SALT LAKE CITY — A group gathered at the Utah State Capitol Sunday for a day focused on peace, reflection and connection, inspired by a cross-country journey led by Buddhist monks that recently captured national attention.
Nineteen Buddhist monks walked roughly 2,300 miles from their temple in Texas to Washington, D.C., over the course of 15 weeks, promoting compassion and unity along the way. Their 108-day peace walk drew millions of views on social media and crowds of supporters as they approached the nation’s capital.
One Utahn who followed that journey closely was Breanna Larsen of North Salt Lake.
“In October there was a group of monks that left their temple in Texas to do a 108-day walk from Texas to Washington, D.C., and it was a walk for peace,” Larsen said.
As the monks neared the end of their journey, Larsen traveled across the country to join them for the final days of the walk.
“As they got closer to Washington, D.C., they had gone viral on social media and were met with huge crowds of support,” she said. “So I flew out to walk with them for their last couple of days.”
Inspired by the experience, Larsen and her friend Alicia Gailbraith of Springville wanted to bring that message of peace back to Utah.
“Why would we only fly across the country to do a walk for peace?” Gailbraith said. “Couldn’t we walk for peace here?”
The two began sharing the idea online and were surprised by the response from people wanting to participate.
“We just started posting a little bit on social media. We didn’t do anything too fancy,” Gailbraith said. “But as you can see it resonated with people, and I think it’s something that resonates with a lot of people right now.”
Participants spent time Sunday walking quietly around the Capitol grounds and taking part in meditation throughout the day.
Larsen said a message from the monks especially stayed with her.
“He said, ‘Why do you do the big effort to come hear me speak, but you won’t do the small effort internally?’” she said.
Organizers said the goal of the gathering was to encourage people to slow down and reflect, especially during what many see as challenging times.
“When we meet the world with peace, we receive peace,” Gailbraith said.
They hope those who attended will take that message with them and continue practicing peace in their own lives.
“If we want to arrive in peace, we travel in peace,” Gailbraith said she learned from a spiritual leader, adding that she is working on that concept. “Really learning to embody that.”
