Is Peace Possible? What We Can All Learn from the Buddhist Monks Walk for Peace

We live at one of the most deeply divided and conflicted times in our nation’s history, increasingly at odds and frustrated with those who think or live differently from us, as tensions rise over pressing issues like global warming and immigration.  In the midst of our heightened anger and distrust – is peace possible?  This is an urgent theme we will be tackling this year at Lumunos, both through in-person and online programs.

In short, yes, we believe peace is possible, but not without a whole lot of practice within ourselves and in the world around us.  While our Becoming Neighbors programs focus on building bridges of understanding and peace in local communities, this series of bi-monthly zoom sessions will focus on how we can build peace from within ourselves and how that internal peace can radiate out to the communities, congregations, and workplaces in our own backyards.

With all this in mind, we look forward kicking off this work with an online zoom session (aka “Lumzoom”) on Weds evening, February 11th at 7pm CST to discuss what we can all learn from the Buddhist monks on the Walk of Peace and how you can join our Becoming Neighbors programs in the new year!

For this Is Peace Possible Lumzoom we will be joined by special guest speakers Rev. John Dorhauer, former president of the United Church of Christ and current pastor of First Congregational church in Dekalb, and Buddhist monk Bhante Rahula Ingira from the Blue Lotus Temple in Woodstock, IL.

Each session will include a few diverse guest speakers to speak on this theme, as well as time for participants to share and reflect in small groups.  It is our hope that participants leave inspired to practice peace and to partner with us into the future through our Becoming Neighbors programs.