A Monk, His Dog, & All the World: 2,300 Miles, 108 Days, 1 Great Vow | Bhante Paññākāra Q&A

This is PART ONE of Clear Mountain's two-part interview with Bhante Paññākāra. PART TWO is scheduled to air April 1st here: https://youtu.be/r_AhRfLJJNw

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:23 - How is Āloka?

00:04:00 - Key Moments of Faith and Ordination

00:14:51 - Choosing Theravāda

00:23:12 - Making Vows

00:30:52 - Āloka Sighting

00:31:55 - Daily Vows and the Practice of Tudong Pilgrimage and Wearing Rag-robes

00:39:54 - How Bhante Met Āloka

00:47:26 - Social Justice Peace Walks vs. Renunciate Peace Walks

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Bhante Pannakara (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 first part of the interview explores Bhante Paññākāra’s transition from a disillusioning IT career to the monastic life, the profound 'system-reboot' sparked by the simple sight of a falling leaf, the persistence required to secure his parents' and teacher's permission to ordain, the seven-year silent incubation of his vow to build the marble Dhammacetiya Project, and the physical rigors of a 2,100-mile ascetic pilgrimage through India and Nepal in hand-stitched rag robes.

Bhante's Biography:

Bhante Panyakara 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/

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 - 7:45 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11:00 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6:00 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!