On Wednesday, December 10, a delegation of Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Temple in Fort Worth, Texas, crossed through Jackson, Mississippi, on a 2,300-mile sojourn to Washington, D.C. Led by the venerable Bhikku Pannakara, known in Vietnamese as Thich Tuệ Nhân, the Walk For Peace cohort is traveling the nation on foot, some without even shoes, sleeping in the wild, drawing crowds to marvel at their endurance in service of a message of inner peace.

In Mississippi’s capitol city, they paused for the midday to rest at the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple, where Buddhist faithful and crowds of Jackson residents came to observe. Tuệ Nhân offered a sermon in the temple’s hall beneath a gilded display of the Buddha. After departing the temple, the Walk For Peace proceeded to the state capitol of Mississippi, gathering on the steps of the Legislature, before departing east, bound for Meridian and the halls of American power.

The Mississippi Free Press followed along the route for a short time, speaking with some of the monks, and documenting their travels in the center of the Magnolia State.

Monks in orange robes sit on the floor and answer questions
Thich Tuệ Nhân, pictured right, lectures at the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple in Jackson. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a two monks standing in front of a Buddha statue inside a golden decorated temple
Venerable Abbot Thich Minh Trong, left, and Venerable Vice Abbot Thich Giới Tuệ, of the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple in Jackson, who welcomed the Walk For Peace delegation to their grand hall, still under construction. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a dog in a windbreaker getting pet
Aloka, the canine companion of the monks, whom Tuệ Nhân said he discovered traveling in India, on the first of his epic treks to spread the facets of Buddhist thought and values.  Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A monk in orange robes sits upright, curled on himself in meditation
A monk reclines in a moment of rest at the temple in Jackson. Even in repose, many of the monks avoid laying down entirely, despite the intense strain of days of walking. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes prepare to walk down a road with a police escort
On the first part of their journey, a Texas driver struck one of the monks with his car, resulting in the amputation of the monk’s leg. The monk, his compatriots reported, offered his leg to the Walk For Peace. “In this world, nothing goes the way we expect it,” Tuệ Nhân said. “It’s always going in opposite directions. Either we accept it or we suffer from it. Our reminder is to be more mindful. Do not react to things happening to ourselves.” Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes walk down a paved road in Mississippi
“ We all have peace, we all have happiness,” explained the leader of the Walk For Peace delegation. People forget because their mind is always chasing materialities, chasing the outside world.” The monks do not walk to bring peace, but to remind others that it is already theirs for the taking. “We are just the messengers. We bring that message to remind them that there’s peace right here.” Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a sleeping dog as seen between the shoulders of two people. The dog has a camera on his collar.
Aloka, meaning Light, resting as Thich Tuệ Nhân offers a sermon to the temple faithful. Tuệ Nhân believes Aloka was a monk in a previous life, and may be one again in the future. “The  reason why I named him Aloka is because I hope that one day he will find the light of wisdom,” he said.  Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A Buddha statue sitting inside a golden decorated temple
The unfinished main hall of the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple, which its spiritual leaders hope will be a beacon of Buddhist teaching in Mississippi for the faithful and the curious alike. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes prepare to walk down a road with a police escort
Monks from the Walk For Peace taking a brief rest, flanked by police officers, who escorted the delegation through the busy downtown streets. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a monk standing in front of a Buddha statue inside a golden decorated temple
Venerable Abbot Thich Minh Trong of Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple in Jackson invited the public to come participate in study and meditation at the center, regardless of their religious or philosophical affiliations. “This temple welcomes everyone: everyone can come to practice, to learn, to study about the Buddha and Buddhism.” Services are held Sunday mornings, and on holidays like Lunar New Year and Buddha’s birthday.  Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a monk in orange robes sitting inside a simple room
 “Every single day, just be mindful: breathe in and breathe out.” explained Thich Tuệ Nhân. “Then from there, when anything happens, maintain that habit of mindfulness. Don’t react. Just hold on. Just pause for a moment. Choose the right word and speak. Choose the right thing and act. Here there is no more anger, no more hatred.” Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A large concrete Buddha statue outside on an overcast day, sunlight shining on golden highlights
Quán Âm Tịnh Viện temple as well as the monks on the Walk For Peace belong to an old Theravada tradition focused on insight, meditation and personal enlightenment. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes walk down a paved road in Mississippi
Mississippi is near the beginning of the Walk For Peace. Monks will travel through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia before reaching the nation’s capitol at Washington, D.C. Monks have welcomed the public to join them at rest to speak, listen and meditate—but have strongly requested that drivers focus on safety rather than crowding roads to observe them. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
Women from a local temple pose with a white and orange dog
Parishioners from the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện temple gather around Aloka, who has proven to be the most popular monk on the journey. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes walk down a paved road in Mississippi
“During this journey, we have met people of so many different ethnic groups, skin colors and religions,”  Thich Tuệ Nhân said. “But all can gather and sit together under one roof. Here in the temple, outside, in so many forests, so many fields: and not just monastics, but so many people, civilians who are ready, willing to come and sit and listen to the Sangha’s sharing. That is peace. Peace has put down our egos.” Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A closeup of a monk standing outside with a warm hat on
Venerable Vice Abbot Thich Giới Tuệ, of the Quán Âm Tịnh Viện Buddhist Temple, has now been a Buddhist monk for over half his life. As a 14 year old, he pursued monastic life, freely admitting that the first impulse he had to join the priesthood was the beauty of their saffron robes. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes walk down a paved road in Mississippi
This reporter asked Thich Tuệ Nhân what message he might deliver to the leaders of the United States, who have far more power, and perhaps less inclination, to externalize their own inner peace. “We’re still working on that,” Tuệ Nhân admitted wryly. With nearly 2,000 miles ahead of them, they have a lot of time to think. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
Two monks standing outside, one in golden robes and one in orange patchwork robes
Thich Tuệ Nhân, pictured right, has ambitions for his growing temple in Texas. He plans to build one of the grandest monuments to the Buddhist canon in the Americas, a complex of 840 stupas bearing the text of the Pali Tripitaka, the core text of Theravada Buddhism, containing rules for the conduct of monks, the teachings and stories of the Buddha, and meditations on the nature of the mind and soul. Cost estimates for the project have soared to $200 million in total. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press
A line of monks in orange robes walk down a paved road in Mississippi
As the evening drew to a close, before the monks found a place to rest—a field in Pearl—they passed a women’s jail on the side of Old Brandon Road. Inmates flocked to the fence to wave at them, and here the monks stopped, acknowledging the encounter, and waving back to the incarcerated women. Photo by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press

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Investigative Reporter Nick Judin joined the Jackson Free Press in 2019, initially covering the 2020 legislative session before spearheading the outlet's COVID-19 coverage. His hard-hitting reporting, including probing interviews with state leaders and public-health experts, has earned national recognition. Now with the Mississippi Free Press, Nick continues to provide Mississippians with reliable, up-to-date pandemic insights, while also covering critical issues like Jackson's water crisis, housing challenges, and other pressing community concerns.

Email the Jackson, Miss., native at nick@mississippifreepress.org.