The Self-Immolation of Thich Quang Duc: Sit With Me

The often-occluded relations among power, imperial politics, and the specific portrayals of religious issues is perhaps no more apparent than in the case of the interpretations American media and intellectuals gave to the much-publicized actions of several Vietnamese Buddhists who, beginning in mid-June of 1963, died by publicly setting themselves on fire. The first of these deaths occurred at a busy downtown intersection in Saigon, on 11 June 1963, and was widely reported in American newspapers the following day, although the New York Times, along with many other newspapers, declined to print Malcolm Browne's famous, or rather infamous, photograph of the lone monk burning (Moeller 1989: 404). The monk, seventy-three-year-old Thich Quang Duc, sat at a busy downtown intersection and had gasoline poured over him by two fellow monks. As a large crowd of Buddhists and reporters watched, he lit a match and, over the course of a few moments, burned to death while he remained seated in the lotus position. In the words of' David Halberstam, who was at that time filing daily reports on the war with the New York Times.

"Sit With Me

This fire will transform everything.
It will turn my ordinary flesh
into brilliant light;
I will ignite a billion imaginations.

The world won't just watch,
it will see.

It will place itself
amongst the flames
and sit with me.

© PoetryAgainstWar 2010"

"Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organise in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism."

From the letter left by Thích Quảng Đức.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Self-Immolation
• Monks
• Strong Mind
• Documentary Film
• History
• Vietnam