Buddhist Monk - Self Immolation

Hòa thu?ng Thích Qu?ng Ð?c who was formerly called Lâm Van T?c burned himself to death on the 11th of June 1963 at a busy Saigon road intersection. Thích Qu?ng Ð?c was protesting against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s Ngô Ðình Di?m administration. Photos of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Di?m regime. Malcolm Browne won a Pulitzer Prize for his iconic photo of the monk's death, as did David Halberstam for his written account. After his death, his body was re-cremated, but his heart remained intact. This was interpreted as a symbol of compassion and led Buddhists to revere him as a bodhisattva, heightening the impact of his death on the public psyche. Thích Qu?ng Ð?c's act increased international pressure on Di?m and led him to announce reforms with the intention of mollifying the Buddhists. However, the promised reforms were implemented either slowly or not at all, leading to a deterioration in the dispute. With protests continuing, the Special Forces loyal to Di?m's brother, Ngô Ðình Nhu, launched nationwide raids on Buddhist pagodas, seizing the holy heart and causing deaths and widespread damage. Several Buddhist monks followed Thích Qu?ng Ð?c's example and burned themselves to death. Eventually, an Army coup toppled and killed Di?m in November. The self-immolation is widely seen as the turning point of the Vietnamese Buddhist crisis which led to the change in regime.

Channel: LiveVideo Video Length: 0s Date Found: Sun, Aug 01 2010 6:50 PM Category: Stunts Date Produced: Sun, Aug 01 2010 11:40 AM View Count: 11