Walking For Peace; Peace is the inner nature of humankind; if you find it within yourself, you will find it everywhere

By Sister Chirya of Owego —

These photos capture the powerful moments of the extraordinary 2,300-mile Walk for Peace across America led by Buddhist monks. At the Join the Walk and Peace Gathering in Columbia at the South Carolina State House, thousands of people welcomed them and walked together for peace. The streets were filled with hearts moving as one. 

“The energy was beautiful; the unity was palpable, and the love was overwhelming.”

This is what peace in action looks like when hearts unite with one purpose; proof that peace is not just an idea, it is alive, blooming. When you are at peace with the world within you, the world will become a beautiful place to live in.

“We do not walk alone,” says one of the group’s posts. “We walk together with every person whose heart has opened to peace, whose spirit has chosen kindness, and whose daily life has become a garden where understanding grows.”

To have deep love for God as our parent, the Mother and Father of all souls, makes it very easy to have love for all, regardless of color, race, or creed. Even across a huge and often divided nation, unity isn’t an idea for the future; people still choose connection. We will be like one big family knit together in a bond of pure love and happiness. Be sure to check out https://shorturl.at/Usbix.

“Everywhere we go now, the crowd is getting larger and larger. I truly hope that all of you will walk with us to Washington, DC – in spirit.”

We have to walk until the end of our lives. This world is moving too fast,, and we have to keep pace with it so the world is a better place for generations to come. We have to be mindful. We have been too busy chasing things in the outside world; we didn’t even have time to see our breath going in and out. We breathe like robots waiting for the last moment of our lives.

We have forgotten peace with so many distractions around us in this world. We lose our concentration. Multitasking, we have been doing one thing while another thing at the same time, and we suffer. We react like machines and cannot manage our emotions. We are like two pieces of rock. We fight and we suffer. Our lives have been broken into so many pieces. Mentally, visibly, and verbally, we have been separating ourselves for so long. 

But now, it is necessary to stand up and not go for another fight. Instead, we should fight one thing: our mind. The mind is more important than anything else, but we are holding on to anger, hatred, and all bad habits. We continue to think about them over and over, and we suffer. 

We have so many different backgrounds, colors, languages, so many faiths, and so many religions, as people have different mindsets. Don’t try to change anyone but change oneself. Continue your various religions. But yet, we all have one religion: peace, compassion, and loving kindness. Continue to practice and worship these in your mind daily. Practice without any expectations of the outcome.

Treat each other in a nice way. So give your mind something to do and tell it, “Today is going to be my peaceful day.” Continue every day to tell the universe this, and no one can mess up your day. It starts with the self, then the family, our country, and the world.

“Peace. It does not mean being in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means being in the midst of those things and still being calm in your heart.”

(Local Contact: bkchirya@gmail.com. For retreats and classes, register at www.peacevillageretreat.org or by calling [589] 518-5000. Internationally, visit www.bkwsu.org.)