The Self Immolators

1 2013 Feb. Day Blakely Donaldson Can be discussed and downloaded at: http://theselfimmolators.freeforums.net/ 2 The Self Immolators 3 THICH QUANG DUC Jun 11 '63 Saigon, South Vietnam He was a 67 year old South Vietnamese monk who entered the monastery at age 7, took vows at 15, and became a monk at 20, and, after 3 years as a hermit, worked overseeing temple-building and teaching. He spent 2 years in Cambodia. Five years into the Vietnam War, in the time of Diem's oppression of non-Catholic religeon, and one month after a violent suppression of street protesters, where nine died, who had marched the buddhist flag past Radio Hue after a ban on that flag days before the birthday of the Buddha, and in the wake of the encouragement of the flying of the Vatican flag in celebration of Diem's brother, the Archbishop. In front of the Cambodian embassy in Saigon, a procession of 350 monks and nuns holding up banners printed in Vietnamese and English condemning Diem's government, walked in two phalanges, led by an Austin sedan, from a nearby pagoda. In front of the embassy the two phalanges formed mulitple layers of a circle around senior monk Duc and two other monks, who emerged from the car. One placed a cushion on the road and the other took a 5-gallon drum from the trunk. Duc seated himself in lotus, and the monk emptied the gas over his head. Duc recited Namo Amitabha Buddha over a string of beads and stuck a match and self immolated. Police could not breach the circle of clergy. One prostrated before Duc, as did other people present. The people some were silent, some praying, some crying out. The foreign news, who had been advised of the event, recorded it. A monk repeated into a microphone: "A monk has set himself on fire. A monk has become a martyr." The body was robed and carried in a coffin to the pagoda, where students put out banners: "A monk has burnt himself for our five requirements." A crowd of students formed a wall around the temple as a thousand monks held a meeting inside before returning to the intersection, before riot police arrived. Thousands of Saigonese reported seeing the Buddha in the sunset. 4 The Letter I Thich Quang Duc, Abbot Wat Phu Nhuan Guanyin, Notice to the Buddhist country in reverence. As head of Tathagata I am perhaps not a correct offering for consumption, but I am happy to volunteer and offer this temporary form to the Buddhas in merit for protection of Buddhism. Looking to the ten schools of Buddhist monks and nuns, I demonstrate reaching toward these aspirations: 1. I would thank the Buddha to bless President Ngo Ninh Diem with the wisdom to accept the minimum aspirations of the Vietnamese Buddhist stated in the Declaration. 2. By the grace of Buddhist compassion, a blessing of Vietnamese Buddhism for eternal immortality. 3. By the grace of Buddhas blessing of Venerable monks, the hope that Vietnamese Buddhists avoid the mishaps of terrorist arrests and detention by the wicked. 4. For a peaceful country, the national peace, a prayer. Before closing my eyes to this scene to go towards the Buddha, I respectfully send word to the President Ngo Diem to take charity and compassion considering the national implementation of the policy of religeous equality to maintain Vietnam eternally. To lay and ordained Buddhists, unify and sacrifice to preserve Buddhism and to preserve unity. Namo Buddha Victorious Battle Done An Quang Pagoda, April 8th of the leap year You Mao monk Thich Quang Duc 5 The Five Requests: 1. Removal of the Government ban on the Buddhist flag 2. As much freedom to practice their religeon as Catholics have 3. Consider the example of the 10 to not see religeon as association 4. Termination of terrorist repression of Buddhism 5. Compensation for the victims of the Hue Radio event and the punishment of those who caused the bloodshed* *Diem had refused to accept responsibility for the causalities and blamed the "Communists" (the Vietcong). 6 LE (THICH MGUYEN HUONG) Aug 4 '63 Phan Thiet, Vietnam He was a monk in his 20s who self immolated in the center of the seacoast town of Phan Thiet. Government troops removed his body before fellow monks could reach it. 7 THICH THANH TUCK Aug 13 '63 Vietnam He was a 17 year old novice monk who self immolated in the Phuc Duyen Pagoda. 8 DIETI QUANG Aug 15 '63 Ninh Hoa, Vietnam She was a nun who self immolated in the courtyard of Tu Dam Pagoda in the seacoast town of Ninh Hoa. 9 THICH TIEU Aug 16 '63 Hue, South Vietnam He was a 71 year old monk who self immolated in Hue. After three self immolations in one week, the government declared marshal law, which renewed Buddhist outrage and protest. In Hue's biggest pagoda Tu Dam, he announced over a loudspeaker that he was going to self immolate in front of the pagoda in support of the Buddhist demand for rights denied by Diem. He soaked his robes with gasoline and self immolated. 