June 11, 1963 -It appeared to be a normal afternoon in a far
from normal time. Saigon had undergone many changes since being
engulfed in civil war. The intersection at Phan-Dinh Phung and
Le Van Duyet on this particular day was even more congested than
usual. There seemed to be someone with car trouble in the middle
of the road, most bystanders weren't suspicious; they all had
troubled times to overcome and bustled by concentrating on the
tasks at hand. Suddenly, a group of Buddhist monks stepped out
of the car. From the sidewalks of the street even more monks and
nuns who were waiting in the wings joined those in the car,
encircling a single individual 7-8 fold. Seventy-three year old
Thich Quang Duc quietly assumed the lotus position on the
scorched pavement. The nuns broke into sobs as the imminent
progressed. However, Duc remained silent. He was silent when two
of his fellow monks doused him with gasoline. He was silent when
he struck his own fatal match. He was silent when the flames
engulfed his body. N