents struggled with his ordination before eventually accepting it. Le also said Pannakara helped complete temple projects, including a kitchen, residences for monastics and a memorial hall.

From 2018 to 2020, Pannakara studied and practiced Vipassana meditation in Myanmar at his teacher’s direction, according to the AP. Amanda Phan, a temple member, told the AP that after Pannakara returned to Fort Worth during the COVID period, he organized food drives.

Pilgrimage and future plans

In late 2022, Pannakara joined about 100 monks on a 2,100-mile pilgrimage through Buddhist sacred sites in Nepal and India, the AP reported. The monks walked barefoot, ate once a day and slept outdoors while tracing places tied to the Buddha’s life.

That journey also brought Aloka into Pannakara’s life, according to the AP. Pannakara said the dog’s name means “light” in Pali.

The AP reported that Pannakara is also pursuing the Dhammacetiya project, a planned $200 million effort to build 840 stone stupas containing Buddhist teachings in 10 languages. He has said the peace walks and the stupa project both serve his vow to promote peace and preserve the Buddha’s teachings.

Senior monks offered different views to the AP on how public Pannakara’s message should become. Bhikkhu Bodhi said Pannakara was right to avoid politics during the walk but hoped he would address issues such as poverty, hunger, housing and climate, while Seattle-based monk Ajahn Nisabho said avoiding politics helped the walk remain open to a wide range of people.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.