"HIS EYES WERE AN OCEAN OF CALM....."

During my regular random net surfing, I came across a photograph. An image which shocked me and burned itself into my psyche. This post is completely about that one image. I thought of putting it up here because I feel that everyone should see and be aware of it.

Throughout history, self-immolations have been the last-resort expression of protesters, clearly conveying the message that they would rather die than remain downtrodden. There are many instances in history where self immolation by one man has lead to the unification of the oppressed, mass civilian revolutions and downfall of regimes.

In India, Potti Sreeramulu's death after a 57 day hunger-strike lead to the creation of Andhra Pradesh in 1952 and laid precedent to the linguistic basis of state divisions. More recently, in 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Tunisia set himself on fire to protest against the harassment and humiliation he had to face from the Sidi Bouzid Municipal Officers. This incident was the spark (no pun intended) which grew into the Tunisian uprising which in turn was the beginning of the Arab springs where the tyrannical regimes of 4 Arab countries were eventually over-thrown. 

   

The photograph I came across is of a similar self-

immolation by a Buddhist monk in Saigon, South Vietnam.

South Vietnam of 1963 was a turbulent place. While more than 80% of the population was Buddhist, the government was pro-catholic, lead by Ngo Dinh Diem. The constant threat of violence and guerilla attacks by the Viet-cong gave the Diem Government a facade to follow its oppressive policies against the non-catholic population of South Vietnam. 

Buddhists were treated as second grade citizens in their home-land with no say in its governance. Catholics were given preference for promotions and other perks in the government services and the army. Catholic establishments enjoyed tax favors and land grants. International aid was restricted by the government to villages which agreed to convert to Christianity. Diem's brother, Pierre Martin Ngo Dình Thuc, was an arch-bishop and commanded a private army which was accused of criminal intimidation and extortion.

The first Buddhist mass protest was against the government legislation which prevented them from celebrating Buddha Purnima. Government forces fired at unarmed civilians killing nine protestors, which was followed by wide spread raids of pagodas and other Buddhist establishments. This further aggravated the crisis and for months Buddhists held protests demanding equal rights. The culmination of the protests was the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc, a senior Mahayana Buddhist monk.

The act occurred in an intersection in Saigon near the Cambodian Embassy. Quang Duc sat in a meditative padmasana position at the centre of the road, with his prayer beads, while his disciples poured gasoline over him. After a short prayer, he set himself on fire in front of his supporters, government forces and a few International journalists. 

His last message to the government was -  "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 organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism." 

(I realize that the pic is coming out of the frame a bit but I didn't want to make it smaller and ruin it.)

Throughout the process, the monk never flinched or 

showed any signs of suffering. "His eyes were an Ocean of Calm and a half smile played on his lips while he lit the match" observed Malcolm Browne of Associated press who captured the above image.

David Halberstam of Newyork Times who was at the scene summed it up rather graphically - "I was to see that sight again, but once was enough. Flames were coming from a human being; his body was slowly withering and shriveling up, his head blackening and charring. In the air was the smell of burning human flesh; human beings burn surprisingly quickly. Behind me I could hear the sobbing of the Vietnamese who were now gathering. I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered to even think ... As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him."

The photo was widely circulated and it shook the international conscience. Plight of the Buddhists in Vietnam became a cause which received global attention with this one image. American government withdrew their support for the Diem regime and within months of Quang Duc's sacrifice, Vietnam was witness to a military coup d'état. Diem and his confidantes were captured and executed and a military revolutionary council came into power in Vietnam. 

Now I usually do not support violence even when it is self inflicted. However the composure with which the monk sat through his incineration and the total lack of emotions from his part leaves me intrigued. This might be an instance where the world witnessed the age old Buddhist dictum of 'mind over matter'.

Malcolm Browne won the Pulitzer prize for International Journalism for capturing Thich Quang Duc's self immolation and revealing to the world, the plight of the Buddhists in South Vietnam.

Note : I have taken the quotes as it is shown in Wikipedia.