The Chainsaw-Wielding Monk of Texas

(Light  Alchemy Productions) Sitagu Vihara Buddhist Monastery

(Pink Floyd) "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" live at Pompeii. 1972. Use a chainsaw, Eugene!

Wandering ascetic in the USA

Sitagu Buddha Vihara, Austin, Texas: Dhamma. 🪷 Behind every great story there’s a chainsaw-wielding Buddhist monk.

Which is to say, what I actually mean is each reporting process is populated by vibrant hidden figures like American Theravada Buddhist monk Bhante Nalaka (born Steven Waite).

He walked me and my family around Sitagu Buddha Vihara in Southwest Austin. I was at the Burmese Theravada Buddhist monastery hunting for a painting by exiled Burmese artist and activist Sitt Nyein Aye, but more on him in a moment.

• TikTok visit to Sitagu Buddha Vihara Buddhist monastery
• Biggest Buddhist temple? : r/Austin

Htein Lin | Mi Let To, the Crocodile Maiden (2017) | Art & Prints | Artsy

 
American Ven. Nalaka received us at the end of a meditation retreat, his voice starting as a whisper and rising throughout our chat.

Born in Massachusetts, he grew up an “Army brat” and has flowed in and out of monastic life since 1981. Ven. Nalaka has spent about three years as a caretaker of the monastery’s 16-acre property, which is crowned by a golden pagoda, the largest in the United States.

What's the meaning of it all, Bhante?

(Maggie Timber Explores)

Stages of Progress on the Buddhist Path

(Buddhist Insights @ Empty Cloud) Stages of Progress with Bhante Nalaka

Profile: Htein Lin, Arts Educator Pitstop

The Buddhist complex has 40 buildings in all, including a treehouse. Ven. Nalaka is eager to discuss his humble inheritance: endless maintenance issues.

“My first year was scraping all these walls” to remove bubbling paint from leaks and humidity damage, he said. In 2023, he chainsawed 13 acres of felled tree limbs after an ice storm. “I had burn piles going everywhere,” he claimed.

Last year, the monks repainted the pagoda’s exterior using a 135-foot crane and “at least 20 gallons” of imported paint. If suffering is the path to liberation, Ven. Nalaka is making progress—and the monastery is looking sharp.

Exiled art of Myanmar in Texas

Artists are artists and will let you know it.

The one feature of the property that Ven. Nalaka didn’t seem to know about was Sitt Nyein Aye’s artwork, a fact that had my nerves running throughout our interview. But after a bit of wandering,

I spotted Sitt’s idiosyncratic line work in a multi-panel painting in the dining hall. This visit closes out my story on Sitt (Exiled artist Sitt Nyein Aye stoked faraway fight for democracy), which can be read about in @swcontemporary (southwestcontemporary.com) today (link in bio).

Idiosyncratic line work on panel at Sitagu, TX

It starts with his tragic death in Colorado and weaves backwards through his revolutionary work in Burma (Myanmar), exile in the Southwest, and late-career artistic projects.

I sought to examine Sitt’s legacy as a member of a “hyperlocal diaspora” -- Burmese artists, including @chaweithein (Ms. Chaw Ei Thein, profile, art blog) and @artisthteinlin (RIP, Artsy), who’ve found refuge in America and craft vivid portals back home.

• Rebirth: Superstition or Truth? with Bhante Nalaka – The Heart of Mindfulness

COMMENTS

• 
  (Logan Royce Beitmen) (37w) Great story!
• 
  (wrappedrockz) (37w) Fascinating. Can’t wait to read more. 🔥
• 
  (Roberthoerlein's) Great story. I didn’t know any of this. Thanks.

