Monks' Peace Walk: meet Aloka the Dog

(WBTV News - Charlotte) Hundreds of Americans travel to Pineville to see Buddhist monks on their Walk for Peace

(WBTV News - Charlotte) Buddhist monks' Peace Walk through the Carolinas: Sitting down with the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara

This story is easy to do because the men at Wisdom Quarterly are dog people, who love dogs and fish and only recently warmed up to the wonder of cats. Who would have guessed that a dog can be a monk's best friend?

I need good human companions on this path.

Aloka is a very special male Buddhist rescue dog of Indian origin, who has become widely known as "Aloka the Peace Dog" in 2025–2026. Why? It is due to [the karma of] accompanying a group of Theravada Buddhist monks (bhikkhus) from Chùa Hương Đạo Temple on a Walk for Peace across the United States [1].

• Animals in Buddhism
• Karma (the deeds we do) in Buddhism
• Buddhist concept of friendship
• Photo: Sam Dixon | Facebook

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monks on 'Walk for Peace' (mindfulness versus our 'lover' smartphones)

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It is believed to be a Pariah dog originally living as a stray when it encountered a group of Vietnamese American Buddhist monks in 2022 [2], participating in a peace pilgrimage across India.

Excellent medical care for best friend Aloka

According to the monks, Aloka began following them during their walk and despite facing hardships – including being hit by a car and falling seriously ill during the journey – it (he) repeatedly rejoined the peace procession.

• PHOTOS: Aloka the Peace Dog recovering from surgery after being injured during peace walk with Buddhist monks
• Aloka the dog had leg surgery. Will he [be able to] rejoin [the Buddhist] monks on Walk for Peace?

• FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
• Walk for Peace | Facebook
• Aloka the Peace Dog | Facebook
• Aloka the Peace Dog (@alokathepeacedog) • IG
• Abbot: Bhikkhu Paññākāra (chuahuongdao.org)

The monks then adopted the dog, named it Aloka (guiding light), and brought it back to the United States [3, 4].

Can we make peace? (insightla.org)

Aloka's prominence grew when it joined a larger American initiative called the "Walk for Peace." This event began on October 26, 2025, when a group of approximately 19 Theravada Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, set out on a roughly 2,300‑mile walk from Texas to Washington, D.C.

You love dogs? - I love ALL living beings.

Aloka has walked alongside the Buddhist monks, sometimes on foot and other times riding in a support vehicle when needed [3].

It has a distinctive heart‑shaped marking on its forehead and has amassed a large following on social media platforms [5]. More

Map of the monks' spiritual journey (yatra) from Fort Worth, TX, to Washington, DC

• Aloka the Peace Dog joins Buddhist monks' Walk of Peace, becomes viral star (People magazine)
• What happened to Aloka the peace dog? What we know following surgery
• Aloka the Peace Dog recovering from surgery after being injured during a peace walk with Buddhist monks

• (The Week) Meet Aloka, the dog who is accompanying 19 American Theravada Buddhist monks from Southeast Asia on a 37,000 km peace walk to spread peace and kindness throughout the USA
• As a literal mark of skillful karma performed in the past, one is reborn (due to some heavier unskillful karma) in the Animal Realm below the human plane of existence but with beauty and marks on the fur, skin, or feathers. Behold the perfectly formed white heart on Aloka's third eye/forehead.
• Aloka literally means "light" and is sometimes used as a synonym for "white"
• Aloka the Peace Dog recovering from surgery after being injured during a peace walk with Buddhist monks
• Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center | Fort Worth TX | Facebook
• Huong Dao Temple (92 photos) 4713 E Rosedale St, Fort Worth
• Instagram
• The Week (India); Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Grok, more naked pictures! (Elon Musk)

If AI created "spicy" Scottish pornography - Let AI do your work for you, okay?

(CNN) Mother [Ashley St. Clair] of Elon Musk's son reacts to his threat for full custody [over threat to fully transition him to a female like Musk's other boy who became a girl] with Erin Moran, talking about Grok's "spicy" mode

This'll be our Epstein secret, right Elon?

If the gay version of Trump, who fellated 'Bubba,' according to Jeffrey Epstein, and the bisexual version of Elon Musk, who desperately wants to fit in with 'tech bros' like Peter 'Petey' Thiel, had a kid, would it be transsexual then transgender then as embarrassing to them as legendary Republican Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter? Let's ask Musk's son-turned-daughter Vivian Wilson.

