Mercer University, a private research university in Macon, in the US state of Georgia, organized a weekend of meditation and peace activities from 16–18 October led by Buddhist monk Phra Ajahn Maha Dam Phommasan, who lost part of his leg after being struck by a car during a 3,700-kilometer peace walk across the United States last year.
Ajahn Maha Dam, abbot of Wat Lao Buddha Khanti in Snellville, Georgia, returned to Mercer after visiting the university in March, when a Mercer On Mission team fitted him with a prosthetic leg. His relationship with the university developed following his injuries he sustained during the Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, DC.
The monk was injured near Dayton, Texas, in November 2025 when a passing vehicle struck an escort car accompanying the walkers, pushing the vehicle into members of the group. Ajahn Maha Dam was hospitalized and later underwent amputation below the knee.
After learning about Mercer University’s prosthetics work, Maha Dam contacted the university about receiving assistance.
“After his leg was amputated, he surprisingly found out about our Mercer On Mission prosthetics program,” said University Minister Craig McMahan. “He was pleased that they did charity work and asked if they would fit him with one of their prosthetic legs. We, of course, happily agreed.” (Mercer University)
Mercer On Mission has sent teams to Vietnam each summer since 2009 to provide prosthetic limbs developed by Mercer biomedical engineering professor Ha Van Vo. According to the university, the program has assisted more than 24,000 amputees.
During Maha Dam’s March visit, McMahan invited him to return to lead a program exploring meditation across religious and secular traditions.
“At that time, I asked him if he would be willing to come back to Mercer and lead a conference on the practice of meditation, a discipline common in Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and non-religious practitioners of mindfulness,” McMahan said. “He eagerly agreed.” (Mercer University)
The resulting Weekend of Meditation and Mindful Living opened on 16 October with an introduction to meditation and guided practice at Newton Chapel. Two sessions followed on Saturday: “Finding Inner Peace” and “Making Outer Peace.” The weekend was scheduled to culminate Sunday with a roughly 1.6 kilometer Community Peace Walk from Washington Square Park to Mercer’s campus, with meditation stops along the route.
“Peace doesn’t just happen. It has to be made. It has to be built,” McMahan said. “This is our witness, our happy protest for a peaceful way of life.” (The Mercer Cluster)
Organizers described meditation as a point of contact among participants from different religious traditions as well as people with no religious affiliation.
“The point of meditation is to help people experience a connectedness to the world around them, to the people around them,” McMahan said. “It pushes against the individualism that is such a part of our Western culture. Meditation seems to bring people into a sense of unity.” (The Mercer Cluster)
The Community Peace Walk was free and open to the public. Participants were scheduled to meditate at Washington Square Park before continuing to Tattnall Square Park for a second meditation and then to Cruz Plaza on the Mercer campus for a final gathering.
“This weekend represents the kind of connection we hope to foster at Mercer: bringing people of various traditions—religious and non-religious—together around a shared commitment to peace, reflection and care for one another and the world,” McMahan said. (Mercer University)
The events formed part of Mercer’s “Countdown to 19,” a series marking the 29 October inauguration of Penny L. Elkins as the university’s 19th president.
See more
Buddhist Monk Fitted with Prosthetic by Mercer On Mission Team to Lead Macon Community Peace Walk (Mercer University)
Mercer to Host Three-Day Meditation Event with Buddhist Monk Phra Ajarn Maha Dam Phommasan (The Mercer Cluster)
Mercer On Mission Team Fits Monk Injured in Peace Walk with Prosthetic Leg (Mercer University)
Pave a Path to Peace One Step at a Time (Mercer University)
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