Aloka, the mascot of peace

ENDEARING images of Aloka, a dog, as he traverses the United States of America with a group of travelling Buddhist monks have gone viral on various media platforms, including dedicated social media ones.

- 

Aloka and the monks are on a mission for peace. The monks who are from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Centre in Fort Worth plan to walk for some 120 days until they reach Washington DC. En route, they will walk across ten other states in the USA. Theirs is a message of peace, compassion and unity. Aloka, which means light, complements this message with his presence. He is seen trotting purposefully almost always at the head of the line of monks, the resolute look on his face a firm commitment to peace.