02/12/2026
This is a transcription of the speech by The Venerable Bhikku Pannakara at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, February 11, 2026.
First of all, I would like to pay respect to the Maha Sangha, which is the monk community. I like to pay gratitude to all the governors and government officials, all the law enforcement officers, Sheriffs, Swat, police, fire department, EMS, all the way from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, DC.
I would also like to thank all the venerable monks and nuns, all pastors, reverends, who opened their hearts and doors to host and support us on our journey. I'm also grateful to all the universities, schools, and families for their kind hospitality. Of course, this Walk of Peace would not have been possible without the organizers, donors, medical teams, and volunteers. Thank you so much. It's been 109 days, and I like to thank all of our supporters, both in person and online. Your support has been a great motivation for us on this walk. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
Ladies and gentlemen, life moves very fast. Sometimes, just a few seconds are enough for us to hurt someone to say words we regret, or to create more pain in a world that is already exhausted. But those same few seconds, if we live them well, can become the beginning of peace. Today, I do not ask you to think about big ideas. I simply invite you to live five seconds of your life with mindfulness. Five seconds, if lived with mindfulness, can change one person, one family, one community, one nation, and the world.
In the first second, choose loving kindness.
Loving kindness does not need power, money, or a title. It is simply the choice to stop before hurting, to shock them, before speaking to care instead of reacting. If each person takes just one second to ask, Will this hurt anyone? The world would already be kinder.
In the second second choose compassion.
We do not know what pain others carry, what losses they have faced, or how hard they are trying to survive. Compassion does not mean agreement. It means not adding more pain. A compassionate world does not abandon the weak and does not create more suffering.
In the third second, choose love.
Love means children grow up safe. Love means that elders live with dignity. Love means we do not turn away when someone is in pain. To start with truly loving yourself. Start with that love for the person in front of you, whether you know them or not. That is how we create a more loving world.
In the fourth second, choose harmony over winning. Harmony does not mean sameness. It means respect without agreement and coexistence without fear. Peace does not come from victory. Peace comes from the ability to live together.
In the fifth second, choose hope. Hope that people can return to morality. Hope that violence is not the final answer. Hope that the world can soften if we slow down and listen. The Walk for Peace is not a protest, not to convert. It is a reminder that hope still exists when people are willing to care. Hope is a final light that must never go out.
Jan, please raise the flag. If you notice on this flag, we have loving, kindness, compassion, love, harmony, and hope. Those are the five seconds that I just talked about that we carry with us from the beginning until now.
Before we close, let us pause for a moment not to debate, not to argue, but to stand together and offer these shared prayers for humanity with hope. Let us all put our left hand over our heart, the right hand on top of our left hand. Gently. Close our eyes. Take a deep breath. Take another deep breath and a last one, feel each and every heartbeat within your heart. Concentrate on your heartbeat.
And every heartbeat, you now think of all your loved ones within your heart, all the friends, family members, your coworkers, your neighbors, the people you know, and lastly, all beings. You take another deep breath, one last one. Thank you. Thank you.
I have 10 vows that I would love to make this announcement in front of the Maha Sangha and all of us here.
May every nation live in safety, stability, and dignity, free from fear, chaos, and unnecessary suffering.
May every person be heard, respected, and protected, regardless of their race, their background, their faith, and the language that they speak.
May fear be replaced with understanding, and may misunderstanding never again become a reason for violence.
May hatred be transformed into compassion, so pain is met with care instead of blame.
May peace exist, not only in words and speeches, but in laws, policies, communities, and daily life.
May true strength be measured, not by control, force, or weapons, but by how we protect one another, especially our children and the vulnerable.
May progress always walk together with morality, and may growth never be built on human suffering.
May dialogue be chosen over confrontation and listening over judgment in families, societies, and nations.
May people find peace within their own hearts, so that the world no longer needs violence to survive.
May the path to peace require no enemies, only human beings, returning to morality, to responsibility, and to one another.
Last but not least, please remember to write down this statement every day that I already talked about, today is going to be my peaceful day. Let us all repeat this statement together, loud and clear, after I count to 3123. Today is going to be my peaceful day. Louder. Today is going to be my peaceful day. Even louder. Today is going to be my peaceful day.
Imagine if that voice, that energy, that sound, spread all over the universe, from all human beings on this earth, this universe will shower back down with love and kindness and compassion and peace, so that this world will become a better place for all beings to live.
Will you walk together with us for the rest of our lives to create peace? Will you change from here on? Will you practice mindfulness to bring peace to ourselves, our families, and our nation in the world? Yes!
Thank you so much. I thank you for all the love, all the hospitality, all of your support, even in bad conditions, in bad weather, freezing weather, cold rain, you are still walking out there waiting for us on the road, and along the street, wherever we go, you show support and love. Thank you so much, and this moment will live with me for the rest of my life.
Thank you. May you all be well, be happy, and be peaceful.
Thank you so much.
