The picture above depicts Thích Quảng Đức,a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on June 11th, 1963. He was protesting the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Roman Catholic government. He set himself on fire, known also as self-immolation, and died without making any sound or movement. When I see this picture, I can not even begin to fathom the amount of self-determination that man must have had to let his entire body burn - a painstakingly long experience where it would seem like every nerve in one's body would be ignited both literally and figuratively. I also regard him with a huge amount of respect for his courage to stand up for what he believes in. The image itself is shocking and worthy of cringe, but the story behind the lense, at least for me, is truly inspirational. If by doing this, Thich managed to get police officers bowing and praying for forgiveness before him as he burned, imagine if that sort of dedication and conviction was transferred to our current society where, in comparison, some of our hardships and complaints seem extremely trivial.
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