Hundreds flock to Jordan Lake to share in monks’ message of peace, detachment

Hundreds of people encircled a group of Buddhist monks at Jordan Lake on Friday, keeping their voices to murmurs and whispers as they tried to hear monk Bhikku Pannakara speak.

Some balanced the balls of their feet on low-hanging tree branches just to see the monks. Many held their phones as high as they could, some FaceTiming their friends and loved ones. Still others carried flowers they hoped to hand the monks.

At the State Recreation Area, the monks answered questions and spoke about avoiding the “suffering” of being overly attached to people — even family. They encouraged the crowd to practice mindfulness by noticing their breath and repeating daily mantras when they wake up.

Afterward, the 17 monks resumed day 90 of their Walk for Peace to Washington, D.C., flanked by Chatham County Sheriff’s Office pickup trucks as they walked eastbound on U.S. 64. They planned to rest in the evening in northeast Apex before heading out again Saturday morning. They are expected to reach the state Capitol building by Saturday afternoon and arrive in the nation’s capital Feb. 10 or 11.

It is unclear how, if at all, the coming winter storm will affect the monks’ plans for heading through Raleigh. The city issued a news release Friday night asking people who want to greet the monks to monitor the city’s official social media channels for updates on their anticipated arrival time.

As he spoke to the crowd Friday, Pannakara reflected that he didn’t expect so many people to be following the monks’ journey — especially not in the cold and rain. But seeing so many people moved to tears informed him that this was the right thing to do, he said.

“It means that we suffer a lot … that when someone talks about doing something for peace, we go all in for it,” Pannakara said.

While many in front of her stood on their tippy toes to catch a glance of Pannakara, Leslie Hines sat on a patterned carpet with, among other items, a lyre — inspired by the story of David from the Bible — a white duck with purple hearts — a personal symbol of peace — and burning incense she got from Cairo, Egypt.

Even if she couldn’t see the monks, Hines, who came from Greensboro, just wanted to be in their presence. She took from Pannakara’s talk how to carry her peace with her, with declarations like “may I be well, may I be happy, may I be peaceful.”

As a 12-year Navy veteran, Hines said she’s seen other countries and cultures and knew she had to practice detachment and peace.

“I know our country needs to understand what peace is,” she said. “Our country is the most deceived on what peace is.”

Just like in Pittsboro on Thursday, the Walk for Peace drew hundreds of cars to Apex, where drivers parked on the highway’s grass medians to walk with the monks.

Several onlookers came to their knees and bowed in the monks’ presence.

The monks stopped for those who were sick — including a man in a wheelchair and a woman with a card saying she had Lyme’s Disease and needed a prayer — and briefly sung a prayer before continuing their walk. Tears streaked down the woman’s cheeks as she received the monks’ prayer.

As the monks approached, Diana D’Abruzzo snapped a photo before telling herself she needed to experience the moment.

So she used a black sweater as a makeshift mat as she came to her knees, closed her eyes and brought her palms together.

“That [picture] might stay on your phone forever, and you might never look at it,” D’Abruzzo said. “But if you actually sit and absorb the moment, you’ll experience it deeper.”

D’Abruzzo, who came from Chapel Hill, has followed the monks since they were in South Carolina. She knew there would be like-minded people looking for peace among suffering, and she spent most of her time talking to two people she had never met before.

“Just knowing that there are other people out there like you who want to see a better world is so heartening when things are so dark,” she said. “And things are so dark right now.”

How to track the monks

You can view the live map at dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/live-map and see the larger overview map at dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/overview-map

In Raleigh, the monks are expected to start walking from N.C. State’s Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel (1030 Richardson Drive, Raleigh, NC 27603) at 2 p.m. on Saturday and arrive at the NC State Capitol for at 3:30 p.m.

This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 6:29 PM.