On June 11th, 1963,
Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist Monk,
sat down in the Lotus position on a street in Saigon.
His fellow monks poured petrol on him as he had requested.
He sat there for a moment not taking a breath.
He nodded and set himself on fire and burned himself to death.
He was protesting against the mistreatment of Buddhists,
by the Catholic South Vietnamese government.
It is difficult to imagine what he was thinking in his last moments.
I trust he was saying a Buddhist prayer like this one:
“ Today has passed, Life is getting shorter ,
Like a fish out of water, nothing fun about that
Masses must be diligent, Let go the fire in the head
Just remember impermanence.
Do not let go of it, hear the bell, reduce afflictions
Greet wisdom, Leave hell, Escape ignorance
Save all beings from suffering ”.
Is this the age of Fire and Ice?
The time when men take up guns again,
Or will tomorrow see the glorious rain,
Forgo the need for Fire.