Renaissance Pleasure Faire (4/4-5/17)

Visit before the season ends: renfair.com/socal

Who doesn't love the cleavage-rich styles of the Renaissance when boobs were elevated to high fashion like a jiggling platter to behold? And there's feasting, jesting, jousting, and cosplay of all kinds...whatever the Faire means to attendants.

 

This is the only chance to experience it in SoCal until next year. And who knows if there'll be a next year, what with all those meteors, UFOs, Israeli nukes, Iranian retaliations, and Trump implosions coming. So join RenFaire for one last Huzzah!

Tickets at renfair.com/socal/tickets. BUY TICKETS NOW. IF ALREADY PURCHASED, USE THEM OR LOSE THEM! If there are still tickets for this season in pocket or purse, please plan to join in for some fun before the final day of this season. Tickets are non-refundable. Please click here to learn how to exchange them for any remaining 2026 Faire day.

NOTE: If a date is sold out, no one will be able to exchange tickets to that date. Make exchanges ASAP! As the Faire heads into its final weekend, a quick reminder to help keep things running smoothly for all: Tailgating, outside alcohol, and cannabis/marijuana are not permitted on the Faire grounds, inside the Faire, or in the parking lots of the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area. The Faire appreciates everyone's cooperation in creating a safe, welcoming experience for every guest. It can’t wait to celebrate one last magical season with all! For safety, everyone is encouraged to drive into the Santa Fe Dam. Climbing over the rock wall is not advised, as there is an increased number of biting rattlesnakes on the rock wall. Pedestrian traffic in the roadways impedes vehicle traffic, so please stay on sidewalks if walking the 1.5 miles into the Dam.

Pro Tips to Enter and Exit the Santa Fe Dam: Follow the directions of the traffic team, and please be patient. Bring $15 cash in exact change for the park entrance fee. Watch for bicyclists and please yield! When leaving, take the asphalt road to Peckham Gate, or take the dirt road closest to the dam wall. That road leads to Arrow Highway. Exit right to get to the 605 and 210 Freeways. Find all directions and parking tips here.

Bhikkhu Bodhi greets Peace Walk monks

(CBS News) Ven. Pannakara recounts 15-week pilgrimage for peace

• The Walk for Peace with Aloka the Dog

Who is Bhikkhu Bodhi?

Social and Communal Harmony

Born Jeffrey Block (Dec. 10, 1944), now known as Bhikkhu Bodhi [a], is an American Theravada Buddhist scholar-monk, a major inspiration for Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal, educated in California, ordained in Sri Lanka, and now teaching in New York and New Jersey.

• Long ago at BPS, Bhikkhu Bodhi authorized our Dharma editor to promote his mail order Buddhist course called The Buddha's Teaching: As It Is, a ten-cassette set he recorded in the basement of the Washington Buddhist Vihara with glossary and notes. To reach a wider audience, we took it online with millions of views, our dhamma-dana.

He is a prolific Pali canon translator, author, and Buddhist commentator, long ago appointed the second president of BPS.lk (the Buddhist Publication Society) [2]. He is the current president of BAUS.org (the Buddhist Association of America), and the founder of the Buddhist charity Buddhist Global Relief [3].

(Buddhism Simplified) What if we don't want to believe in rebirth?

 

Early life

Whaddya mean ya wanna leave Jud'ism to JuBu?

Block was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1944 to Jewish parents. He grew up in Borough Park, where he attended elementary school P.S. 160 [4] and graduated from New Utrecht High School [5]. He then worked as a door-to-door salesman selling paintbrushes [6].

In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Brooklyn College, where he first encountered Buddhism in books at the bookstore [6]. In 1972, he obtained a doctoral degree (PhD) in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University [7, 8] in Southern California before deciding to move to Asia to ordain as a monk. More

• (ABC 7 News - WJLA) LIVE: Buddhist monks conclude 2,300-mile 'Walk for Peace' at the Lincoln Memorial (during Black History Month) in Washington, DC

Peace Walk ends: Buddhist monks reach DC

Aloka: So we turn around and start to walk back now? There are so many people I want to see.

(DWS News) Full speech: Leader of Buddhist monks and friend of Aloka the Peace Dog's Peace Walk at American University shares life-changing mindfulness teachings | AK1E

• American University, Washington, D.C.
• What is "mindfulness" in Buddhism?
• Who is Aloka the Dog on Peace Walk?

