Fifty years ago yesterday, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc set fire to himself and died in Saigon. The Associated Press photograph of the burning monk was one of the most iconic images of the 20th century. It was published in newspapers and magazines all over the world. Those of us old enough to remember can tell you it was hard to avoid seeing it.
The self-immolation was part of a protest against the anti-Buddhist policies of Ngo Dinh Diem, president of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. Ngo Dinh Diem, a Catholic, was determined to impose Catholicism on his people and had forbidden even such innocuous practices as flying a Buddhist flag on Buddha's birthday.
A campaign of protests against the anti-Buddhist policies began in the sprig of 1963. Public demonstrations were suppressed; more than a thousand monks and nuns were arrested, and many others simply disappeared. After Thich Quang Duc's sacrifice, foreign journalists began to cover the "Buddhist crisis"Â in Vietnam, and the world paid attention. Once Ngo Dinh Diem had lost the support of U.S. President John Kennedy his days were numbered; he was deposed and assassinated in November 2003. (Read more -- "Buddhist in Vietnam.")
For retrospectives on the photograph and the Buddhist Crisis, see "Malcolm Browne: The Story Behind The Burning Monk" in Time and "Fiftieth Anniversary of Vietnamese Monk Setting Himself on Fire" at ABC News.
Thich Quang Duc's suicide remains controversial among Buddhists. Suicide is considered a violation of the Precepts, with few exceptions. But now that self-immolation of Buddhist monastics is in the news again, it may be instructive to consider that while Thich Quang Duc's act did grab the world's attention, the more than 100 such acts committed since 2009 seem to be causing barely a ripple in world opinion. Maybe they should stop.
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