Hi all
After studying the photos and Western journalist witness reports of the last moments of Thích Quảng Dức and his self-immolation (for a quick overview, see also
https://allthatsinteresting.com/thich-quang-duc-burning-monk or just google it), and also lesser know cases...
(to me it is one of the most mind blowing achievements of human brain/mind (just close your eyes for a second and imagine your neck, face and scalp burning, and staying still)
...I have been wondering how can one explain ability to stay in control of one's body when one's is literally burning to death.
- is there a medical/physical explanation of this? can you still control your body when the fat of your brain is boiling, and all your instincts are automatically pushing you to action?
- do you think it would be necessary to achieve high levels of insight to be able to stay in control like this?
- would high levels of concentration attainments be sufficient to do this?
- is this a proof that somehow a human is able to somehow remove his "will" from the body and control one's body from "outside"
- or is it just all fake and staged? :-)
Thank you for your opinions, and please feel free to point me also to other "instances" when those sacrifying themselves were able to stay in control this way, and it's fully documented.
Jan
P.S. My best wishes to those whose sacrify themselves with best intentions, but are not (it seems) prepared for it (my perception of the recent cases of many young tibetan monks of both genders)