Buddhist Monks Brave Bitter Cold to Walk for Peace

March 8, 2007

Author: Matthew J. Webster

Source: Salem News

http://www.salemnews.com/local/local_story_067094826?page=0

Dressed in a yellow robe, the Venerable Kato, a Buddhist monk, beat a handheld drum as he marched in the freezing cold wind down Main Street in Essex yesterday, accompanied by eight local supporters.

Kato and Tow-Bee, another Buddhist monk based in the western Massachusetts town of Leverett, chanted in slow drones as they walked to Gloucester, their final destination for the day.

The seven-syllable chant means "prayer for world peace and inner peace" in Japanese.

It is the only prayer the monks will chant as they complete their monthlong Walk for a New Spring around New England, sometimes covering as much as 20 miles a day.

Their route yesterday took them from the House of Peace on High Street in Ipswich to the First Universalist Church in Essex to the Independent Christian Church in Gloucester. They planned to spend the night in Gloucester, then embark on an 18-mile journey to Salem today. The monks are scheduled to hit the Veterans Memorial Bridge at 2:30 p.m., hold a vigil at Riley Plaza and finish the day with a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. at the First Church in Salem, Unitarian, 316 Essex St.