10 KIZAPPAZUVUR CHINNASAMY Jan 25 '64 Trichy, India He was a 27 year old villager’s only son and day-laborer who attended school until 5th grade. He avidly read Dravidianist literature and newspapers, and named his daughter Dravidacelvi (the same name as his sister). Tamil protest had been carried on since 1939 by young men who had died in prison and had been eulogized as martyrs, often refusing the conditions offered for release, and in fasting. A few days before he self-immolated, he had visited Madras (now Chennai) and chanced to meet the Chief Minister, whom he implored to do something to save Tamil. He was taken into custody. On the eve of Republic Day 1965, he doused himself with kerosene and self-immolated in front of the Trichy railway station. 11 In a letter to his brother-in-law on the eve of his death. "I plan to die in order to protect Tamil. One day my goal will be met." “O Tamil! In order that you live, I am going to die a terrible death!” “Let Hindi die! May Tamil flourish!” “May Tamittay flourish! Down with Hindi.” 12 KODAMBAKKAM SIVALINGAM Jan 26 '65 Chennai, India He was a 21 year old employee of the Madras Corporation. The self immolation of Chinnasamy appeared in the DMK party newspapers and plastered to walls. He wrote a letter before his death stating, “My body to the soil, my life to Tamil!” He went to the railway station near Kodambakkam, Chennai and self immolated. 13 “My body to the soil, my life to Tamil!” 14 VIRUGAMBAKKAM ARANGANATHAN Jan 27 '65 Chennai, India He was a 33 year old husband and father and Telephone Department worker in Chennai. The same day, an 18 year old college student was killed by police fire at a huge anti-Hindi protest at a University. He visited Sivalingam's site on the 26th, then sent letters to the Indian Government and the Madras State Government* condemning Hindi imposition. *Tamil Nadu State was called Madras State at that time 15 AYAMPALAYAM VEERAPPAN Feb 11 '65 India He was a 26 year old school headmaster. The day before, he wrote letters to Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Madras State Chief Minister Bakthavatchalam expressing his opposition to Hindi imposition. When neighbors tried to save Veerappan, he told them that they should use their efforts to save not him, but Tamil. 16 SATYAMANGALAM MUTHU Feb '65 India He was a 21 year old farmer who self immolated. 17 MAYAVARAM SARANGAPANI Mar '65 India He was a second-year B.Com student. He self immolated in front of his Group College grounds in Mailaduthurai, shouting slogans. 18 "Long live Tamil! Down with Hindi!" "I have given up my life to Tamil Mother." 19 KEERANOOR MUTHU '65 India He was a 21 year old hotel worker in Keeranoor who self immolated. 20 ALICE HERZ Mar 16 '65 Detroit, USA She was an 82 year old long-time peace activist who had emigrated to Detroit in 1942 after serving in an internment camp. She and her daughter had been refused citizenship in response to their refusal to vow to defend the nation by arms. 10 years from the start of war in Vietnam, she self immolated on a streetcorner in Detroit. 21 Last testament, distributed to several friends and fellow activists before her death. TO THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD! TO U-THANT, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS! ************* As a Citizen of the World, in full possession of my physical, mental and spiritual capacities, THE CREATOR OF THIS WORLD BEFORE I ACCUSE LYNDON B. JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, For having declared his decision and already started to enact it: to use his amassed capacity of “400 times OVERKILL” to wipe out, “if necessary,” whole countries of his own choosing. TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE! With the help of THE COLOSSAL LIE your President, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, J.F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson, have deceived and misguided you. Through hatred and fear, deliberately whipped up during the last twenty years, you have allowed your lawmakers in Congress to appropriate endless billions of dollars for an Arsenal of Destruction – unlimited. AWAKE AND TAKE ACTION! BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Yours is the responsibility to decide, if this world shall be a good place to live for all human beings, in dignity and peace, or if it should blow itself up to oblivion.

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