THE FAITH THAT LIGHTS THE FIRES THE READINESS OF SOUTH VIET NAM'S 
BUDDHIST MONKS AND NUNS TO BURN THEMSELVES TO DEATH AS A 
MEANS OF PROTEST AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT BOTH MOVES AND REPELS THE 
WEST . ON THE SURFACE, IT SEEMS AN ODD PHENOMENON IN 
A RELIGION GENERALLY REGARDED AS PASSIVE, GENTLE AND FULL OF REVERENCE 
FOR LIFE . THE PARADOX IS CAUSED BY THE FACT THAT 
BUDDHISM, THOUGH DETACHED AND OTHERWORLDLY, CAN AT TIMES CONVULSE ITSELF INTO 
ACTION, AND THAT ITS VIEW OF LIFE AS TRANSITIONAL CAN LEAD 
TO AN ALMOST INDIFFERENT EMBRACE OF DEATH .SELF-IMMOLATION IS NOT MERELY 
A SIT-IN CARRIED TO ORIENTAL EXTREMES . ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT 
OCCURRED OFTEN AND APPARENTLY NEVER BEFORE IN VIET NAM THE PRACTICE 
IS DEEPLY LINKED TO THE BASIC NATURE OF BUDDHISM, THE WORLD'S 
FOURTH LARGEST RELIGION . NIRVANA & DHARMA . BUDDHISM CONSISTS OF 
THREE SPIRITUAL COMPONENTS, TWO TRADITIONS, AND A MULTIPLICITY OF SECTS . 
THE FIRST OF THE THREE COMPONENTS, COMMON TO ALL BUDDHISTS, IS 
THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF A HANDSOME INDIAN PRINCE NAMED GAUTAMA, WHO, 
ABOUT 600 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST, ABANDONED HIS LUXURIOUS EXISTENCE AFTER SEEING 
FOUR FACTS OF LIFE FOR THE FIRST TIME : A SICK 
MAN, AN OLD MAN, A DEAD MAN AND A HOLY MAN 
. HE FLED TO THE FOREST TO SEEK ENLIGHTENMENT, TRIED AND 
ABANDONED THE WAYS OF THE HERMIT AND THE ASCETIC, AND, AFTER 
MEDITATING UNDER A SACRED BODHI TREE FOR 49 DAYS, AT LAST 
ACHIEVED BUDDHAHOOD ENLIGHTENMENT, OR NIRVANA . HE SPENT THE REST OF 
HIS LIFE WALKING THROUGH INDIA WITH HIS DISCIPLES, TEACHING UNTIL HE 
DIED AT 80, LEAVING A FINAL ADMONITION : " WORK OUT 
YOUR SALVATION WITH DILIGENCE . " GAUTAMA'S TEACHING, THE SECOND CHIEF 
COMPONENT OF BUDDHISM, IS SUMMED UP IN THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 
: 1) MAN SUFFERS ALL HIS LIFE, AND GOES ON SUFFERING 
FROM ONE LIFE TO THE NEXT ; 2) THE ORIGIN OF 
MAN'S SUFFERING IS CRAVING FOR PLEASURE, FOR POSSESSIONS, FOR CESSATION OF 
PAIN ; 3) THE CURE FOR CRAVING IS THE PRACTICE OF 
NONATTACHMENT TO EVERYTHING EVEN TO THE SELF ; 4) THE WAY 
TO NONATTACHMENT IS THE EIGHTFOLD PATH RIGHT VIEWS, RIGHT INTENTIONS, RIGHT 
SPEECH, RIGHT CONDUCT, RIGHT LIVELIHOOD, RIGHT EFFORT, RIGHT MINDFULNESS, RIGHT MEDITATION 
. THE BUDDHA SAID NOTHING ABOUT GOD ; NO DIVINE JUDGMENT, 
BUT AN INEXORABLE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT CALLED DHARMA DETERMINES 
MAN'S WEAL OR WOE . THIRD ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF BUDDHISM IS 
THE VAST BODY OF MONKS AND NUNS CALLED THE SANGHA . 
