“Stop taking your lover to the bathroom,” Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra told the crowd. We all burst out laughing, forgetting that we were standing in sub-freezing weather. He was talking about our cell phones, admonishing us to just do one thing at a time rather than multitask.
“If you have your lover in the bathroom, you can’t just focus on number 1. You can’t just focus on number 2. Sometimes you might even drop your lover into your number 1 and number 2, then you have to buy another lover.”
As my feet became numb in the snow bank I was standing on to see over the crowd at the Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, I chuckled to myself. Not only because the lead Walk For Peace monk delivered his mindfulness teachings in such a delightfully humorous way, but because I was registering my feet as “unbearably cold” in the presence of these monks who had walked 106 days at that point, including through snow, ice, and high winds on the Virginia portion of their journey.
This was their last evening in Virginia before heading to Washington, DC, the final destination of the journey that started in Fort Worth, Texas, in October 2025. (Actually, Maryland requested an additional stop at their State House in Annapolis, which the kind monks and the now famous Aloka the Peace Dog accommodated.)
The Buddhist monks’ messages of peace, compassion, mindfulness, unity, and perseverance captivated the world. I am deeply grateful to have been able to experience their energy in person. What makes me even happier is that I can share the Alexandria talk with you here, as well as some of my favorite photographs from the monks’ spectacular procession to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC., on February 11.
My Video of Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra’s Talk in Alexandria, VA
When I attend silent meditation retreats with Buddhist teachers, my phone is turned off for the duration. This was a public event, though, so I decided to add my phone to the ocean of others recording the gift of this lesson.
The universe had fun with me that night (the whole day, really, since I had spent three hours that afternoon trying to see the monks on their walking route, to no avail). Despite my efforts to climb onto the low snow bank to get a better view, Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra stood right behind the speaker most of the time. You can see him every now and then, but that speaker that I initially saw as a “problem” because it blocked my view, actually turned out to be a gift since the audio is pretty clear. His words are what’s most important, after all. I encourage you to take 45 minutes to listen to his rich, very relatable mindfulness teachings.
Peace Gathering Procession to Lincoln Memorial, Day 109
I could write a long post just about our commute to Washington, DC, on February 11th to see the monks’ culminating walk to the Lincoln Memorial. Suffice it to say that what first appeared as a “problem” when the metro train wasn’t running from our usual stop turned into a gift. We shifted gracefully and drove to another metro stop, then had the great fortune of meeting new, like-minded friends on the train who became our Walk For Peace buddies.
High points of the day for me:
- During my morning meditation session, the message “Mindfulness Powers Peace” bubbled up as the perfect sign to bring.
- On the train we didn’t expect to take, strangers immediately transformed into soul mates through our shared values and excitement to welcome the monks.
- Many of the monks smiled when they saw my sign. One of them even took a picture of it (bringing them joy sent my own joy off the charts!).
- A Walk for Peace organizer asked me what I’d like to say to the monks and I managed to speak from my heart, even with her phone just a few inches from my face. (I have no idea where that gratitude- and inspiration-filled video landed.)
- A young reporter from The Hill asked to interview me when she saw my sign (here’s her article).
As I write that list, it might sound a little too much about “me.” The truth is, I loved being given the opportunity to amplify the monks’ messages and teachings about the power of mindfulness practice to transform our world. This is my absolute lived experience and the core of my purpose work.
I’ll let the photos from the Peace Gathering on February 11 do the talking from here on out…
I’d love to hear your takeaways from the Walk For Peace. And if you watch the video of the talk (which I very much hope that you do!), what were your favorite lessons?
