05/08/2021
In 1963, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Durc burned himself alive with gasoline in the streets of Vietnam.
His goal was to protest the persecution of the Buddhists by Ngo Dnh Diem and the South Vietnamese government- without outward violence.
He put himself in so much horrifying pain willingly.
And during that absolutely painful experience, he showed no emotion whatsoever.
As he slowly. burned. away.
Instead, he sat there in a complete inner state of peace while his existence as we know it disintegrated. And throughout that painful treacherous process,
Complete silence.
Complete peace.
Complete stillness and grace.
He gave up his life at the hands of one of the greatest possible forms of destruction, and took it in stride to fight nonviolently for his cause.
This is mind over matter.
A journalist with The New York Times described it below:
“…As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him.”
The mental mastery needed for this is incomprehensible. The training, the practice of meditation and mindfulness to go through that fire with that attitude is absolutely unbelievable.
The few photos that were taken of his tragic self-immolation were immediatly circulated worldwide.
Thich Quang Durc’s display became a symbol and sent a powerful emotional ripple through the world of the tragic devastation that was becoming to these Buddhists.
It brought awareness and it brought horror. But ultimately it brought understanding of what the monks were being subjected to that was so terrible that this act was even an option.
From Europe to China to the U.S., the world was in shock.
John F. Kennedy said:
“No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.”
Without touching a single other person in this ongoing battle, Thich brought the world to their knees through his sacrifice. Through his actions, the world felt the injustice being done to these people- and he did so through graceful resistance.
That mindful moment changed everything. It started a movement that could not be stopped.
After that moment, the U.S. threatened to withdraw itself from its association with Ngo Dinh Diem unless they came to an agreement with the Buddhists to end this devastation. It is said that Thich’s sacrifice may have even been the turning point for America entering the Vietnam War.
Mind over matter is defined as the ability of a person to control a physical condition or problem by using the mind.
Thich controlled his mind to create inner peace in chaos. That then let him control his physical environment through its emotionally strong ripple effect on others. Which then changed the direction of the oppression the Buddhists found themselves in, and of future impactful moments in our world’s history.
If this isn’t mind over matter, I don’t know what is.