IN ADDITION TO CELIBACY AND VEGETARIAN NONVIOLENCE, MONKS PRACTICE POVERTY ; 
TRADITIONALLY THE ONLY POSSESSIONS PERMITTED ARE ROBES, A BEGGING BOWL FOR 
FOOD, A NEEDLE, PRAYER BEADS, A RAZOR (TO SHAVE THE HEAD 
ONCE A FORTNIGHT), AND A FILTER TO REMOVE BUGS FROM THE 
DRINKING WATER SO AS NOT TO KILL THEM . GREATER & 
LESSER VEHICLES . THE TWO GREAT BUDDHIST TRADITIONS ARE HINAYANA AND 
MAHAYANA . HINAYANA, THE SO-CALLED LESSER VEHICLE, IS GENERALLY MORE AUSTERE 
AND UNCOMPROMISING ; IT HOLDS THAT ONLY MONKS AND NUNS HAVE 
HOPE OF REACHING NIRVANA . MAHAYANA, THE GREATER VEHICLE, OFFERS HOPE 
OF ENLIGHTENMENT TO LAYMEN AS WELL, AND STRESSES THE COMPASSIONATE CONCERN 
OF THE BUDDHA FOR HUMANITY . THE HIGHEST MAHAYANA IDEAL IS 
THE BODHISATTVA, OR ENLIGHTENED ONE, WHO SACRIFICES HIMSELF FOR OTHERS, AND 
MAHAYANA MYTHOLOGY CONTAINS NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF SACRIFICES AS AN ACT OF 
LOVE AS WELL AS A MEANS OF LIBERATION . ZEN BUDDHISM, 
ONE OF THE SUBDIVISIONS OF MAHAYANA, IMPORTED BY THE JAPANESE FROM 
CHINA, EMPHASIZES A COMBINATION OF PROLONGED MEDITATION AND SHOCK TO ACHIEVE 
SATORI, OR ENLIGHTENMENT . VIET NAM'S BUDDHISM, LIKE CHINA'S AND JAPAN'S, 
IS PREDOMINANTLY MAHAYANA, AND THE SUICIDE MONKS AND NUNS KNEW THE 
NUMEROUS LEGENDS OF BODHISATTVAS' PHYSICAL SACRIFICES, SUCH AS THAT OF THE 
HOLY MAN WHO GAVE HIS BODY TO A FAMISHED TIGRESS TO 
KEEP HER FROM EATING HER CUBS . SOME MAHAYANA MONKS STILL 
AID THEIR LIBERATION FROM THE BODY BY BURNING THE FINGERS OFF 
THEIR LEFT HANDS, AND IN THE 6TH CENTURY BEFORE GASOLINE MONKS 
WHO DECIDED TO IMMOLATE THEMSELVES COMPLETELY WOULD EAT WAXY AND FATTY 
FOODS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS SO THEY WOULD BURN BETTER 
. THEORETICALLY BUDDHISM DOES NOT PERMIT SUICIDE, AND THE WORD IS 
CAREFULLY AVOIDED IN FAVOR OF " SACRIFICE . " ONE OF 
GAUTAMA'S TESTAMENTS, THE LOTUS SUTRA, AS INTERPRETED BY MONKS IN SAIGON, 
CALLS FOR ALL BUDDHISTS TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES IF THEIR RELIGION IS 
IN DANGER . ONE EARLY BUDDHIST MARTYR, IT IS SAID, TOOK 
HIS LIFE BY FIRST PUNCHING HIS BODY FULL OF HOLES AND 
SEALING THEM WITH OIL, THEN SETTING FIRE TO HIMSELF . FEASTS 
& MAGIC . THE GRASS-ROOTS MAHAYANA BUDDHISM IN THE VIET NAM 
VILLAGES IS A LONG WAY FROM SUCH GRIM PRACTICES . IT 
USUALLY TAKES THE FORM OF THE EASYGOING AMIDISM, IN WHICH A 
PARADISE CALLED " PURE LAND " AWAITS THE INTENSE FAITHFUL WHO 
REPEATS A SIMPLE PRAYER . IT IS STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY THE 
MAGICAL PRACTICES OF CORRUPTED TAOISM, IMPORTED FROM CHINA AROUND THE 7TH 
CENTURY, AND BY CONFUCIANISM, WHICH STRESSES ETHICAL BEHAVIOR . CONFUCIUS EMPHASIZED 
FAMILY OBLIGATIONS, EVIDENT STILL IN VIET NAM'S ANCESTOR WORSHIP AND CULT 
OF THE DEAD . THE 15TH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH 
IS SET ASIDE ANNUALLY FOR THE DEPARTED ; THE SHADES SWOOP 
DOWN UPON THE LIVING, WHO DO THEIR BEST TO PLACATE THEM 
WITH A SUMPTUOUS FEAST . DRESSED IN THEIR BEST BLACK SILK 
AND CARRYING BURNING JOSS STICKS, THE WOMEN RECITE INVITATIONS TO THEIR 
DEAD ANCESTORS TO PARTAKE OF ROAST PIG'S HEAD AND STICKS OF 
SUGAR CANE, PEANUTS AND WHITE RICE . AS OFFERINGS TO LESS 
TRENCHER-MINDED SPIRITS, THEY BURN PAPER IMITATIONS OF CURRENCY AND CLOTHES . 
CRUSADER & YOGI . IN MANY WESTERN EYES, BUDDHISM IS SOCIALLY 
USELESS . IT HAS ONLY A LIMITED TRADITION OF GOOD WORKS 
; THE CHIEF DUTY OF MONKS AND NUNS IS CONTEMPLATION . 
IN THE LOTUS AND THE ROBOT, ARTHUR KOESTLER SAYS OF ORIENTAL 
MYSTICISM IN GENERAL : " THE MESIANIC ARROGANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN 
CRUSADER IS MATCHED BY THE YOGI'S ARROGANT ATTITUDE OF DETACHMENT TOWARDS 
HUMAN SUFFERING . " ACTUALLY, BUDDHISTS ARE QUITE CAPABLE OF THE 
CRUSADING SPIRIT . IN CEYLON DURING THE 2ND CENTURY B.C., A 
KING LED HIS ARMY AGAINST INDIAN INVADERS WITH A RELIC OF 
BUDDHA IN HIS SPEAR . IN VIET NAM AND ELSEWHERE, BUDDHISTS 
OFTEN TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN FIGHTING AGAINST COLONIAL POWERS . 
DURING THE KOREAN WAR, AT LEAST SOME BUDDHISTS WERE PREACHING THAT 
" TO WIPE OUT THE AMERICAN IMPERIALIST DEMONS IS NOT ONLY 
BLAMELESS BUT MERITORIOUS . " IGNORING THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS' CRUEL PERSECUTION 
OF BUDDHISM IN TIBET, SOME BUDDHISTS REASON (AS ONE SCHOLAR PUTS 
IT) THAT WHEN THE MARXISTS' MATERIAL NEEDS ARE SATISFIED, THEY WILL 
" NEED SOMETHING SPIRITUAL ABOVE AND BEYOND, " AND THAT BUDDHISM 
WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPLY IT . IT IS THIS SORT 
OF SELF-DELUSION EXISTING ALONGSIDE BUDDHISM'S NOBILITY OF SPIRIT THAT MAKES THE 
EIGHTFOLD PATH SO FULL OF PITFALLS . 