• 

  Mala (prayer rosary): 108 beads (Rosary)

  Q: Why did it take exactly 108 days? A: The number 108 (a full mala or rosary) is considered sacred by the Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. According to Sri Lankan Theravada scholar-monk Bhante G (abbot of the Bhāvanā Society in West Virginia), 108 is reached by multiplying the senses of smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and consciousness by whether they are painful, pleasant, or neutral, then again by whether they are internally generated or externally occurring, and again by whether they are in the past, present, or future. Finally, we get 108 feelings: (6×3×2×3 = 108). So the number 108 represents all the possible sensory states one could experience. More

TODAY'S LIVESTREAM

Day 108: Peace Walk, Washington Nat'l Cathedral

“Walk for Peace” ends at American U; monks call for unity and compassion

(The National Desk) Buddhist monks end 2,300-mile Walk for Peace in DC

Livestream: Day 108 Peace Walk arrives at Washington National Cathedral

(DWS News) FULL MARCH: Buddhist monks arrive in DC, speeches, 2,300-mile walk with Aloka the Peace Dog, meet students at American University | AC1E

(WUSA9) Buddhist monks draw massive crowds in Alexandria, during cross-country Peace Trek

(FOX 5 Washington DC) Hundreds brave cold to greet Buddhist monks in Alexandria (Virginia)

Before dawn in rural Virginia, Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace draws crowds seeking hope

• Buddhist music: chanting as a spiritual practice
• What are they saying? Pali canon's sutras + blessings

(Reuters) LIVE: Buddhist monks on 2,300-mile peace walk now reach Arlington, Virginia. They arrive and enter to cheers at Minute 47:37

(ABC 7 News - WJLA) Venerable monks touch hearts, Walk for Peace in Virginia, en route to DC

(FOX 5 Washington DC) Buddhist monk reflects on Walk for Peace in sit-down with FOX 5

Venerable Buddhist monks touch hearts during Walk for Peace in Virginia en route to DC

(ABC 7 News - WJLA) Feb. 6, 2026: “If you’re not at peace, where are we?" said Caroline County resident Sue Iszczenko while she and her daughter Kayla waited for the venerable Buddhist monks to walk past them on their route from Texas to Washington, D.C., promoting inner and world peace.

Hi, I'm Aloka the Peace Dog

In a time defined by [Trump] turmoil, with a nation fractured, hundreds came from far and wide, gathering roadside in rural Caroline County to witness 20 Buddhist monks [and a dog named Aloka] journey a portion of 2,300 arduous miles – from Texas to D.C. – advocating for harmony in a world gone haywire. More: wjla.com/news/local/venerable...

So sweet — when Buddhist monks walking for peace make everyone smile

(AmeriScope) Feb. 5, 2026: Some moments don’t need to be explained. We see them — and we smile spontaneously. This video captures one of those moments. It is so sweet in its simplicity that Americans naturally slow down and feel lighter, even if for just a moment.

(True Way of Buddha) Poor woman asked me, "Will I die poor?"

Ven. Abbot Pannakara | Walk for Peace Monks and Aloka

 

Nothing here is planned. Nothing is performed. The sweetness comes from small, human interactions — the kind that happen when kind people are present and open. A smile appears unexpectedly. Gestures are genuine. Someone pauses, not because they have to but because they want to.

These moments change the world little by little because inner peace expresses as world peace. They change the moment. As part of the Walk for Peace, scenes like this appear along the road — not loud or dramatic, just quietly heartwarming. People notice without trying. They react without thinking. And suddenly, the space is warmer.

(USA-Buddha's Teaching.) Day 104: resume after lunch for next destination

Aloka the Peace Dog is the big star walking

This movement isn’t about distance, destination, or purpose. It’s about feeling. It’s about how sweetness shows up when no one is trying to impress or persuade.

• What is the way to such "sweetness"? The Buddha taught four sublime meditations called the Four Supreme Abidings:

1. loving-kindness (metta)
2. compassion (compassion)
3. joy in the joy of others (mudita)
4. unbiased looking on (upekkha)

It happens when people are simply themselves. In a world that often feels rushed and heavy, moments like this land differently. They do not demand attention. They invite a smile. Sometimes that’s enough. This is a reminder that kindness doesn’t always look serious. Sometimes, it just looks sweet.

