WATCH: Millions inspired by monks' 'Walk for Peace'

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog, Aloka, arrived on foot in the nation's capital Tuesday in the culmination of a 2,300-mile journey spreading a message of mindfulness, compassion and peace.

Watch the video in our player above.

The 19 monks left Fort Worth, Texas, in October to embark on what they called the "Walk for Peace."

Along their journey, the monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center greeted well-wishers with blessings, smiles and thousands of peace bracelets as they marched toward Washington, D.C.

READ MORE: 'Walk for Peace' concludes as Buddhist monks arrive in Washington after 15-week trek

"This world has been receiving so much anger and hatred and everything already that is why it's coming back to us with all kinds of sufferings, all kinds of disasters," Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group's soft-spoken leader, said at one of their final stops in Alexandria, Virginia.

A group of Buddhist monks walk north on U.S. Route 1 during the "Walk for Peace," a 2,300 mile peace walk from Texas to Washington, D.C., in Spotsylvania, Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2026. Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/ Reuters

"We walk not to bring any attention to us, but we just hope that we raise awareness of peace to all the people who will meet along the road."

Their message has resonated with people across the country and world, with the group's social media channels racking up over 5.8 million combined followers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Thuy Dong traveled from Delaware to see the monks as they passed through Alexandria.

"We want to support the monks for what they're doing. And I think world peace is what we need right now," he said.

A woman holds a flower as people wait to receive a group of Buddhist monks on the 2,300-mile "Walk for Peace," outside the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/ Reuters

Feuy Yang, who drove 16 hours from Green Bay, Wisconsin, took their lessons to heart.

"I learned that to let things go, forgive each other quickly," Yang said, adding, "just to teach them to have a big heart and not to be so angry."

The monks never took a day off. Some walked barefoot, even through an ice storm and below-freezing temperatures.

"It makes me feel like I'm invincible, I can do anything," Donna Walker of Alexandria said as she saw them in person. "I can't imagine being in the cold, the way they have been in the cold weather, in the snow and still persisted with kindness and peace and love."

A woman waves after a group of two dozen Buddhist monks passed her location during the "Walk for Peace," a 2,300 mile peace walk from Texas to Washington, D.C., in Spotsylvania, Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2026. Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/ Reuters

Extreme weather conditions weren't the only challenges the group faced. In November, one monk had to have a leg amputated after he was struck by a vehicle while walking alongside U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas.

And in South Carolina, the group's now-famous "peace dog" Aloka began limping and required surgery. As he recovered, Aloka largely rode alongside the monks in an escort vehicle, rejoining the group as they rested each evening.

The monks are making a stop on Capitol Hill to ask members of Congress to recognize Buddha's birthday as a federal holiday. They also planned a peace gathering and closing ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, as well as a public meditation at George Washington University before later departing home to Fort Worth.