As I write this on Monday, the Buddhist Monks for Peace are hunkered down for the night in northern Virginia with their trusty Peace Dog Aloka and will cross the Potomac to Georgetown in the morning. By the time you read this they will have completed their 2300 mile walk for peace from their monastery in Fort Worth Texas to our nation’s capitol, clothed in saffron robes, wool caps, and scarves, having braved hardship, snow and sleet. At least one wears no shoes.They have literally walked their walk, bringing the message of unity and compassion to the world, light into the darkness. My guess is that they looking forward to their bus ride back home.
I first heard about the monks from my friend Marialee who has followed them religiously since October of last year. A dog lover through and through, she pets as many furry heads as she can manage on her daily downtown walks and has fallen in love with Aloka, the stray dog who adopted the monks and whose name stands for “bringing light” or “enlightenment.” He sports a white mark on his forehead symbolizing peace.
Many of you were able to join our own candlelight Peace Walk where some 200 Benicians of all ages walked from the Gazebo to the end of First St. and circled back. I was curious about who was organizing this event and had asked around. I checked with Indivisible and also asked activist/artist Susan Street founder of the weekly Thursday eve protests at City Park about it. “I don’t have a clue,” she said. It was a mystery.
On the Sunday morning of the Walk, I was having tea with neighbors Christine King and her husband Mark Neenan. We became friends several years ago when they joined the Benicia Insight Meditation Group where, coincidently, the same form of Theravada Buddhism practiced by the monks is taught.
“Are you going to the Peace Walk after our meditation meeting this evening?” I asked.
“Yes. My daughter Claire Schwartz organized it,” she said.
“No way! What a coincidence! How do I contact her?”
I phoned Clair, a mother of two, who told me her story.
“The pain and violence in the world has impacted me to an incredible degree. I felt helpless the day that Alex Pretti was shot, following the killing of Renee Nicole Good. I sent a text to my neighbors asking if we could gather for a moment with candles and send some peace out into the world. They joined us and we played the song ‘Light a candle for peace, light a candle for love’ that my child had learned in Montessori school.” It was very sweet.
The next day my friend Kati Hill said she was interested in doing something similar at a children’s birthday party.” Kati is the director of Root and Bloom Play School on J St., formerly next to Avant Garden, which utilizes a Montessori framework.
“So, pretty quickly it started coming together. I asked Kati when she was free, and we decided on the following Sunday. ”
“We brought in another friend, Meghan Fireback, who suggested we include a wish tree or gratitude wall. Gazing out the window over coffee at the Majestic Cafe, I noticed the fence around the State Capitol as a perfect place for people to post written messages. So I called Capitol staff and asked their permission to set up a table on the sidewalk.”
“We wanted something intergenerational and a safe place for people with young children who wished to be involved in the local demonstrations. I thought back to Sept 11, when I first heard the phrase ‘Always look for the helpers.’ It was something Mr. Rogers used to say. His mother would tell him that when something tragic or catastrophic happened, to ‘Look for the helpers because then you’ll know there’s hope.’ ”
“How did you get the word out so quickly?”
“I posted it on Benicia Happenings and was thrilled with the response — 300 people liked it! We called the Benicia Herald and got a front page story and also asked some First St. businesses to publicize it, and from there it took off.”
When I arrived a few minutes prior to the march Claire was up on the grass with a funky old megaphone welcoming people and thanking them for coming. “I tried not to be political and to focus on peace.” Note paper was handed out for writing wishes to pin up at the Capitol.
“We left them up overnight and the entire next day for people to read, and when I gathered them up on Tuesday, there were 124 wishes. We are so pleased and grateful for everyone’s participation. And there will be a second walk.”
Mark your calendars for March 1, 6 pm at the Gazebo for the next candlelight walk down First Street. Go to: groktheworld.com/benicia for updates.
On the professional front, Claire has has recently joined her mother Christine King as co-owner of “Grok the World” — a thriving business featuring a wide-ranging course of study and tools teaching empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution based on Marshall Rosenberg’s book “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.” The company was created in 2006 and has developed curriculum for educators all over the world. I bought the “GROK Empathy Game” at last year’s Peddler’s Faire where Christine, a former professor at U.C. Santa Cruz, had set up shop. With this first creation they sparked a movement, selling over 50,000 copies worldwide.
Aloka has been recovering nicely after undergoing surgery for a leg injury. I imagine that he may be making his appearance with the monks at the Peace Gathering and Closing Ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial as you read this. I can visualize him bundled up in a warm coat, taking a well-deserved nap between Lincoln’s gigantic feet.
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