What was the last small moment that made you smile without expecting it? #PeaceWalk #AlokaDog #Texas #WashingtonDC #SweetMoments #EverydayJoy #LittleThingsMatter #FeelGoodVideo #WarmMoments #LifeAsItIs

• Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Sayalay Aloka (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Peace Walk talk: illness and tough times

(True Way of Buddha) How to handle illness and difficult times (suffering/dukkha) | Peace Walk leader Ven. Pannakara, abbot of HD Temple, Texas | Walk for Peace

• Ven. Pannakara on Aloka's medical treatment (Aloka the Dog)
• In this world, hate has never dispelled hate; only love can (Barre Center for Buddhist Studies)

COLD: Walk for Peace (Buddha's Wisdom)

(WRAL) Walk for Peace in NC: Raliegh residents brave cold to see monks

Why millions crying watching Aloka and 19 monks | Truth moves America

As protests [against Dictator Trump] turn violent, Buddhist monks walk together for peace

120 DAYS. 2,300 MILES. ONE MEAL. BUDDHIST MONKS' WALK FOR PEACE changing AMERICA

(Buddha's Wisdom) Jan. 22, 2026: 🙏 THEY WALK PEACEFULLY WHILE THE WORLD KEEPS FIGHTING.

In October 2025, twenty Theravada Buddhist monks began the Walk for Peace, a 120-day barefoot pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, DC.

Buddhist 'Walk for Peace': Doctor of anthropology shares insights

Jesus was Buddhist monk

Walking in noble silence, carrying nothing but robes and alms bowls, depending entirely on strangers for food and shelter, these Theravāda monks (bhikkhus) are practicing a 2,600-year-old tradition on modern American highways.

As of January 2026, they're passing through the Carolinas, approaching their destination at the U.S. Capitol on February 13th, 2026.

This is not a protest, not a march, but an ancient Buddhist practice brought into the modern world.

DISCOVER

• Why Buddhist monks are walking 2,300 miles in silence while the world keeps fighting
• How this pilgrimage traces back to the historical Buddha’s original way of life
• The ancient sane ascetic practices (dhutaṅgas) these monks follow (one meal per day, sleeping outdoors, walking barefoot)
• How Aloka, their rescue dog, became a viral symbol when he needed surgery in Charlotte, NC
• The deeper meaning of dāna (sharing, non-clinging, letting go, generosity) in a divided society
• Why this walk matters now as U.S. war, political tension, and global unrest escalate

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Two Symbols of Peace
• 01:49 The Monastery That Moves
• 08:37 The Teacher Who Never Stopped Moving
• 12:23 Walking Through Fire
• 16:13 Two Symbols
• 19:30 What Peace Becomes

FOLLOW, SUPPORT WALK FOR PEACE 🌍

• Social media:
• Facebook (walkforpeaceusa)
• Instagram (Walk): walkforpeace.usa
• Instagram (Aloka): alokathepeacedog
• Track The Journey:
• Overview map: walkforpeace.short.gy/overview...
• Live tracker: walkforpeace.short.gy/live-map
• Updates and info (official blog): dhammacetiya.com

☕ Support channel: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom 🙏 First time here? Buddha’s Wisdom explores timeless Buddhist teachings and their relevance to modern life but in this case makes an exception for an extraordinary current event. This is happening now.

📱 Join community: Instagram (buddhaswizdom), Facebook (buddhaswizdom), X (x.com/BuddhasWizdom), Spotify (open.spotify.com/show/5ndnBU5...), TikTok (buddhas.wisdom). Subscribe for weekly videos on mindfulness, meditation, and conscious living grounded in authentic sources.

#WalkForPeace, #BuddhistMonks, #TheravadaBuddhism, #Pilgrimage, #PeaceWalk, #BuddhistTeachings, #NobleEightfoldPath, #Mindfulness, #Compassion, #ModernBuddhism, #America2026, #SpiritualJourney, #Dhutanga, #buddhistpractices

Monks' Peace Walk: Meet Aloka the Dog

(WFMY News TV) Where will the monks be on MLK Day, Jan. 19, 2026? In Greensboro, NC

(WFMY News 2) Day 86: Ven. Pannakara full speech in High Point, NC

(FOX 8 WGHP) Buddhist monks' Walk for Peace with Aloka the Dog crosses into High Point

(WFMY News 2) Monks walk peacefully to Greensboro on East MLK Jr. Dr. at I-7 on MLK Day

(AmeriScope) 2,300-mile Peace Walk through state capitals across USA is touching a nerve

Aloka's 2,300-mile route goes through ten states and their capitals all the way to DC.

