Khanh Hoa Province’s Vietnam Buddhist Church unveiled the Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc statue on May 24th, the first in Khanh Hoa and the biggest in Vietnam.

The white granite statue, 12 tonnes in weight and 8m in height, is situated beside an artificial mountain next to Long Son pagoda in Nha Trang.

Reverend Thich Quang Duc, whose religious and real names are Thi Thuy and Lam Van Tuat, respectively, was born in 1897 in Hoi Khanh village, Van Khanh Commune, Van Ninh, Khanh Hoa Province. He became a Buddhist monk at the age of seven.

During 40 years of preaching the Buddhist religion, Reverend Thich Quang Duc helped build and restore 31 pagodas in Central and South Vietnam. The last pagoda he spent his religious life in was Quan The Am on Nguyen Hue street (currently named Thich Quang Duc Street) in Phu Nhuan district, Ho Chi Minh City).

On June 16th, 1963, he burned himself to death in front of thousands of monks, nuns, and followers in the middle of crossroads of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Van Duyet (now Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Cach Mang Thang Tam) to protest the crackdown on Buddhism by the Ngo Dinh Diem Administration.

His body was burnt up, leaving nothing but ash, but his heart was left intact. He was then proclaimed Bodhisattva, and his heart is now carefully protected.

Source: TP

Translated by Mai Huong