STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In this country, about two dozen Buddhist monks are gathering thousands of followers online and in person by taking what they call a Walk for Peace. Scott Morgan with South Carolina Public Radio caught up with them.
SCOTT MORGAN, BYLINE: On a balmy January morning, five or six miles west of Saluda, South Carolina, a veil of sun-streaked fog shrouds a long stretch of country road. Two women from Savannah, Georgia, Karen McHugh and Christine Alexander, park their car at a livestock exchange. They carry white flowers and handmade knitted trinkets.
KAREN MCHUGH: The monks brought us here.
MORGAN: The monks brought you here?
MCHUGH: Well, in spirit. I was drawn to come here.
MORGAN: On October 26, two dozen Buddhist monks set off from Fort Worth, Texas, on a Walk for Peace through the Deep South. Their final destination? Washington, D.C. Along with their rescue dog, Aloka, they have quite a following on social media and on the sides of country roads like this one.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC ZOOMING)
MORGAN: Small groups of people wait in anticipation. Then we see the police escort lights flicker down the road. Suddenly, the monks emerge from the fog, their orange and maroon and saffron robes cutting through the gray and green and brown of winter at a brisk and purposeful pace.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK #1: (Non-English language spoken).
MORGAN: They exchange flowers and blessings and bow to the people who watch them pass.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK #2: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK #3: Thank you.
SHERRY COBB: Well, I recently lost my father four months ago. And there's a lot of turmoil in my life right now.
MORGAN: Sherry Cobb (ph) has been following the Walk for Peace online for weeks now. And the monks' journey hasn't always been a smooth one. Asphalt roads tear at their feet. Aloka, the dog, had to see a vet. Two of the monks were injured when a truck hit their escort vehicle. Cobb drove 100 miles from Salem, South Carolina, to see the monks in person. One handed her a gift.
COBB: I believe it's a peace bracelet that one of the monks gave to me. Very emotional. That's really all I can say about it.
MORGAN: A few miles up the road, in the center of town, a large crowd fills the square in front of the Saluda County courthouse where the monks will stop for lunch. And the stillness, even as the monks are several minutes away, is startling. Groups of five or six people speak in whispers and hushed tones out of reverence, they say, for the monks' mission, which draws visitors from several states away.
BECKY GABLE: I drove here from Alabama.
MORGAN: Becky Gable (ph) lost her daughter in 2014. She wants to see the monks to help her heal.
GABLE: Yes. This is just so - it's just bringing another chapter, you know, beginning of another chapter here.
MORGAN: As the monks enter town, Gable falls on one knee to greet them.
GABLE: Oh, bless you. God bless you. I've come from Alabama.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK #4: Thank you so much.
GABLE: Thank you so much. Thank you.
MORGAN: They bless her with bows as they pass. As the monks settle for lunch in the square, the crowd encircles them. In prayer, the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the monks' leader on their journey, closes his blessing of the food with an intonation.
BHIKKHU PANNAKARA: (Chanting in non-English language).
MORGAN: After lunch, Pannakara tells the crowd that the move towards peace cannot end just because their journey eventually will. And then the monks leave Saluda to continue their walk to Washington, D.C.
For NPR News, I'm Scott Morgan in Saluda, South Carolina.
(SOUNDBITE OF ZINNING'S "SLEEPING PETALS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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