WASHINGTON — Tears welled in Cynthia Flanders’ eyes Wednesday, as she reflected on a group of Buddhist monks’ walk to promote peace. Wearing a beanie that read “it’s okay not to be okay,” Flanders traveled from her Michigan hometown to the Washington region solely for this experience.
“When I heard that they were marching to remind us of the peace that each one of us has, every time I say that, it brings tears to my eyes because I’m so touched by that reminder, you know?” Flanders said. “I’m here to get back in touch with a warm, soft, less brutal heart, and remember we’re all connected.”
The monks’ 4-month, 2,300-mile walk journey to DC came at a time when anti-ICE protests have popped up around the country, but the monks avoided political comments about ICE or anything else, Brandon Dotson, a Georgetown University professor of Buddhist studies, said in an interview with the Medill News Service.
“I think we can interpret it in that context and say, ‘Well, this is an opportune time to talk about non-violence, to talk about peace, when we do have so many voices in our country that are promoting violence,” Dotson said. “But I don’t think that [the monks] are necessarily leading us to that conclusion.”
In fact, their public statements at a Lincoln Memorial ceremony Wednesday afternoon did not advocate particular religious principles, but rather urged kindness and mindfulness practices.
“Love and kindness does not need power, money, or a title,” said Walk for Peace leader Bhikkhu Pannakara as he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “It is simply the choice to stop before hurting, to sharpen before speaking, If each person takes just one second to ask, will this hurt anyone? The world would already be kinder.”
Dotson said this nonpolitical approach may protect them from potential criticism.
“For their sake, I hope that they’re not going to be too politicized, just because it is dangerous in our country, especially as an immigrant and as a foreigner, to be putting your head above the parapet,” Dotson said. “So I think what they’ve done has been very skillful.”
Regardless of what prompted them, Flanders said she was touched by the monks’ reminders of peace during this moment in politics that has frustrated her.
“I’ve been really, quite filled with anguish about what is happening in our country and how people feel so divided,” Flanders said. “My heart has felt very brittle and in anger about things that I feel are unjust.”
Flanders and longtime friend Amy Moore have engaged in transcendental meditation, a practice that draws from Buddhist principles, since attending Iowa’s Maharishi International University 50 years ago. Moore, who lives in Utah, was compelled to travel across the country to support the monks. After meeting up in DC, the two friends spent three days walking alongside the monks.
“I’ve been following the monks and I have been praying for peace forever,” Moore said, arm in arm with Flanders.
Moore was one of the first people to arrive at the monks’ first DMV appearance at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. She said that as she watched the crowd grow, a warm and joyful energy was “palpable.”
After concluding their march in Maryland on Thursday, the marchers posted to Facebook: “Every welcome, every smile, every offering, every prayer, and every step you took with us brought us to this beautiful moment of completion today.