Buddhist Wisdom

Metta, loving kindness sutta, Buddha said:
"This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud or demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world."

- Sn 143-152, Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness
translated from the Pali by the Amaravati Sangha, © 2004.

From the Access to Insight website, link in comments.

Buddha on prosperity and the government: "During his life Buddha exhorted his bhikkhu disciples (monks) not to settle permanently in one place, but to wander from village to village preaching to the people for their good and for their well-being.

Accordingly, the Buddha and his bhikkhus traveled throughout the year, except during the three or four rainy months (vass’na), preaching to the people ideas conducive to their well-being here and hereafter.

It is interesting to examine those ideas the wandering Indian bhikkhus preached. Generally, the villagers were poor, illiterate, not very clean, and not healthy.

They needed simple moral ideas conducive to their material well-being and happiness rather than deep and sublime discourses on philosophy, metaphysics, or psychology as taught in the Abhidhamma. Ideas preached to such lay people are to be found in many places in the Buddhist Scriptures (Tipiṭaka).

The Cakkavattisîhanâda-sutta in the Dîgha-nikâya clearly states that poverty is a cause of crime and immorality. As the Buddha realized this fact, he and his disciples preached to the people the value of earning wealth and the importance of economic development for their well-being and happiness. Further in the Kûṭadanta-sutta (in the Dîgha-nikâya) he expounded that crimes such as stealing could not be stopped by punishment: for such crimes to be adequately and properly controlled and stopped, opportunities should be provided for the people to be happily engaged in their occupations and to lead comfortable lives.

A trader who desires to prosper in his business should exert himself constantly throughout the day; he should be able to select saleable goods; he should be able to determine the purchasing price and the selling price of a commodity; he should be capable of buying things where they are in abundance and selling them where they are in scarcity; he should not cheat his customers by using false measures and weights; he should not engage himself in “unjust trades.”2 Such interesting ideas about vocations are found in several places in the Aṅguttaranik”ya.

Economic security (atthi-sukha), enjoyment of wealth (bhoga-sukha), freedom from debts (anaṇa-sukha), leading a faultless life (anavajja-sukha)–these are four kinds of happiness for a layman. Ability in one’s occupation (uṭṭh”nasampad”), protection of wealth (“rakkhasampad”), association with good friends (kaly”ṇamittat”), expenditure in proportion to income (samaj”vikat”)–these four are said to be conducive to the well-being of people in this world.

People were advised to use a quarter of their earnings for day-to-day expenses, to invest two quarters, and to keep one quarter in reserve for emergencies. The ways in which accumulated wealth can be destroyed were also clearly explained.

If a family that has become wealthy desires to live happily without falling from its position, it should regain things lost, should repair things which are damaged, should not be extravagant on food and drink, and should not have as the head of the family a man or a woman of ill-behavior and immoral life.

It is stated in many places that for one’s own advancement one should work strenuously without being lazy. Health is the greatest asset and one should strive to be well.

Numerous ideas for the well-being of society are frequently stated. Liberality (dâna), kindly speech (peyya-vajja), service for the benefit of others (atthacariyâ), equality (samânattatâ)– these are well known as the four Bases of Assistance (saṅgaha-vatthu).

Many ideas for the advancement of society, as well as duties and obligations both by the family and the society for their mutual benefit, are mentioned in the discourses such as the Sigâla, Parâbhava, and Vasala. The Sigâla-sutta goes even to the extent of stating that a husband should please his wife by making presents of beautiful dresses and ornaments to her.

During the time of the Buddha certain kings oppressed the people. It is evident from the Dhammapadaṭṭhakath” that the Buddha directed his attention even towards the serious problem of government through compassion (karuṇ”), with a view to promoting a form of just government that would not harm and hurt the people suffering under the tyranny and the heavy taxes imposed on them by unrighteous rulers.

