Thich Quang Duc

Many people my age and older remember the June 1963 act of self-immolation by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc.

Many people were, and still are, confused by this act. The First of the Precepts asks us to respect and protect all life, including our own.

Thich Quang Duc and other monks and nuns used their bodies as torches to illuminated the massive and horrid suffering of the Vietnamese people during, what they refer to as, the American War.

This one act help bring an end to the corrupt American-puppet regime of President Diem and his anti-Buddhist policies. It also helped alert the American people to the great suffering of the Vietnamese people.

Since the end of the war I've had three Vietnamese teachers. I've spent much time with the Vietnamese community of Michigan and Ontario. I've always been amazed at the warm gentleness of this community.

I think of the bombs and death and slaughter we sent to Vietnam. In return they sent us Teachers of Peace, Compassion, and Understanding.