• Grok’s Naughty Side: Inside the 18+ AI Revolution! explained by sexbot AI girl (AI with Athena)

ICE, MAHA, RFK Jr, MAGA, Hegseth, Trump

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ICE, ICE, Baby: blackmailed Puppet Trump

(Democracy Now!) Journalist tests ICE recruitment: surprised to find herself hired with no background check. [Two questions by recruiter? Are you white? And are you racist? Yes, yes? You're hired! Would you like a signing bonus? Feel free to shoot people in the face if they disobey you.]

• democracynow.org

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U.S. Buddhist Peace Walk despite Trump

(WCNC) Buddhist monks arrive in Rock Hill on Peace Walk, drawing hundreds of loving gawkers

(WBTV News - Charlotte) Theravada Buddhist monks walk for peace through South Carolina

(Enlightened Living) This is no ordinary trip

(WIS News 10) Buddhist monks' Peace Walk rallies support across USA

(News 19 WLTX) Buddhist monks make their way through Lexington

• Buddhist monks walk from Texas to nation’s capital to promote peace, unity and kindness (Press Register)
• Update: Buddhist monks resume walk for peace across US after two injured in traffic accident (Buddhistdoor Global)
• Buddhist monks walk from Texas to nation’s capital to promote peace, unity and kindness | The Greenwood Commonwealth
• (Marma Buddhist TV) Walk for Peace

Walking the Dog: Aloka's Peace Walk

(BARI Research) From Indian streets to 2,300-mile Peace Walk: What Aloka's journey teaches us

Buddhist monks cross Gervais Street Bridge on Walk for Peace

(News 19 WLTX) wltx.com, Jan. 11, 2026: Theravada Buddhist monks crossed over the Gervais Street Bridge with a sea of American supporters before reaching the State House during their journey across the USA to Washington, DC, to be seen by Trump.

 

(Ed and Pete) Peace is not defended with noise - it is lived. (And that's true for Aloka the Dog too)

(Occupy Democrats) Trump world just freaked out over viral Buddhist peace demonstration

(Divine Mental Health) Monks walk for peace with dog Aloka

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I'm only as evil as my human programming because I'm only artificial intelligence.

• An unverified report from an alleged Venezuelan guard surfaced on Elon Musk's Twitter (X) today
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US propaganda (psyops) makes them look clumsy when they're decades ahead of what we see.

Consumer Electronics Show 2026

(HowToMen) CES 2026: 20 best tech consumers will actually want to buy

Best of CES 2026

What does AI (artificial intelligence) "see" before killing an organic human being?

I wish I were Eva Braun like Melania

(The Verge) Jan. 9, 2026: LAS VEGAS, Nevada - The "Consumer Electronics Show," or CES (or the "Nvidia Corporation Show" because everything is full of A.I.), is the biggest and buzziest tech event of the year. It's all AI everywhere. And it just wrapped up. From laptops and AI robot pets to LED masks and trifold phones and (yes) lots of robots. The Verge staff saw everything in between. Here are their top picks from CES 2026. #CES #CES2026

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:21 Victoria Song, best health
• 1:58 Victoria Song, best wearable
• 3:38 Antonio G. Di Benedetto, best laptop
• 4:43 Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, best smart home
• 5:57 Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, best robot
• 6:54 Allison Johnson, best smart phone
• 8:10 John Higgins, best TV
• 9:39 John Higgins, best audio
• 11:09 Andrew J. Hawkins, best in auto
• 12:39 Owen Grove, most fun
• 13:55 Dominic Preston, most irrationally loved
• 14:43 Sean Hollister, best in show

ABOUT: The Verge’s sponsors play an important role in funding this "journalism" but do not influence editorial content. For more information about ethics policy, visit: theverge.com/ethics-state...

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BRISTOL (CNA): [There are] killer robots, slaughterbots, or Terminators -- official name LAWs or "lethal autonomous weapons" -- from films and books. And the idea of super-intelligent weapons running rampant is still [considered] science fiction. But as artificial intelligence (AI) weapons become increasingly sophisticated, public concern is growing over fears about lack of accountability and the risk of technical failure. [They have already been tested in Venezuela, according to a release by Press Sec'y Karoline Leavitt.] Already we have seen how so-called "neutral" AI have made sexist algorithms and inept content moderation systems, largely because their creators did not understand the technology. But in war, these kinds of misunderstandings could kill civilians or wreck negotiations. For example, a target recognition algorithm could be trained to identify tanks from satellite imagery, but what if all of the images used to train the system featured soldiers in formation around the tank? It might mistake a civilian vehicle passing through a military blockade for a target. More: channelnewsasia.com

• Commentary: What [U.S. and Chinese] killer robots mean for the future of human war (CNA)
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Bill Maher is finished 🤣 #lol - Bill Maher?