Buddhism teaches that a country should be governed in accordance with the Ten Duties of the King (dasarâ-jadhamma), namely:

(1) liberality (dâna),
(2) morality (sâla),
(3) giving up everything for the good of the people (pariccâga),
(4) honesty and integrity (ajjava), (5) kindness and gentleness (maddava),
(6) austerity in habits (tapa),
(7) freedom from hatred, ill-will, enmity (akkodha),
(8) non-violence (avihiṃsâ),
(9) patience, forbearance, tolerance, understanding (khanti), and
(10) non-opposition, non-obstruction, i.e., not to obstruct any measures conducive to the welfare of the people (avirodha).

When the Magadha monarchy prepared for war against the Licchavi Republic, representatives of the Magadha monarchy approached the Buddha and inquired of him if they would win that war against the Licchavis. The Buddha replied that the Licchavis would remain undefeated because seven conditions of welfare existed among them.

Thus, in this way the Buddha and the bhikkhus taught such important ideas pertaining to health, sanitation, earning wealth, mutual relationships, well-being of society, and righteous government–all for the good of the people.

- Venerable Dr. Walpola Sri Rahula, The Heritage of the Bhikkhu.

🏵🙏🏵🙏🏵🙏🏵🙏🏵

Venerable Rahula ( 1907 - 1977) was a Buddhist monk and scholar, received the traditional monastic training and education in his ancient religion in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and held eminent positions in one of the leading monastic institutes (Pirivena). He also served as head of a university on the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

-Link to source in comments.

😅🤣😂Amusing Suttas😂🤣😅

🫠"The Boast of Brahma

Where do I find it?

☸️Digha Nikaya 11, Kevaddha Sutta.

What’s up?

A monk searches for an answer to the question, ‘Where do the four great elements cease without remainder?’ He questions the gods, but they keep referring him upstairs (which itself is a lovely satire on the bureaucratic nature of the celestial hierarchy) until he arrives in the realm of Brahma. Brahma appears and boasts, ‘I am Brahma, the Great Brahma, Father of All…’. But he keeps dodging the question. Eventually the monk is so persistent, he takes him by the elbow, leads him to one side, and whispers to him, ‘Actually, I don’t know the answer to your question. You should have asked the Buddha!’ 🤭

😝Where’s the funny?

It is a brilliantly accurate skewering of religious pretensions. The bluster and bombast is revealed for what it is. While the story as it stands is directed at the Brahmans, other texts make it clear the Buddha respected the good practice of Brahmans of old (after all, he must have had jhanas to become a Brahma in the first place.) The point here is that religious authority is propped up by signs and displays, and with a little dedicated and persistent questioning anyone can see beneath the surface.

🫠The Doctrine of Dighanakha

Where do I find it?

☸️Majjhima Nikaya 74, Dighanakha Sutta

🤔What’s up?

Dighanakha approaches the Buddha and without ado declares his doctrine to him. With a name like ‘Long-nails’, you know this is not going to end well. His doctrine is, ‘Nothing whatsoever is pleasing to me’. The Buddha responds with one of the best one-liners in the Suttas: ‘Well, this view of yours, is that pleasing to you?’ 🤭

😝Where’s the funny?

The Buddha’s response is sharp, witty, and cuts to the heart of the matter. Like the best humour, it’s not just amusing, but it points to a deep truth: religious people often claim to have let go of the world, but it is their attachment to their religious ideals that is really holding them back."

- From Ajahn Sujato's blog, link in comments

Difference between literal and interpretative meanings by Robert Thurman:
"In Mahayana Buddhism a distinction is made between two categories of scriptures:

☸️interpretable scriptures, which are those whose meaning can, at best, be taken as provisional and therefore require further interpretation beyond their literal meaning; and

☸️definitive scriptures, which are those scriptures that can be taken at face value as literally true.

Crucial to this hermeneutical approach is the Mahayana principle of the four reliances.

These are:

(1) reliance on the teaching, not on the teacher;

(2) reliance on the meaning, not on the
words that express it;

(3) reliance on the definitive meaning, not on the provisional meaning; and

(4) reliance on the transcendent wisdom of deep experience, not on mere knowledge.

The first part of the principle of the four reliances states that when listening to a teaching or reading a text, one should not judge the validity of what is being said on the basis of the speaker’s fame, wealth, position, or power but rather on the merit of the teaching itself.

