Buddhism is not passive. Buddhism is active.

Thích Quảng Đức was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who died by self-immolation at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11th of June 1963. Nearly 15 minutes later, the fire died down and he fell down, his hand still in the samādhi mudra. He printed a letter called “The Heart Felt Prayer” before his death and gave it to his followers;

“My dharma name is Thich Quang Duc, abbot of Quan The Am pagoda, Phu Nhuan, Gia Dinh. Realizing that Buddhism in our country is in a state of decline, I, a monk who is called the eldest son of Tathagata, cannot just sit there calmly and watch Buddhism perish. Therefore, I am happy to make a vow to burn this temporary body as an offering to the Buddhas to dedicate the merits to preserving Buddhism. I hope that the Buddhas, Venerables, and Sangha of the ten directions will witness my attainment of the following wish:

1/. May Buddha bless President Ngo Dinh Diem to wisely accept the five minimum wishes of Vietnamese Buddhism stated in the declaration.

2/. Thanks to the Buddha’s compassion, Vietnamese Buddhism will last forever.

3/. I hope that the Buddha’s grace will protect Vietnamese monks, nuns, and Buddhists from terrorism, arrest, and imprisonment by evil people.

4/. Pray for peace in the country and happiness for the people…

Before closing my eyes and returning to the Buddha’s realm, I respectfully request President Ngo Dinh Diem to be compassionate and loving towards the people and to implement a policy of religious equality to preserve the country forever. I earnestly call on all Venerables, monks, nuns, and Buddhists to unite and agree to preserve Buddhism.

NAMO VICTORIOUS BUDDHA.

Venerable Thich Quang Ducrespectfully reports.”

In addition, he also left five verses, advising his followers and disciples to live according to the Noble Eightfold Path and the Six Harmonies, to unite and maintain faith in the Dharma. It is pertinent to remind ourselves that while various governments currently may flippantly disregard human rights, viewing hate speech as “opinion”, ignore protocols that ultimately supply protection, and feel free that they can behave in a way that suits their own base nature, it is important to know and remember that Buddhism is not passive. As Thich Quang Duc’s actions clearly show Buddhism is an active and compassionate expression of living and selflessness. It is the rugged and universal responsibility of upholding what you sincerely believe is necessary to systematically stand up for inner peace and compassion for yourself and all sentient beings around you that are suffering even if that means enduring suffering of an unimaginable kind. While I do not personally advocate self-harm, each act, each email, each cancellation and refusal to support a service that espouses hatred toward anyone for any reason whatsoever, each petition signed, each peaceful demonstration attended, each pro-active decision made toward either not giving money to corporations or individuals that align themselves with hate and discrimination is a single point of pressure and meditational focus that with overwhelming synchronous cooperation will lead towards the ultimate capitulation and eventual cessation of their hatred and discrimination. Focus is meditation. Focus is samādhi. Focus is resistance.