It doesn’t take much involvement in Vietnamese Buddhism to realise that Thich Quang Duc is a revered figure. Indeed, he is always referred to by Vietnamese Buddhists as Thich Quang Duc Bodhisattva. Though he has a modicum of fame in the West as the first of the monks to self-immolate in protest at the Vietnam War, in Vietnam he is much more than that. Especially in Saigon, there are shrines to him everywhere, and I read recently that the government is going to construct a more elaborate shrine at the place where he became a martyr. There is already one there, but it is a humble affair, and I’ve never actually seen anyone visiting it.
Quan Am Temple in Phu Nhuan was (I Think) the place where Thich Quang Duc stayed when he was in Saigon, and it is here that his remains are kept. This temple is well off the beaten path, and totally unvisited by tourists, but it houses a small museum to the monk (mostly kept locked) and a number of personal items belonging to him. You access the museum through a large cement grotto dedicated to Kwan Yin, and this seems to be the temples main attraction. The statue of Kwan Yin enshrined there is considered particularly lucky. Like many temples in the city, it is in a perpetual state of renovation and extension, and the last few times I have been there the place was a schmozzle and little more than a construction zone. This situation can last for years in Vietnam, as Abbotts start construction the moment they have some money, but that money frequently dries up, and everything grinds to a halt. The Abbott at Quan Am Temple (I don’t know his name) is an invalid, but is renowned for his knowledge of the Lotus Sutra, and his lectures on it can attract huge crowds.
I have always wanted to write about Thich Quang Duc, and indeed about the whole martyrs movement (after him there were a couple of dozen people who did the same thing, over the years). In Vietnam there are many books on him and the other martyrs. I shall certainly be making him a part of my book.