The second principle states that when judging a work, one should do so not on the basis of the literary style, but rather on the strength of the treatment of the subject matter.

The third principle prescribes that when reflecting on the validity of a thesis, one should do so not on the strength of its provisional meaning but instead on the basis of its definitive stance.

Finally, the fourth principle states that even when you rely on the definitive stance, you should do so based on the strength of wisdom an understanding gained through experience and not on mere intellectual knowledge of the subject matter.

In fact, we can find indications of this approach in the Buddha’s own words.

He advises:
"O bhikus and wise men, just as a goldsmith would test his gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing it, so must you examine my words and accept them, but not merely out of reverence for me.""

- The Profound and Miraculous by Robert Thurman, Lesson 2: The Wisdom Experience, link in comments.

Framework of our meditation - Bhikku Bodhi: "Although we may initially take up meditation with an open and explorative mind, at a certain point in our practice we inevitably arrive at a crossroads where we are faced with a choice.

Either we can continue the meditation as a purely naturalistic, non-religious discipline, or we can transpose the practice back into its original setting of Buddhist faith and understanding.

If we choose the first route, we might still deepen our meditation and reap more abundantly the same benefits we have obtained so far — deeper calm, more equanimity, greater openness, even a kind of pe*******on of the here and now.

Nevertheless, as desirable as these fruits might be in themselves, viewed against the Buddha's word they remain incomplete. For the practice of insight meditation to achieve the full potential ascribed to it by the Buddha, it must be embraced by several other qualities that rivet it to the framework of the teaching."

- Read the whole article at the Access to Insight website, link in comments.

📝☸️📝☸️📝☸️📝☸️📝

Access to Insight website needs technical assistance and donations to maintain, it was nearly closed down recently due to lack of funds and volunteer technical expertise to keep it running. Consider contacting them if you can help.

Most of the Pali Canon, as well as numerous commentaries, articles and Dhamma talks are available to read online at the Access to Insight website. Link in comments, go to the "contact us" tab.

Maintaining enthusiasm: "It’s so important that we use the events of the day as a way of cultivating an open heart and clarity of the mind, so that we don’t just use every event of the day—even events which outwardly look very good, like running Dharma centres and things like this—as an excuse for really facing what we are here for.

A genuine spiritual aspirant is like a marathon runner, not like a short distance runner. It’s very easy in the beginning to have lots of enthusiasm. We see people bubbling over with enthusiasm, really keen, they throw themselves into all the practices, into all the activities, so bright and starry-eyed and joyful. Then we see them 10 years down the road, still going. 15 years along the way, slowing down a bit. By the time they are 20 to 25 years down the line—“Wow, I used to be so enthusiastic but now somehow, I have lost my interest. How do I get enthusiastic again?” That is a difficult one.

This quality of perseverance—not just of the initial spurt of enthusiasm although that is important and invaluable, but the ability to keep going even when it is not exciting anymore, even when nothing much is happening inwardly. It looks like we just have to keep going and not give up.

This is such an important quality. In old translations they sometimes used the word “manliness” for the Sanskrit word virya. In Latin the word for a man is vir. Sanskrit and Latin are connected and so those donnish scholars were thinking “man” as a way of carrying on with the task—get on with it! The muscular Christianity type of approach.

There was a trend of muscular Christianity—I am not making it up! So they translated virya as determination, perseverance, effort, but probably most people felt tired just reading that and so then translators started calling it enthusiasm which sounded a bit more upbeat. What it means is not just enthusiasm, but it is this question of carrying on, as I said, like a marathon runner.

Marathon runners keep back a lot of their strength so that they can keep going; they don’t expend all their energy in the first thousand metres because they know they’ve got miles and miles to go yet. So they school their energy very carefully and keep on track and learn how to breathe properly and how to pace themselves so that they can just keep going.

