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

Chapters: Thich Qu?ng c, Thubten Chodron. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 23. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Hoa thng Thich Qung c (Vietnamese pronunciation: , Saigon: born Lam 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. Thich Qung c was protesting against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngo inh 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. Thich 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, Ngo inh Nhu, launched nationwide raids on Buddhist pagodas, seizing the holy heart and causing deaths and widespread damage. Several Buddhist monks followed Thich 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 Thich Qung c are derived from information disseminated by Buddhist organizations. These record him as being born in the village of ...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=694597