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Crowds of people from near and far lined the streets of downtown Saluda on Thursday to welcome the Walk for Peace, some out of curiosity, others in search of a deeply personal experience in the presence of two dozen Buddhist monks.

The monks are making their way across South Carolina as part of a months-long walk across the country from their home temple in Texas all the way to Washington, D.C. Traveling on foot, the monks are expected to arrive in Columbia by Saturday.

Like in other stops along the way, the caravan attracted hundreds of onlookers at the monks’ previously announced stopping point on the lawn of the Saluda County Courthouse. The monks collected flowers from well-wishers as they walked down Church Street escorted by local law enforcement at 11:30 a.m., hours after they left a country church in Edgefield County 13 miles away.

They settled down in a taped-off area under a shady tree with the walk’s mascot Aloka the Peace Dog and ate a vegetarian meal which had been prepared by an advance team, which was also shared with any hungry members of the public. Then the crowd listened to a talk from the Venerable Pannakara, the leader of the walk who addressed the assembled crowd through a crackling sound system.

The Walk for Peace has attracted national attention, partly through an active social media presence by the monks themselves documenting the trip. But the monk said he was inspired to make the trek because of his work doing international disaster relief, and seeing suffering and depression up close. His Buddhist practice is dedicated to alleviating that kind of suffering.

“Am I going to stay in this temple and serve the community here, or should I take this walk and share the message with the entire world,” Pannakara said.

Marge Uhen drove up from Florida to connect with the walk as it made its way across South Carolina, saying the phenomenon had left her with a sense of peace in uncertain times.

“You see what’s going on, it’s scary,” Uhen said, referencing the shooting the day before of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent. “The world is falling apart. This gives me hope. I see them and a peaceful feeling fills me up.”

Julie Cline was inspired to come down from Clemson because of her memories of the Buddhists she met on a trip to Sri Lanka.

“I have never met kinder people than Buddhist people,” Cline said. “I want to learn more about the philosophy and show my support for the Buddhist community.... People are looking for true love and kindness.”

Not everyone was welcoming to the contingent. A man who declined to give his full name was protesting the monks’ visit with a personal speaker system and a sign warning of the dangers of hell, over the occasional shouts and heckles of the rest of the crowd.

“If you are a friend of these men, then unfortunately you are an enemy of God,” he said.

The monks had no interaction with the protester during their visit to Saluda, but Cline said she had seen the monks encounter similar protesters at other stops.

“They hear them out, then they smile and bow,” she said.

Paige Watson was driven to greet the monks from Columbia by memories of her grandmother, who was born in Thailand.

“This is a part of my culture,” she said. “My main expectation is to show my baby cousin what this experience is like and ask them questions. I’d love to greet them in their native tongue and pray with them.”

Saluda County officials made contact with the monks’ advance person the day before their arrival and coordinated locations for them to stop, said Emergency Management Director Josh Morton. Sheriff’s deputies met the monk as they crossed into the county and would stay with them overnight during their stay at Nazareth Methodist Church further down U.S. 378.

Speaking to the crowd, Pannakara encouraged a practice of mindfulness on the present moment as an antidote to worries and pain, and even led the crowd through some breathing techniques.

“When you’re mindful, it’s not as easy to be triggered,” he said, his bare feet on the courthouse steps wrapped in tape. “On the Walk for Peace, I take every step in mindfulness. I’ve had illness like anybody else. My health is not as good. But the mind is different. You can train it to be strong or weak.”

After the talk, Pannakara accepted a sheriff’s badge from the county and added it to similar badges from other stops on the walk to his robe. The monks then distributed peace bracelets to the crowd and posed for pictures.

Kelly Arrington of Batesburg greeted Pannakara with tears in her eyes. She lost her son to suicide and has been dealing with her grief through mindfulness and yoga.

“I had to decide if I was going to be bitter and angry, or if I was going to be grateful for the 25 years I had with him,” Arrington said. “I agree young people are not equipped to deal with this world, and I just hope that hearing this will save someone else’s son.”

The monks are about halfway through their 2,300-mile journey, which started Oct. 26 and is expected to take 120 days to reach its final destination. The monks are expected to pass through Lexington County on Friday and reach Columbia on Saturday. Their movements can be tracked on a live online map updated daily.

SALUDA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Three “rough road” warning signs greet drivers who turn onto Church Road in Saluda County, marking a three-mile stretch that neighbors say represents a longstanding problem and a symbol of state inaction.

Jack Paget, who has lived along Church Road off Batesburg Highway his whole life, said the deteriorating conditions force drivers to crawl at dangerous speeds.

“Church Road is the roughest road in Saluda County. And all they’ll do is put a patch on top of a patch,” Paget said. “No faster than 20-25 mph, because if you go faster than that, you’ll tear up your tires, anything you’re driving, because it’ll mess up the shocks and everything on it.”

Will Black said the recent patching work described by the South Carolina Department of Transportation as ongoing doesn’t provide lasting solutions.

“It’s pretty bad. There are potholes everywhere. It’s a terrible road,” Black said.

State data shows eight crashes on Church Road over the last five years, resulting in two people being injured. Debbie Black said the road’s narrow width adds to safety hazards.

“It’s dangerous here because there’s low visibility. There are no reflectors. There’s nothing ... So if you have two cars passing, if it’s at night, it would be fairly easy to miss a turn,” Black said.

Many residents take issue with installing permanent warning signs rather than permanent repairs.

“My tax dollars at work. So, I mean, it’s a joke,” Black said.

Paget questioned why the state acknowledges the problem but hasn’t addressed it.

“They already know it’s a rough road. Why haven’t they done something about it?” he said. “It makes us feel like they don’t care whether we have a road out here or not.”