AUTHOR: obscuratorial (37w) 📷 PHOTOS: 1-3 are by my dad, Mark Eddy. The rest are by me, of Sitt Nyein Aye's untitled 2012 painting at Sitagu Buddha Vihara. The piece depicts some revered Buddhist temples in India. Source

• About Austin Buddhist Vihara (Sri Lankan)
• Mack Tours | The Best Travel Agency in Sri Lanka
• Travel Agents ~ Poland | Discover Kalutara Bodhiya with Mack Tours LK Limited 🌴
• Atlanta Buddhism on Instagram
• Burmese Buddhist temples in U.S. and Europe
• Our new favorite internet monk (Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum)
• obscuratorial, Instagram, Aug. 12, 2025; Bhante Karunananda, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Peace Walk Buddhist monk gets emotional

(World of Buddhism) Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara's most emotional speech #walkforpeace #bhikkhupannakara

Reflections on journey for peace

(ABC 7 News - WJLA) Buddhist monk who led Peace Walk across

the country reflects on journey on the months-long journey

Monks end Peace Walk, return to TX by bus

(PBS NewsHour) Millions of Americans inspired by Buddhist monks' Walk for Peace

‘We show respect': Police officer goes viral for greeting Theravada monks | NBC4 Washington

Time to return to Texas on a bus

Behind the scenes of Peace Walk

(WSLS 10) Behind the scenes: Inside the Buddhist monks' 15-week

Walk for Peace as it reached state of Virginia in the snow

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)

Peace Walk: Don't cry at funerals. Practice

(W4P Moments) WOW: It is useless, so don't come to see us. Lead Theravada Buddhist monk (Abbot Ven. Pannakara) warns crowd to stop visiting just to look without practicing peace

• (Walk for Peace 2026) I got the lover I wanted and still suffered (double and triple the amount): clinging (upadana) then heartbreak (duḥkha)

(Walk for Peace 2026) Don't cry at funerals; do this instead to help them pass and cross over

• Practice: Setting up Four Foundations of Mindfulness
• What is sati? The Four Establishments of Mindfulness
• Meet my "lover" and show me yours: Many U.S. lovers

(Walk for Peace 2026) I'm a Christian, you're a Buddhist: What he (Ven. Pannakara) said next made us cry

Why does bad happen to the good?

(Walk for Peace) Why do bad things happen to good people?

(Ed and Pete) It's Day 93 of the Buddhist monks and Aloka the dog's 120-day Walk for Peace

• Theravada Buddhist response to death and dying: Transfer of merit to the "grateful dead," which gives them skillful karma to benefit them in the afterlife
• Buddhist monks and dog Aloka Walk for Peace (2025-2026)

(US Current Affairs) Walk for Peace with kindness, best regards from road

(Walk for Peace) A monk's journey: from ordinary life to Walk for Peace

• Walk for Peace | Faith, Blind Faith, or Confidence? What do you believe… and how do you know it’s true?
• (Bon-influenced) Vajrayana Buddhist response to dying: The Tibetan Book of the Dead or Bardo Thodol (to help them liberate in the liminal state)
• Give Now to Save the Wild: stop a road in Alaska
• VIDEO: Are Christian folks triggered by the monks?
• VIDEO: COLD: Walk for Peace (Buddha's Wisdom)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

(History) The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Book of Liberation [in the Bardo]

(WFMY News 2) Buddhist monks lead Pali meditation chant in High Point

Will you practice wise reflection?

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

Update: Buddhist monks' Walk for Peace

(AmeriScope) A silent walk for peace made America stop and watch

(AP Archive) Buddhist monks+dog captivate Americans in walk for peace

(US Current Affairs) Why America is watching this 2,300 mile Walk for Peace: Texas to DC

(US Current Affairs) This silent Walk for Peace and rescue dog Aloka lead America to pause

(AmeriScope) Buddhist monks: nothing to sell, nothing to win, just a walk across America

• EXTENDED COVERAGE: Buddhist monks' Peace Walk across the USA: Meet Aloka the Peace Dog
• Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Buddhist monks' Peace Walk across USA

Buddhist Peace Walk Across USA: reunion

• VIDEO: Monks' Peace Walk: Meet Aloka the Dog

Remaining calm in the face of tragedy

(Tharon Johnson) What Buddhist Monks' Peace Walk march through Georgia teaches us about nonviolent protest

(ANF) Buddhist monks reunite with fellow monk who was hit by car during their peace walk

• Buddhist monks' Peace Walk Across the USA all the way to Washington, DC
• (Whitney Peoples) I met Buddhist monks on their Peace Walk...and had to stop filming

Monks' Buddhist Peace Walk amputation

(Fox 26 Houston)

• Buddhist monks' Peace Walk across USA to DC

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

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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

Texas men plan to kill, enslave, and rape

(LiveNOW from Fox) White suspects from Texas planned to murder all of the island's men, make everyone else a slave, and rape all the women and children. Their plans were thwarted when they were arrested and prevented from carrying out their white supremacist fantasies.

