In their saffron and maroon robes, the monks became fixtures on social media as they made their way through the southeastern US, covering nearly 4000km, with their rescue dog.
Their simple mission, to advocate for peace, has resonated across a beleaguered country and appeared especially welcome in a city at the centre of political strife and power.
Thousands gathered along icy sidewalks to watch the monks' quiet procession that began in October.
"People want this," said Joan Donoghue, 59, from Silver Spring, Maryland, who came out with four of her friends on Tuesday to see the monks.
"I went on Sunday in Virginia and I waited outside for a long time and I talked to so many people and they all said the same thing: that our country needs this. We feel divided and people want more kindness and more compassion and more peace."
The monks began their walk in Texas more than three months ago, at times braving frigid winter temperatures, sometimes with bare feet, to raise "awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world".
The marchers continued on despite a powerful winter storm that spread a paralysing mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England, compounded by bitter, Arctic cold gripping much of the US.
Accompanied by Aloka, a rescue dog from India who has gained a following on social media as "the Peace Dog" their journey comes at a time of growing tensions in the US.
President Donald Trump's tough immigration policy has seen surges of immigration agents and National Guard troops deployed in some cities, with both American citizens and immigrants killed by federal agents.
"We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us," said Bhikkhu Pannakara, spiritual leader of the Walk for Peace.
"The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole."
In the afternoon, the monks stopped at the Washington National Cathedral, where they were joined by more than 100 other Buddhist monks and nuns.
They will spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington and end their journey in nearby Annapolis, Maryland on Thursday.
Supporters have braved snow and rain to meet and offer flowers to the monks as they passed through their cities.
with AP
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