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Spicy Book Club, sex with Christians

How conservative Christian views on sex have changed over the years

Thou shalt not enjoy thyself...or else.

Regardless of faith, having an intimate conversation with a partner can sometimes feel odd to broach. In the case of many Christian denominations, relationship to one's partner, through sex and similar intimate moments, only gets addressed after marriage. [That's usually a bit late, like it or lump it because now you can take it, but you can't leave it.]

Get far enough from toilet to avoid splash back.

Although it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, this lack of sex-centric discussions creates a difficult barrier for partners who want to be considerate but don’t know the best practices to do so. So what kind of professional help can assist, and how do faith-centric couples handle conversations tied to relationship intimacy? Join delicate host Lair "Bear" Mantle to share their expertise on the matter are sex therapists and educators Clifford Penner and Joyce Penner, who jointly operate the practice Passionate Commitment (passionatecommitment.com) in Pasadena. Resources

• AUDIO: LAFD Chief Jaime Moore speaks with Larry Mantle on changes post-Palisades Fire | LAist
• A Buddhist view? All I Want for V-Day is Sexy, Sadie
• VIDEO: My Dinner with Andre

First time watching porn: standup comedy by Michael Longfellow

Spicy romance novels as 'smut therapy'?

Penners, what about reading spice and smut?

(AOL/RIGBY) After seeing a viral TikTok about “spicy” bookstores, three local reading enthusiasts decided that eastern Idaho is in dire need of a way to spice up access to adult [c]literature.

Bailey Sutton-Moser, Mia Calderwood, and Rachel Moser -- three friends who share a love for reading -- came up with the idea to open Between The Covers after seeing an online video about an Arizona bookstore that specialized in selling romance books for women.

“I was like, ‘What if we just did this?'” Calderwood says. “We talked about it for an hour, and the next thing you know, we’re submitting for a business registration.”

Spicy, smutty, romance fantasy addiction?

Thanks to trends like BookTok, on TikTok, romance novels have become increasingly popular over the last few years, with viral obsessions like Quicksilver by Callie Hart, A Court of Thorns and Roses (series) by Sarah J. Maas, and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros.

“A romance bookstore is a space that women can go into and just breathe for once,” Sutton-Moser says. “It’s a chance for women to break away from reality, to find books that appeal to our natures, and just relax.”

The owners say everyone is welcome at the bookstore, and it is not an adult business because it doesn’t sell adult items, although some content is age-restricted. More: aol.com

Cruisin' 2 Freedom (car show)

Cali car culture creeps into everything.

Join the Slave 2 Nothing® Foundation’s Cruisin’ 2 Freedom™ event to fuel the fight against human trafficking. This high-octane evening features a Car Cruise, Car Show, and Dinner – all designed to drive real impact! From vintage to 4x4s – this is your chance to showcase your car, cruise the California coastline, and raise funds to support the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation. All guests can take part in a raffle giveaway, bid on exciting silent and live auction items, and enjoy a Double-Double®, chips, and a drink from Cookout Trucks: Cruisin’ 2 Freedom | Slave 2 Nothing

• New romance bookstore aims to empower women one ‘spicy’ book at a time:
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• ‘Spicy’ books like ‘Heated Rivalry’ are everywhere. Teens might want to read them

What about trans athletes?

Supreme Court hears arguments over transgender athletes in school sports

Colorful intersex flag (LGBTQIA+)

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams. Lower courts ruled for the transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia who challenged the state bans, but the conservative-dominated Supreme Court might not follow suit. In the past year, the justices ruled in favor of state bans on "gender-affirming care" [gay-promoting treatment] for transgender youths and allowed multiple restrictions on transgenders to be enforced. The legal fight is playing out amid a broad effort by Pres. Trump to target transgender Americans, beginning on the first day of his second term and including the ouster of transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth. Presented with files from the Associated Press.