Walk for Peace: Buddhist monks and dog

(Houston Stringer) Walk for Peace: Buddhist monks and their dog Aloka (Pali "Light") stop at Laotian Wat Phouthasamakhy (Buddhist temple) in Houston, Texas

National Nachos Day (cooking recipes)

(The Vegan Roadie) Lois Ellen Frank on Indigenous cooking

Chips, Beyond Burger, dairy-free shreds, spices

Nowadays, one can find a sheet-pan dinner recipe for pretty much any flavor that one craves. But before all of these existed, there were nachos.

The original sheet-pan meal can be found on virtually every bar and diner menu across the country. While nachos are now a popular Tex-Mex dish, they're a distinctly Mexican creation. Texas?

• (Yeung Man Cooking) Ultimate Vegan Nachos Recipe

(TYT Sports) Bass Pro Tackle Shop, Odessa, TX

Invented in 1940, nachos were born when Ignacio Anaya, nicknamed "Nacho" (which is short for the Spanish name Ignacio, from the Latin Ignatius), threw together a quick snack of

• corn (chips)
• dairy (cheese)
• chili (jalapeños)
• veggies (tomato, black olives, cilantro, guacamole)
• protein (pinto beans, Beyond Burger crumbles)

to sate the hunger of some guests visiting the restaurant he worked at in Piedras Negras ("Black Rocks"), Mexico.

The dish was an instant smash and quickly took hold in other restaurants before Texas-based businessman Frank Liberto created ballpark nachos in 1976, making them even more popular and readily available in the United States.

Nachos are typically eaten as a side or an appetizer, but with some careful doubling-up of ingredients and a few additions, they can become a hearty lunch or dinner.

The beauty of nachos is that while they have a few classic elements and ingredients, they can also serve as a vehicle for creativity and new flavors -- made fully vegan with full flavor.

So if anyone has ever had the urge to mix up a dish of nachos, here are some tips needed to make this dish even more special. More

• It's also National Men Make Dinner Day - What is it? How to celebrate

99 - Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky with Lois Ellen Frank (Keep On Cookin' Pod)

(The Vegan Roadie) March 11, 2024: Keep On Cookin' Podcast with Dustin Harder. Let's go plant-forward.

Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky

This enriching cookbook celebrates eight important plants Native Americans introduced to the rest of the world: corn, beans, squash, chile, tomato, potato, vanilla, and chocolate/cacao—with more than 100 recipes.

When these eight Native American plants crossed the ocean after 1492, the world’s cuisines were changed forever. In Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky, James Beard Award-winning author and Chef Lois Ellen Frank introduces the splendor and importance of this Native culinary history and pairs it with delicious, modern, plant-based recipes using Native American ingredients.

Native plant based cookbook recipes

Along with Native American culinary advisor Walter Whitewater, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky shares more than 100 nutritious, plant‑based recipes organized by each of the foundational ingredients in Native American cuisine as well as a necessary discussion of food sovereignty and sustainability.

A delicious, enlightening celebration of Indigenous foods and Southwestern flavors, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky shares recipes for dishes such as Blue Corn Hotcakes with Prickly Pear Syrup, Three Sisters Stew, and Green Chile Enchilada Lasagna, as well as essential basics like Corn Masa, Red and Green Chile Sauces, and Cacao Spice Rub.

The “Magic 8” ingredients share the page—and plate—to create recipes that will transform our world.

BOOK: amzn.to/49HTAgA. Lois Ellen Frank: bio.site/redmesacuisine. IG: lois_ellen_frank. Dustin Harder: dustinharder.com IG: @thedustinharder David Rossetti: davidrossetti.com. IG: @drossetti