108-Day Peace Walk Concludes, Washington, D.C BLIA Members Provide Meals with Love

Reported by Jialing Wu Washington, D.C., USA

The “Walk for Peace,” organized by 24 Theravāda Buddhist monks from around the world, set out on October 26, 2025, from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The walk spanned nine U.S. states with the ultimate goal of reaching Washington, D.C., to promote the values of nonviolence, compassion, inner peace, and social harmony, while calling for a reduction in war and human suffering.

Over the course of 108 days, the monks walked 2,300 miles, receiving warm welcomes from thousands of people along the way before arriving in the nation’s capital. In support of the peace initiative, the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Washington Chapter volunteered to provide vegetarian meals on February 10 and 11, 2026, offering food as an expression of care and connection in the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism.

Since BLIA Washington, D.C. Chapter currently lacks kitchen facilities, the meals were specially ordered from a local restaurant at the association’s expense. Upon receiving the order, restaurant owner Gan Gan enthusiastically collaborated with the chefs, arriving before 6 a.m. to prepare nutritious, freshly cooked vegetarian dishes for the participating monks and volunteers.

To ensure timely delivery, BLIA member Erxiang Ren drove from Maryland to Washington, D.C. early in the morning to pick up the meals. BLIA officers and members then carefully delivered four large platters of vegetarian dishes directly to the monks’ resting area, sharing both nourishment and heartfelt care.

Chapter President Elisabeth Hsu said the Washington, D.C. BLIA embodies the Fo Guang Shan Founding Master Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s spirit of “giving” through practical action, demonstrating the association’s motto, “Humanity with Affection, Buddha’s Light with Love,” adding warmth to the monks’ 2,300-mile journey for peace.