Mahayanan Buddhists - Mahayanan Buddhist Monks, Thch Qu?ng C, Thubten Chodron (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Ha thng Thch Qung c (Vietnamese pronunciation:, Saigon: born L m Vn Tc (b. 1897 d. 11 June 1963) was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963. Thch Qung c was protesting against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ng ¬nh Dim administration. Photos of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Dim 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. Thch Qung c's act increased international pressure on Dim 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 Dim's brother, Ng ¬nh Nhu, launched nationwide raids on Buddhist pagodas, seizing the holy heart and causing deaths and widespread damage. Several Buddhist monks followed Thch Qung c's example and burned themselves to death. Eventually, an Army coup toppled and killed Dim in November. The self-immolation is widely seen as the turning point of the Vietnamese Buddhist crisis which led to the change in regime. Accounts of the life of Thch Qung c are derived from information disseminated by Buddhist organizations. These record him as being born in the village of Hi Khnh, in Vn Ninh District of Khnh Ha province in central Vietnam. He ... More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=694597