(US Current Affairs) Buddhist monks walk 2,300 miles for peace - America stops to watch

(WACH FOX) Buddhist monks reach South Carolina on their U.S. "Walk for Peace" to DC

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

• (Snehashis Priya Barua) Aloka find his way back: a heartwarming reunion

(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

(WCNC) 'Life-changing speech': Chris Mulcahy shares experience visiting

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

(WBTV News - Charlotte) Buddhists walking thousands of miles for peace

(WSPA 7 News) Day 73: Monks cross from Georgia into South Carolina

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

Buddhist monks' Peace Walk across USA

(Ed and Pete)

Buddhist Monks' Walk of Peace brings hope to Jackson, Mississippi

(16 WAPT News Jackson) Dec. 10, 2025: "They have sacrificed so much. Some of them are out here walking in sandals. Some of them are walking barefoot. So they're making sacrifices," says fan Kiffany Dugger. "They were welcomed with open hearts as Mississippians clung to every word they shared on the capitol steps," the reporter states.

• Buddhist monks walking (pindapata, kinhin, Sati in (Buddhism), mindfulness practice, Four Foundations of Mindfulness is satipatthana)

(Walk for Peace)

(KALB Central Louisiana News, Weather & Sports) A group of Theravada Buddhist monks from Southeast Asia living in America bring message of peace to Louisiana, walking 2,300 miles over 120 days, having begun on Oct. 26, 2025, with their trusty dog Aloka.

(One Breath Stories) Song for Walk for Peace, true story, monks and Aloka walk Texas to DC

(Ed and Pete) What is driving these Theravada Buddhist monks to walk across the USA?

• With Robes and Bowl (Buddhist Publication Society)

(Ed and Pete) TRIBUTE: Walk for Peace w/ 19 Theravada Buddhist monks and Aloka the Dog [whose karma is such that it was coincidentally born with a heart shaped patched over its third eye, a mark of mixed past karma good enough to be beautiful, bad enough to fall onto the animal plane but among good people]

Yogi in India climbing barefoot to mountain top

PEACE WALK: a peace march, sometimes referred to as a peace pilgrimage (yatra), is a form of nonviolent action where a person or group marches a set distance to raise awareness for particular issues important to the walkers.

• Animals in Buddhism
• Karma (deed-seeds) in Buddhism
• Theravada Buddhism in Laos
• Peace walk (pilgrimage) in the USA

(KPRC 2 Click2Houston) UPDATE: Good Samaritan donates new escort vehicle to Peace Walk

Buddhist monks peace walk from Texas to DC

They left their cozy and tranquil Buddhist temple in Fort Worth to send Trump et al. a message

.

(KFDM YouTube) Nov. 24, 2025: A group of Theravada Buddhist monks is persevering on their peace walk from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., despite facing challenges, including a recent auto accident in Dayton that injured two monks.

Western Zen kinhin practice

The monks or bhikkhus began their journey on Oct. 26th, 2025, at the Hong Dao Buddhist Temple and have covered nearly 300 miles. They aim to complete the 2,300-mile trek in 120 days.

The monks say their mission is to support a suffering society and promote healing worldwide.

"We try to spread that love, loving kindness, compassion, and hopefully that everyone will be living in harmony and unity, and that is our purpose of walking," they said.

Is there a Buddhist way to walk? Yes, mindfully

Supporters have been inspired by the monks' dedication. One supporter shared, "I woke up my daughter and I was like, 'Hey, we got to go! And we flew here... I think it's awesome what they're doing."

Despite the accident involving a pickup truck hitting the monks, which left one hospitalized, the group remains committed to their journey.

"The surgery went well, and he's well, and he's happy. He supported this walk, and he wanted all the monks to continue walk in to finish this journey," they said.

The monks express gratitude for the support they have received along the way, as they continue their walk for peace.

• Walk for Peace: Buddhist monks and their dog Aloka (plus Western participants)

Buddhist monks walking meditation (ar.inspiredpencil.com collection)

Walking Meditation Mastery: Embrace mindfulness and movement for well-being

.

Follow KFDM on social media: KFDM on Facebook (kfdmnews), Twitter (kfdmnews), and subscribe to KFDM on YouTube (@newsonkfdm). For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit kfdm.com. Watch live newscasts and other live video at kfdm.com/watch. Have a news tip? Are Buddhist monastics up to more good? Send it directly to us: Email us: news@kfdm.com. Call the Newsroom: (409) 892-6622. KFDM is a Texas-based station and CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. KBTV is a Texas-based station and Fox Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 163 television stations in 77 markets, after pending transactions. Sinclair's television group reaches approximately 38.7% of US television households and includes FOX, ABC, MyTV, CW, CBS, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates. #kfdm #kfdmnews #beaumont #beaumontnews #KFDM #KFDMNews #localnews #breakingnews

• KFDM, Buddhist monks peace walk from TX to DC, Nov. 24, 2025; Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly