Walking for peace

Update: The BC walk for peace challenge has been extended through Sunday, February 15, to coincide with the monks' return to Texas. Submit your miles.

This week, members of the Boston College community are encouraged to dedicate their morning workouts, lunchtime strolls, or evening spin classes to a Buddhist monk who suffered a tragic accident last fall after embarking on a 2,300-mile walk for peace. 

Phra Ajarn Maha Dam of Atlanta, Georgia, was one of about two dozen monks participating in the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center’s Walk for Peace, a 110-day journey from Texas to Washington, D.C. meant to “bring blessings to countless lives in a world filled with uncertainty and restlessness.” After setting out last October, the monks had traveled roughly 300 miles when Maha Dam was struck by a car, suffering injuries that forced doctors to amputate his leg. 

English Department faculty member Kim Garcia learned of the walk, and Maha Dam’s accident, through her online meditation group and started brainstorming ways to get the BC community involved from afar. This week, as the monks concluded their journey in the nation’s capital, she launched an initiative inviting BC faculty and staff to submit their miles in honor of Maha Dam, with a goal of 2,000. 

“Even though we can’t be part of it, we can still join the effort toward peace by walking the steps he can’t walk,” said Garcia, an award-winning poet whose work has explored the personal and political aspects of war. 

Community members can submit miles through a Google form until Friday, February 13, when the monks return to their hometowns. As of Wednesday morning, more than 300 miles had already been logged, thanks in part to Law Professor Frank Garcia’s morning spin class. 

“When Kim mentioned this idea to me, it reminded me of how during the pandemic she thought of posting beautiful poetry on the telephone poles on our street,” he said. “It felt like another idea straight to the heart of what our community needed. I was excited then and I feel excited now—this is poetry in action.”