Through Heaven, Hell, & Hecklers: Walking for Peace Through America in Crisis | Bhante Paññākāra Q&A
Episode Description
This is PART TWO of Clear Mountain's two-part interview with Bhante Paññākāra. You may find PART ONE here: https://youtu.be/vgo0mhBAotM
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:51 - Encounters with Suffering on the Road
00:09:14 - Walking Meditation and Mindfulness of Breath at the Edge
00:18:55 - Ajahn Mahā Dham's Accident and Amputation
00:24:32 - "Protest" and Police Encounters
00:38:40 - Personal Relationship to the Triple Gem: Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha
00:41:48 - Engaging with Christian Protesters - "No Religion"
00:50:30 - A Message for the World
In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Bhante Pannyakara (https://dhammacetiya.com/), the Vietnamese-born Theravāda monk who led the recent "Walk for Peace" from Texas to Washington DC and who founded the Dhammacetiya Project in Fort Worth, Texas. This second part of the interview details the miraculous rescue of the 'ambassador dog' Āloka from India, the transformative impact of the 2,300-mile 'Walk for Peace' on those contemplating suicide or facing deep grief, the tragic yet transcendent accident of Ajahn MahāDham, the unique integration of law enforcement and protesters into a singular field of mindfulness, and how the internal discipline of watchin the breath can allow a practitioner to maintain a 'peaceful day' amidst the noise of the world.
To learn more, visit https://dhammacetiya.com/ or https://www.youtube.com/@walkforpeaceusa
Bhante's Biography:
Bhante Paññākāra is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and former IT engineer who transitioned from a corporate career to a life of mindfulness and service. Born in Vietnam and educated at the University of Texas at Arlington, Bhante Paññākāra immigrated to the U.S. in 1997 and took full ordination in 2010 in the lineage of the Most Venerable Ratanaguna, the last direct disciple of His Holiness the Venerable Vamsarakhita, founder and first Sangharaja of the Vietnamese Theravāda Buddhist Sangha. In 2020, he launched the Dhammacetiya Project to preserve the Tipiṭaka in a monumental marble stupa complex, a vision furthered by his 112-day, 2,100-mile ascetic Dhutanga pilgrimage across India and Nepal. That journey, chronicled in his memoir, The Footsteps of a Buddhist Monk, laid the foundation for his most recent undertaking: leading the only-very-recently-completed 2,300-mile, 108-day 'Walk for Peace' from Texas to Washington, D.C. He currently serves at the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhāvana Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
To learn more about Bhante Paññākāra, visit: https://www.facebook.com/walkforpeaceusa/ or https://dhammacetiya.com/
#walkforpeace #alokathepeacedog #buddhistmonks
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