The South Carolina Department of Transportation says Church Road has been targeted for resurfacing, but there’s no current project scheduled.

SCDOT did not respond to questions about when the road was last repaved, when the warning signs were installed, or whether the road could be widened.

Crowds of people from near and far lined the streets of downtown Saluda on Thursday to welcome the Walk for Peace, some out of curiosity, others in search of a deeply personal experience in the presence of two dozen Buddhist monks.

The monks are making their way across South Carolina as part of a months-long walk across the country from their home temple in Texas all the way to Washington, D.C. Traveling on foot, the monks are expected to arrive in Columbia by Saturday.

Like in other stops along the way, the caravan attracted hundreds of onlookers at the monks’ previously announced stopping point on the lawn of the Saluda County Courthouse. The monks collected flowers from well-wishers as they walked down Church Street escorted by local law enforcement at 11:30 a.m., hours after they left a country church in Edgefield County 13 miles away.

They settled down in a taped-off area under a shady tree with the walk’s mascot Aloka the Peace Dog and ate a vegetarian meal which had been prepared by an advance team, which was also shared with any hungry members of the public. Then the crowd listened to a talk from the Venerable Pannakara, the leader of the walk who addressed the assembled crowd through a crackling sound system.

The Walk for Peace has attracted national attention, partly through an active social media presence by the monks themselves documenting the trip. But the monk said he was inspired to make the trek because of his work doing international disaster relief, and seeing suffering and depression up close. His Buddhist practice is dedicated to alleviating that kind of suffering.

“Am I going to stay in this temple and serve the community here, or should I take this walk and share the message with the entire world,” Pannakara said.

Marge Uhen drove up from Florida to connect with the walk as it made its way across South Carolina, saying the phenomenon had left her with a sense of peace in uncertain times.

“You see what’s going on, it’s scary,” Uhen said, referencing the shooting the day before of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent. “The world is falling apart. This gives me hope. I see them and a peaceful feeling fills me up.”

Julie Cline was inspired to come down from Clemson because of her memories of the Buddhists she met on a trip to Sri Lanka.

“I have never met kinder people than Buddhist people,” Cline said. “I want to learn more about the philosophy and show my support for the Buddhist community.... People are looking for true love and kindness.”

Not everyone was welcoming to the contingent. A man who declined to give his full name was protesting the monks’ visit with a personal speaker system and a sign warning of the dangers of hell, over the occasional shouts and heckles of the rest of the crowd.

“If you are a friend of these men, then unfortunately you are an enemy of God,” he said.

The monks had no interaction with the protester during their visit to Saluda, but Cline said she had seen the monks encounter similar protesters at other stops.

“They hear them out, then they smile and bow,” she said.

Paige Watson was driven to greet the monks from Columbia by memories of her grandmother, who was born in Thailand.

“This is a part of my culture,” she said. “My main expectation is to show my baby cousin what this experience is like and ask them questions. I’d love to greet them in their native tongue and pray with them.”

Saluda County officials made contact with the monks’ advance person the day before their arrival and coordinated locations for them to stop, said Emergency Management Director Josh Morton. Sheriff’s deputies met the monk as they crossed into the county and would stay with them overnight during their stay at Nazareth Methodist Church further down U.S. 378.

Speaking to the crowd, Pannakara encouraged a practice of mindfulness on the present moment as an antidote to worries and pain, and even led the crowd through some breathing techniques.

“When you’re mindful, it’s not as easy to be triggered,” he said, his bare feet on the courthouse steps wrapped in tape. “On the Walk for Peace, I take every step in mindfulness. I’ve had illness like anybody else. My health is not as good. But the mind is different. You can train it to be strong or weak.”

After the talk, Pannakara accepted a sheriff’s badge from the county and added it to similar badges from other stops on the walk to his robe. The monks then distributed peace bracelets to the crowd and posed for pictures.

Kelly Arrington of Batesburg greeted Pannakara with tears in her eyes. She lost her son to suicide and has been dealing with her grief through mindfulness and yoga.

“I had to decide if I was going to be bitter and angry, or if I was going to be grateful for the 25 years I had with him,” Arrington said. “I agree young people are not equipped to deal with this world, and I just hope that hearing this will save someone else’s son.”

The monks are about halfway through their 2,300-mile journey, which started Oct. 26 and is expected to take 120 days to reach its final destination. The monks are expected to pass through Lexington County on Friday and reach Columbia on Saturday. Their movements can be tracked on a live online map updated daily.

Times, locations for Monks’ visit to Columbia

South Carolina nonprofit Be the Ones is partnering with Walk for Peace to host two events Saturday afternoon, one in West Columbia and the other at the S.C. Statehouse in Columbia.

The first event is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10 on the West Columbia side of the Gervais Street Bridge.

Between 3 and 4 p.m., the monks and Aloka will gather at the S.C. Statehouse (110 Gervais St.). The monks will be recognized with proclamations from Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and state Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston.

“We believe peace starts locally, with how we show up for one another, listen, and act with care and compassion,” Cate Mayer, Be the Ones founder and executive director, said in a press release. “We’re grateful to work in coordination with the Walk for Peace team to help create meaningful spaces for reflection, connection, and shared commitment here in Columbia and across South Carolina.”

When greeting the monks, there are a few things to keep in mind:

According to the Abhayagiri Monastery, the most common way to greet a Buddhist monk is with the añjali. This is when you press your palms together in font of your chest.

“It is a gesture of respect that can be used as a greeting, a goodbye, a thank-you or when speaking with one of the monastics,” the monastery advised.

The monks stopped in Edgefield County Jan. 7 where they were greeted by a few hundred supporters and one protestor, whom they gifted a flower and bottle of water, according to reporting from The Aiken Standard.