Illustration of monks walking to celebrate Vesak. (Anandajoti via Wikimedia)
To celebrate Vesak day on May 31, 50 monks from Thailand, Malaysia and Laos will gather to do a spiritual “Walk for Peace” event which will be held on May 9 in Bali, Indonesia. The monks will walk more than 500 kilometres crossing the Indonesian provinces of Bali, East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta for 22 days, and are expected to finish their journey at Borobudur Temple on May 28.
Not just a regular walking event, Walk for Peace highlights important values such as spirituality including Dhutanga or purification of inner self. The value has already been practised by Buddha Gautama as an ascetic way of life since the sixth century BC. By doing the long walk, the monks are expected to develop self-patience, awareness and simplicity, aligned with the Buddha’s teachings of peace.
Walk for Peace is one of the events from Vesakha Sananda 2026, a spiritual and social activity held for a month starting on May 1 to May 31 ahead of Vesak Day. A range of activities are held to pursue the values of Dharma or kindness such as workshops, community services, blood donation and free medical treatment.
According to Indonesia’s Director General of Buddhist Community Guidance Supriyadi, by doing these activities, it is hoped that the Buddhist could pursue and internalise the value of Dharma in everyday life, while always maintaining peace and harmony. He emphasised that the spirit of Vesak is not only expressed through rituals and ceremonies, but also through concrete acts of kindness, social service and solidarity with others.
This year’s Vesak underlines the theme “Dharma in Preserving World Peace”, reminding Buddhists that cultivating wisdom, compassion and ethical conduct plays an important role in fostering peace both within oneself and in the wider global community.
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