About two dozen Fort Worth Buddhist monks are preparing to not just talk about peace — but to walk it, live it and share it with the U.S. throughout their 2,300-mile journey to the nation’s capital.
Monks participating in the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center’s Walk for Peace will embark Oct. 26 on a 110-day pilgrimage, traveling from their temple in the Historic Stop Six neighborhood to Washington, D.C. The monks will traverse 10 states along their route, stopping at state capitols, historic landmarks and in local communities to share their message and invite people to join them in moments of reflection and prayer.
The Walk for Peace is not a parade, protest or ceremony of faith, Tue Nhan Bhikkhu, the vice president of the temple also known as the Rev. Nguyen, said during an Oct. 19 press conference. Instead, it is “a journey to bring blessings to countless lives in a world filled with uncertainty and restlessness.”
“The Buddha taught that true peace arises when the mind is free from greed, anger and delusion. But this truth belongs to all humanity,” Nguyen said.
The Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center hosts a press conference on Oct. 19, 2025, announcing the Walk for Peace starting Oct. 26 in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
If you go
What: Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center’s Walk for Peace
When: 9 a.m. Oct. 26
Where: 4717 E. Rosedale St., Fort Worth
The Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center has been located in Fort Worth for over 26 years. The temple serves a predominantly Vietnamese-American community that follows the Buddhist faith.
The center is also the future site of the $200 million Dhammacetiya Project, 14-acres featuring 840 stupas, or shrines, each engraved with sacred Buddhist scriptures representing the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. The project was announced in 2022 and the temple kicked off the expansion in May.
Buddhist monks dedicate their lives to practicing and sharing Buddha’s teachings through meditation, study and service. Following Buddha’s example, monks often undertake walking pilgrimages that can last for months. During the Walk for Peace, participants will practice ancient self-discipline traditions such as eating only one meal per day and sleeping beneath trees as a practice of humility, endurance and spiritual focus.
The pilgrimage culminates on Feb. 13 in the U.S. Capitol, where the monks plan to deliver a message symbolizing healing and renewal.
Monks sit at the front of the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center during a press conference on Oct. 19, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
During the Oct. 19 press conference ahead of the walk, attendees took their seats on red cushions embroidered with lotus flowers as leaders of the temple, members of Texas’ Nepalese Buddhist Association and government officials shared their messages.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wished the monks a memorable and enjoyable event in a letter read by a member of the temple during the meeting, adding that the walk “will pave the way for a better, brighter future for Americans of all backgrounds.”
The Walk for Peace “is something that our country, our community, needs right now,” said U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey in a recorded video message played during the gathering.
Texas Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Euless Democrat, presented a resolution to the temple in commemoration of the Walk for Peace during Sunday’s event.
Texas House Rep. Salman Bhojani presented Tue Nhan Bhikkhu with a resolution during a Walk for Peace press conference at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth on Oct. 19, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Texas House Rep. Salman Bhojani presented Tue Nhan Bhikkhu with a resolution during a Walk for Peace press conference at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth on Oct. 19, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Bhojani became one of the first Muslim Americans elected to the Legislature in 2022 and was the first person of color elected to Euless City Council in 2017.
In the wake of bans on DEI policies in the state, diversity is seen to have a negative connotation, Bhojani told attendees. People of different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds are afraid or unwilling to talk with one another, he said.
He hopes that the pilgrimage will inspire observants to see diversity as a strength rather than a weakness.
“We talk about peace all the time, but peace is not passive. You really have to do something about it,” Bhojani said. “This walk is a very peaceful, humble way of going physically through our country and meeting the different people along the journey.”
The Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center hosted a press conference on Oct. 19, 2025, announcing the Walk for Peace starting Oct. 26 in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Buddhist couple Michael Pothier and Kelly Doan were in the crowd that attended the event. A tenant of Buddhism is to practice your faith out in the community, Pothier said. The Mansfield couple plan to volunteer during the walk and meet the monks in Houston to offer any needed support or aid.
“We just want to do something that is meaningful for people,” Doan said. “Especially at this time in this country, a lot of things are happening, not only in America but also in the world.”
Even in a world filled with noise and division, peace is still possible “not because the world changes, but because we change,” Nguyen said in his closing remarks. He hopes through the walk people are reminded that “the seed of peace is already within us all.”
“So let us walk not with hurry, but with awareness,” Nguyen said. “Let us walk with open hearts, with respect for every life, every path, every faith. May every footprint we leave behind bloom into flowers of peace, so that wherever these steps have touched the earth, there remains a quiet fragrance of loving kindness.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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