And that’s what we’re talking about. It’s this quality of being able to keep the momentum going, day after day after month after year. The good news is that unlike the marathon runner once we really begin to see that daily life is our practice, and that everything we do and every encounter we have, is an opportunity for developing our inner qualities—our loving kindness, our understanding, our patience, our generosity, our openness of heart—as we begin to realise that every situation is for this and we begin to develop the quality of mindfulness or awareness, then what happens is that the momentum builds so that we are carried along.

The days become more and more fulfilling, more and more interesting, more and more vivid. When that actually happens and if one feels that one is in the flow so to speak, then one is on the right track.

If the days continually—everybody has better days and not such good days—but basically if the days go by feeling flat and boring, routine and dull, we haven’t got the point. Because if we take everything that we do as a way of cultivating the path, step by step and moment by moment, then how could it be dull?

That gathers its own momentum as we begin to understand what to do and our responses become more and more skilful automatically. So this idea of perseverance isn’t panting fatigue. It isn’t something arduous. It’s something which is self-renewing moment to moment, once we begin to get on to the right track. Then we don’t have to generate the energy, it will generate itself because we are in balance. This is very important."

- An extract from a transcript of a teaching by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo on the perfection of Joyful Effort, Apr 13, 2026.

Read the rest of the transcript at link in comments

The story of a Vietnamese Buddhist monk's self immolation, told by Sister True Emptiness:

In April 1963 (in Vietnam) there were many stories of the oppression of Buddhists by the Catholic regime. In Lavang Village in Quang Tri Province, the Buddhists worshipped the silhouette of a woman who had saved a little boy. The child had fallen into a well one night and was floating on the surface of the water when he was rescued barely in time. The boy reported that he had seen a woman who looked exactly like a painting of Avalokitesvara (Quan Yin or Chenrezig) supporting him in the water.

On another occasion in the same province, one group of houses remained untouched during a huge storm that destroyed all the trees and fields surrounding it. Many people reported seeing the mysterious woman walking in front of the houses during the storm.

At the beginning of this century, the people erected a small temple to worship Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva whom they believed the mysterious woman to be. But when Ngo Dinh Diem came to power, his brother, Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, ordered that a Catholic cathedral be built, and he declared that the woman had been Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus, and not Avalokitesvara.

Government employees throughout the country were asked to contribute towards the construction of the Lavang Cathedral. But in April 1963, the most extreme anti-Buddhist proclamation was issued by the Diem regime.

They declared that Wesak, (Vesak) the Buddha's nativity, could no longer be celebrated as a national holiday in Vietnam, and that it was a crime to display the Buddhist flag. In twelve northern provinces of South Vietnam, Wesak was the most important holy day. All fish and meat markets and non-vegetarian restaurants were closed, and anyone could enter a Buddhist temple and receive a vegetarian meal. Buddhist flags were on display everywhere, and processions of carts made of flowers carrying a statue of the baby Buddha could be seen throughout the cities, towns, and villages.

In Hue, the Buddhist stronghold in Central Vietnam, every household traditionally prepared an altar in the front yard on the eve of Wesak to welcome the baby Buddha. Imagine what a shock it was for the people to learn that all of these practices were suddenly forbidden.

I later learned that Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc intended for all of Vietnam to "progress" rapidly on the Catholic path, as had happened in one village where everyone was baptized on the same day. The Archbishop had hoped to be named a cardinal and felt that if too many Buddhist flags were displayed during Wesak, it would hinder his chances.

For us, the ban on displaying the Buddhist flag was the last drop in a bucket already filled with the anger of oppression. So, on the eve of Wesak, May 8, 1963, Buddhists in Hue hung their flags and conducted the Wesak ceremony as usual at Tu Dam Pagoda. Everyone in the city waited by their radios to hear the broadcast of the Dharma talk by Thay Tri Quang. But the talk, which had been recorded that morning, was not broadcast, because he spoke about the wish of the Buddhists not to have their flag banned.

Thousands of young people came to the radio station, and the authorities ordered tanks to advance on them. Eight young people were crushed to death. On May 10, more than 10,000 people demonstrated, demanding freedom of religion, but President Diem ignored them, and instead arrested and tortured many of the monks and students he considered to be the instigators.

