Buddhist monk hit by car during peace walk reunites with fellow monks in metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A Buddhist monk who was hit by a car during the Walk for Peace in November is back home in metro Atlanta – just in time for the other monks to visit him while passing through Gwinnett county.

On Nov. 11, Phra-Ajarnh Maha Dam Phommasan was walking for peace with a group of other Buddhist monks on the side of the road about 30 miles east of Houston, Texas, when a car slammed into the monks’ escort vehicle, which then hit Phommasan.

“At the moment when I was hit I feel myself sliding across the ground, but with Buddhist belief, we believe that when we’re conscious of our awareness when we are about to die, it eliminates the chance of us going to hell and gives us a more direct route into heaven and nirvana,” he said.

Phommasan lived, and he was rushed to the hospital in Houston, where he learned he lost his left leg.

“The doctor told me my bone and my muscle, it’s missing... it’s gone. It’s not broken. It’s gone,” said Phommasan.

After more than a month in the hospital, Phommasan is now back home in Snellville, where the monks he was walking with stopped to see him on Wednesday.

“I’m very ecstatic to see the monks from the Walk for Peace movement, because the last time I saw them was when I was still in the hospital,” said Phommasan.

As hard as it’s been to deal with losing his leg, Phommasan says some good did come out of it.

“Before the accident the Walk for Peace movement was still unknown and not too many people knew about it, but after my injury it sparked a lot of interest in many different communities and brought a lot of attention to not only Walk for Peace but to Buddhism as well,” said Phommasan.

He says before the walk he had concerns about safety.

“Before the walk I had a feeling that something like this might happen to either me or my friends, because walking around the roads is very dangerous,” said Phommasan. “But now I’m at peace with what has happened.”

Phommasan said that even though he can no longer take part in the walk, he still plans on meeting up with his fellow monks when they reach Washington, D.C., in February.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Buddhist monks stop in Georgia on 2,300-mile trek to share their message

Buddhist monks walking for peace travel through east Alabama into west Georgia