EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — On a usually empty stretch of Highway 378 through Edgefield County, people lined up mid-morning on Jan. 7 to catch a glimpse of the Buddhist monks making their Walk for Peace.
“This is the biggest thing to ever happen around here,” said Shaquavis Sales, who drove his 80-year-old aunt down the street to watch as the monks made their way past on their trek which will ultimately take them to Washington, D.C. next month.
Jan. 7 was Day 74 of the Buddhist monks’ 2,000-mile walk. They began the morning in McCormick. Sales said he tried to see them in McCormick Tuesday night, but there were too many people there. He thought mid-morning would give him and his aunt a better view, and it did.
Joining the monks is Aloka the Peace Dog, a former stray mixed breed with a white marking that looks like a heart on his head. The dog is a crowd favorite.
Crowds haven’t always gathered where the monks have gone though, said Bhikkhu Pannakara, who spoke to those gathered at their lunch stop near Liberty Hill Lookout Station.
“When we walk, there were so many, so many people that now they stop us. Back when we started in Fort Worth, Texas, we walk the way we walk; they drive the way they drive. Nobody cared,” he said.
However, along the way, something has changed. People began to get out of their cars, and they’d have tears in their eyes because something about what the monks were doing touched them. Their tears would often bring the monks to tears.
“I never expected this outcome,” he said.
Bhikkhu Pannakara said the walk itself cannot bring peace, but he sees in the eyes of those people who shed tears that there is a shift.
“This call is spreading all of us coming together. We have different backgrounds, different skin color, different faiths, different languages we speak, but we can be here together,” he said.
He also spoke about being more mindful and less distracted, taking time to focus and be in the moment. As he held the group’s attention, Aloka the Peace Dog got up from his spot on the ground and walked off, taking many eyes with him.
Bhikkhu Pannakara said Aloka illustrated his point perfectly.
The walk hasn’t been easy. One of the monks was hit by a truck and had his leg amputated.
And sometimes, they encounter people who oppose them. People curse and shout at them, he said. He considers it his test.
“If we react with anger then we lose. we should react with kindness… If all of us can react that way every time, this world would be a very beautiful world,” he said.
Beth Christian of Augusta has gone to four different stops on their walk and has talked with friends about possibly going to the Washington, D.C. area as the walk winds down.
“It’s awe-inspiring,” she said.
Many of those who visited with the monk wanted to see Aloka.
Christian said Aloka came right up to her in McCormick. Guillermo Serda of Aiken is another Aloka fan. Serda had a dog named Napoleon who resembled Aloka and he was one of the reasons, Serda traveled into Edgefield County. But he had other reasons.
“I think it’s a great thing they are doing,” said Serda, who hoped the walk could bring unity.
The monks are heading toward Columbia on Jan. 10 and should travel through Saluda and Leesville on Jan. 8. They update the Facebook page Walk for Peace with their location and where people can meet up with them.
The walk covers 2,300 miles. On Jan. 7, they walked about 10 miles, but on other days, they walk as many as 27 miles.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
