| Buddhism is usually known for its gentle ways | | | | self-immolation was not an act of suicide, |
| and belief in non-violence in order to solve | | | | which would go against his Buddhist beliefs. |
| problems, but occasionally more dramatic | | | | Instead, Duc viewed the burning as a wake up |
| displays happen, like Thich Quang Duc - the | | | | call, a way to call attention to his cause. |
| burning monk. | | | | His death has been termed a "religious |
| | | | suicide" by Chinese Buddhism scholars, who |
| Who was Thich Quang Duc - the burning monk? | | | | state that it was religiously justified based |
| Duc was born in 1897 in Vietnam, and became a | | | | on texts found dating back to the 5th and |
| Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lived in the | | | | 10th centuries BCE. Others think the |
| Linh-Mu Pagoda in the town of Hue. He lived | | | | opposite, that this suicide was not at all |
| in a monastic community from the age of seven | | | | religiously driven and was instead a |
| up until his death at the age of 67. He | | | | political act. |
| practiced a very severe ascetic lifestyle and | | | | |
| meditation practice for years - and was | | | | Duc had burned himself in order to bring |
| considered a bodhisattva at the time of his | | | | awareness to his cause, which was the belief |
| death, an enlightened one. | | | | that Vietnam was suffocating Buddhist |
| | | | tradition. He wanted the ban on flying the |
| Thich Quang Duc came into the public eye on | | | | traditional Buddhist flag lifted, wanted |
| June 11, 1963, when he and two other monks | | | | Buddhism to have the same rights as |
| drove to a busy intersection in Saigon, | | | | Catholicism did, and wanted Buddhist monks to |
| Vietnam. Duc sat in the middle of the road in | | | | have the right to practice their religion, |
| the traditional lotus position, and had the | | | | among other goals. Thich Quang Duc's |
| other monks pour gasoline over his body. He | | | | self-immolation, along with the picture it |
| then ignited a match, and set himself on | | | | created, did have some impact on these goals, |
| fire. Duc burned to death in a matter of | | | | including the overthrowing of the Catholic |
| minutes, and he was immortalized in a famous | | | | Diem regime that was in possession of South |
| photograph taken by a reporter who was in | | | | Vietnam. |
| Vietnam in order to photograph the war. All | | | | |
| those who saw this spectacle were taken by | | | | While burning to death may not seem the best |
| the fact that Duc did not make a sound while | | | | way to attain one's religious and even |
| burning to death. | | | | political goals, the experience of Thich |
| | | | Quang Duc - the burning monk shows that |
| Thich Quang Duc was quick to point out (in | | | | extreme measures can have an effect. |
| letters left for the press) that his | | | | |