a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment
humanodon  ·  4212 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: If a monk lights himself on fire and nobody watches, has he made a protest?

I hear that. It's an alien concept and for many of us, it's an alien form of protest. I mean, for many of us, yes it raises questions in that it's shocking, but it's hard to understand and empathize with. I am dissatisfied with a great many things, but self-immolation doesn't come to mind, particularly in regard to political things.

I am wary of attributing self-immolation to a Buddhist mindset, to the point where I don't do so, but I wonder if it's the Western analog of rioting, in a way.

Burning flesh smells wicked gross though. I've been to a clinic with my father when he decided to get some moles excised and man, I felt like puking.