After long deliberation, our Buddhist Student Union in Saigon joined with the leadership of the National Buddhist Congregation in its struggle for religious liberty, endorsing their open letter and petition to the government:

*The presidential decree banning the Buddhist flag must be rescinded.

*Everyone must be granted the same freedoms as those guaranteed the Catholics under the French regime, including freedom to assemble.

*The National Buddhist Congregation must enjoy the same status as the Catholic Church and not be considered merely an association.

*The arrests of Buddhists must stop.

*Buddhists must be given the freedom to practice the Buddha's teachings.

*The families of those who were crushed by the tanks must be compensated, and those who did the killing must be arrested and brought to trial.

The High Patriarch of the National Buddhist Congregation, Thay Tinh Khiet, signed the petition and added these five principles:

1. Buddhists have never aimed at overthrowing any regime. We only wish to change policies that discriminate against us.

2. Buddhists have no enemies. Our struggle is not against the Catholics but against discrimination. Buddhists never wish to fight another religion.

3. The Buddhist struggle for a fair religious policy is part of the struggle for social justice in all of Vietnam.

4. Buddhists vow to follow a nonviolent path, practicing the teachings of the Awakened One during the struggle itself. Because of our commitment to nonviolence, we Buddhists are ready to sacrifice ourselves in the spirit of understanding and love. We want more than just a change of policy. We want the spirit of love and understanding to inspire and transform the hearts and minds of all people, including those in government.

5. Buddhists will not let any political force make use of our struggle.

On May 15, 1963, a Buddhist delegation submitted a forty-five page report of human rights violations to President Diem, but again there was no response. On May 21, 1,000 monks and nuns gathered at An Quang Pagoda to pray for the young people who died in Hue.

Moved by the presence of these peaceful monks and nuns, thousands of laypeople joined them. Police used tear gas, barbed wire, and physical force to break up this and other "demonstrations," and they took many monks and nuns away in large trucks. On May 25, an Interdenominational Committee for Protecting Buddhism, founded in Xa Loi Temple, went to Diem and asked him to address the demands previously submitted, but still there was no response, and the struggle continued, including demonstrations, collective fasts, noncooperation in the markets, and petitions.

Monks and nuns wore their everyday brown or gray robes to these demonstrations, and then, at a pre-appointed time, donned their bright yellow, formal sanghati robes. The foreign press was informed of the time to come to photograph these powerful, silent marches for human rights. There was great harmony among the leaders of this committee, led by eloquent and skillful monks from all over Vietnam.

Thay Thien Minh was extremely gifted in chairing the meetings and in negotiating with the government. We students used our underground press to explain to our countrymen and to the world why the Buddhists were demonstrating. Censorship in South Vietnam was so severe at this time that residents of Saigon were not informed about the killing of the eight young people in Hue. We printed the news of the Hue demonstrations, including the transcriptions of the BBC and Voice of America reports confirming many human rights violations by the Diem regime.

In a short time, several hundred students from the Buddhist Student Union in Saigon plus hundreds of other friends joined together to become a group of nearly 1,000 that was challenging the authorities. Huynh Ba Hue Duong was the "brains" behind our publications' distribution network. One group established connections with the public high schools in Saigon, Cho Lon, Gia Dinh, and several nearby provinces. Another group was given responsibility to distribute books to the private high schools, and another to the Buddhist merchants in the dozens of markets of Saigon, Cho Lon, and Gia Dinh. As soon as a new book or pamphlet was printed, each unit of our network went to work distributing it to balance the distorted news disseminated by the government.

The regime called our work "communist," and we risked arrest and torture. Our work in the slums helped us. Whenever we were followed by a government agent, we darted into a slum, and it was impossible for the agent to track us down. In prison, police agents were known to torture people until they "admitted" that they were communist infiltrators trying to stir up trouble among the Buddhists. Hue Duong was arrested, beaten, and forced to "admit" that he was communist. Then he had to witness his close partner in the underground work receiving vaginal electric shocks. She fainted several times but persisted in claiming her innocence. Some coworkers were even tortured to death, but the numbers of those supporting our work continued to increase.

