Meet Aloka, the “Peace Dog” who has joined 19 Buddhist monks on a “Walk for Peace” across the US
One of the most remarkable events of 2025 that continues into 2026 is the 120-day, 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” currently being undertaken by nineteen Buddhist monks and a rescue dog named Aloka, dubbed the “Peace Dog.” The Asheville Citizen Times explains that the Walk for Peace, led by monk Bhikkhu Pannakara, began at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and will continue to Washington, DC, over 120 days. The monks are walking to “raise awareness for peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world,” according to a press release quoted by the Citizen Times.
The star of the walk is Aloka, the “Peace Dog,” a rescue dog with a white heart on his forehead—surely a sign he was meant to spread peace and love to the world. The sweet dog walks alongside the monks, often at the head of the line, or rides in a car when too tired to continue. The pup has become, as the Augusta Chronicle states, “one of the journey’s most recognizable figures.” The Augusta Chronicle explains that the roughly four-year-old Aloka was a stray dog in India when he joined the monks during a previous peace walk. Aloka’s Facebook page states that he walked with the monks for over 100 days across India. He finished that walk and decided he was part of the pack, so the monks adopted him as a fellow traveler. A post on his page describes his “loyalty and spirit” as “clear to everyone he meets.”
The monks have support personnel providing food and water, and they’re accepting help along their route from locals who donate food, water, and lodging. Crowds have greeted the monks along their journey, welcoming them and praying with them as they make their way to Washington, DC.
Learn more about and follow the Walk for Peace on Instagram or on their website. And follow Aloka the Peace Dog, who is spreading “peace and loving kindness, one paw-step at a time,” on his Facebook or Instagram. Thanks, Aloka, and all the Buddhist monks walking for peace—we certainly could use more peace in this world.
The group is currently walking through north Georgia on day seventy of their journey, heading to North Carolina. Follow the live map of the Walk for Peace here, and go greet the monks (and Aloka the “Peace Dog”!) if they’re passing through your area.
 |
|