# A Monk, His Dog, & All the World: 2,300 Miles, 108 Days, 1 Great Vow | Bhante Paññākāra Q&A

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/clear-mountain-monastery-project-3695945/a-monk-his-dog-all-the-world-2-300-miles-108-days-1-great-vow-bhante-pa-k-ra-q-a
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/clear-mountain-monastery-project-3695945/a-monk-his-dog-all-the-world-2-300-miles-108-days-1-great-vow-bhante-pa-k-ra-q-a.md
Podcast: [Clear Mountain Monastery Project](https://stenobird.com/podcast/clear-mountain-monastery-project-3695945)
Published: 2026-03-26T01:00:06+00:00
Episode link: https://clearmountainmonastery.podbean.com/e/a-monk-his-dog-all-the-world-2300-miles-108-days-1-great-vow-bhante-pannakara-qa/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ly78a3hmeva52tc7/yt_video_vgo0mhBAotM_2hr8mn.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/clear-mountain-monastery-project-3695945/episodes/a-monk-his-dog-all-the-world-2-300-miles-108-days-1-great-vow-bhante-pa-k-ra-q-a
Duration seconds: 3531

## Resource

This is PART ONE of Clear Mountain's two-part interview with Bhante Paññākāra. PART TWO is scheduled to air April 1st here: https://youtu.be/r_AhRfLJJNw00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:23 - How is Āloka?00:04:00 - Key Moments of Faith and Ordination00:14:51 - Choosing Theravāda00:23:12 - Making Vows00:30:52 - Āloka Sighting00:31:55 - Daily Vows and the Practice of Tudong Pilgrimage and Wearing Rag-robes00:39:54 - How Bhante Met Āloka00:47:26 - Social Justice Peace Walks vs. Renunciate Peace WalksIn this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Bhante Pannakara (https://dhammacetiya.com/), the Vietnamese-born Theravāda monk who led the recent "Walk for Peace" from Texas to Washington DC and who founded the Dhammacetiya Project in Fort Worth, Texas. This first part of the interview explores Bhante Paññākāra’s transition from a disillusioning IT career to the monastic life, the profound 'system-reboot' sparked by the simple sight of a falling leaf, the persistence required to secure his parents' and teacher's permission to ordain, the seven-year silent incubation of his vow to build the marble Dhammacetiya Project, and the physical rigors of a 2,100-mile ascetic pilgrimage through India and Nepal in hand-stitched rag robes.Bhante's Biography:Bhante Panyakara is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and former IT engineer who transitioned from a corporate career to a life of mindfulness and service. Born in Vietnam and educated at the University of Texas at Arlington, Bhante Paññākāra immigrated to the U.S. in 1997 and took full ordination in 2010 in the lineage of the Most Venerable Ratanaguna, the last direct disciple of His Holiness the Venerable Vamsarakhita, founder and first Sangharaja of the Vietnamese Theravāda Buddhist Sangha. In 2020, he launched the Dhammacetiya Pro…

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