On June 11, 1963, Thay Quang Duc (pictured) immolated himself to call for religious freedom.

No one had informed me that he was going to do this, but just at the moment he set himself on fire, I happened to be driving by the corner of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Van Duyet Streets on my motorbike, and I witnessed him sitting bravely and peacefully, enveloped in flames.

He was completely still, while those of us around him were crying and prostrating ourselves on the sidewalk. At that moment, a deep vow sprang forth in me: I too would do something for the respect of human rights in as beautiful and gentle a way as Thay Quang Duc. After the sacrifice of Thay Quang Duc, the inspiration was so great in the country that we could not count all the demonstrations and acts of resistance taking place in every town and province.

The press could only report on what was happening in Saigon and Hue. At 2:00 a.m. on June 16, the day of Thay Quang Duc's funeral, the government and the Buddhists reached a five-point peace agreement. The news was broadcast on the radio, but because the atmosphere of the country was so tense, most people did not believe it, and thousands came anyway to demonstrate at Thay Quang Duc's funeral. Thay Tam Giac, a martial arts teacher who had thousands of students in Saigon, stood on the hood of a car announcing through a megaphone that the agreement was true. His car had to travel across one-third of the city before the atmosphere was defused.

The government postponed the funeral for four days in the hope that the people would calm down. On June 20, after six hours of cremation, all of Thay Quang Duc's body had become ash, except his heart, which was still dark reddish-brown and intact. After a second cremation, at 40,000* C, his heart remained exactly the same shape, although an even darker color.

The office of Ngo Dinh Nhu issued a secret communique asking its employees to remain on alert for a new offensive order. When a copy of that communique was obtained by the Buddhist leaders, they brought it back to the government and demanded the government honor its peace agreement. On the same day, the government attempted to set up its own Buddhist Congregation by gathering a number of "chanting priests." These priests sent a cable to the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) meeting in Sri Lanka, informing them that the Buddhists in Vietnam were acting improperly and could damage the prestige of the WFB.

But the Buddhists in Sri Lanka sent a telegram back supporting the Buddhists' struggle in Vietnam. Then Ngo Dinh Nhu ordered a group of war veterans to demonstrate against the Buddhists, but the veterans instead demonstrated against the regime.

Even the military officers in the army of the Republic of Vietnam were pressuring their superiors, saying that they could not fight the communists if the government continued to suppress the religion of their ancestors. Many superiors in the army tried to persuade Diem to change his policy, to no avail.

So a few generals in the South Vietnamese army tried to seek American support to overthrow Diem, as the communists had the support of the Soviet Union and China. But President Kennedy was not ready to support the generals.

The number of Buddhists who sacrificed themselves increased. Thay Nguyen Huong immolated himself in Phan Thiet on August 4, 1963; the nun Dieu Quang in Nha Trang on the same day; Thay Thanh Tue in Hue on August 13.

I know that in the West it is hard to understand why Vietnamese burned themselves. It looked like a violent act.

Please try to be in the heart and mind of the person performing such an act of great love and sacrifice. To move the hearts of the hardest men and women, you have to give a gift of great value--even your own life. These people did not die when their bodies turned to ash.

When I looked deeply at Thay Quang Duc's sacrifice, I could see his love and deep commitment to human rights born again in me and in thousands of Vietnamese and others all over the world. We received the fire of love and commitment to act from his great sacrifice."

(The unburned heart of Thích Quảng Đức is preserved and worshipped as a holy relic.)

- From the article "Most Venerable Thích Quảng Đức, Nonviolent Resistance" written by Sister True Emptiness, on the website of the Buddhist temple dedicated to Venerable Thích Quảng Đức.

Text in (parentheses) added by page author.

The full article is available to read in Vietnamese and English at link in comments.

🇻🇳🪷🇻🇳🪷🇻🇳🪷🇻🇳🪷🇻🇳

Venerable Quảng Đức's last words before his death were documented in a letter he left:

"Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngô Đình Diệm to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism."

- From Wikipedia, link in comments.

Photograph by Malcolm Browne in the public domain.