Buddhist monks' 108-day Walk for Peace set to end in Washington DC

1 hour agoBrandon DrenonGetty ImagesA band of Buddhist monks who have spent four months walking - sometimes barefoot or through the snow - on a 2,000-mile march from Texas to Washington DC is expected to complete their journey on Tuesday. The group's arduous so-called Walk of Peace has gone viral, capturing the attention of millions of Americans at a time of heightened political division in the US.Along the way, the troupe has shared a message of mindfulness, with its leader, the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, saying: "My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace." Their journey began on 26 October 2025 at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.After arriving in Washington, the monks will visit the Washington-national-cathedral" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="23839" data-entity-type="location">Washington National Cathedral and the Lincoln Memorial.The group also reportedly plans to appeal to lawmakers to declare Buddha's birthday - called Vesak - a national holiday - but their expedition has gained traction beyond this policy request."Their long journey and gentle witness invite us all to deepen our commitment to compassion," said Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde, who will help host the monks at an interfaith reception, according to the Associated Press.The 19 travelling monks are from Theravada Buddhist monasteries around the globe.The final day of their single-file trek across the country began on Tuesday morning in Arlington, Virginia, roughly five miles (9.1km) outside the US capitol. A livestream on the group's Facebook account shows them walking past piles of snow, as the first days of above-freezing temperatures return after weeks of record cold across much of the eastern United States. They are cheered on by rows of onlookers in the video."May you be safe and warm. Thank you for your walk of peace. We desperately need this in our world now," one user wrote. For the last 108 days - a sacred number in Buddhism representing spiritual completion - the group has walked this same single-file line step by step. But the trip has not been without incident. In November, an escort vehicle that accompanied the monks as they walked alongside a highway in Houston, Texas was hit by a truck, injuring two of the monks. One of them had his leg amputated. Their return to Texas is likely to be quicker - and easier - as they are expected to commute back via bus, arriving in Fort Worth on Saturday.