I drove hours to see the monks walking for peace. Five minutes with them was the gift of a lifetime

I glimpsed the monks on their 2,300-mile pilgrimage across America – their message of loving-kindness had me in tears

“I’m obsessed with the monks,” my friend Sam told me. “It’s the only thing getting me through the violence of this second Trump administration. The monks, and my meds.”

I nodded. I’d first heard about the monks walking for peace after my brother and sister-in-law traveled to hear them in Alabama, returning with stories of stillness and a grounded sense of hope.

The monks are part of a 2,300-mile pilgrimage for peace from a Buddhist temple in Fort Worth, Texas, across nine states to Washington DC. Dressed in vibrant orange robes, they have walked about 20 miles daily, eating one meal a day and practicing loving-kindness – a form of mindfulness that can be thought of as a form of non-violent resistance.

Their journey is a slow-moving meditation meant to embody peace, rather than argue for it. So far, they’ve faced extreme challenges. After a driver crashed into the group in Texas, one of the monks had to go through a leg amputation. They’ve also had to contend with the bitter, snowy cold that has engulfed this part of the country.