The scary photograph you just saw above was clicked in Saigon, South Vietnam, and shows an act of self-immolation by a Buddhist monk named Thích Quang Duc on June 11, 1963. According to Rare Historical Photos, the record was captured by photographer Malcolm Browne, who was in town on behalf of the Associated Press and eventually received a Pulitzer Prize and a World Press Photo for the portrait.

The dramatic image has swirled around the world and to this day is astonishing. But what about what caused the monk to set his own body on fire and what was the political and historical context in which the action took place, you know? The self-immolation took place in protest against the pro-Catholic regime of Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam's first president, and his discriminatory policies regarding Buddhism.

Religious turmoil

According to Rare Historical Photos, after taking office, Diem declared South Vietnam a follower of the Catholic Church and of Jesus Christ. Considering that at the time, between 70 and 90 percent of the local population was Buddhist, it is not surprising that the new leader's initiatives caused tremendous discontent.

Color version of the same image (Malcolm Browne)

Duc's act actually took place in response to the holding of a public ceremony - during which countless Christian crosses were displayed - in May 1963, culminating in the banishment of the Buddhist flag two days after the event. The ban resulted in the organization of a series of protests and, in the celebration of Vesak, a festivity commemorating Buddha's birthday, monks took to the streets with their flag in their hands.

At the time, protesters drove to the headquarters of the government radio station - where they were greeted by Diem troops who opened fire on the crowd and killed nine people. As you may know, Vietnam was at war with the US and other Asian countries, so there were many international correspondents in the country covering the conflict.

Then, on June 10, information began to circulate that something important related to the Buddhist crisis would occur the next day in front of the Cambodian embassy in Saigon. Few reporters believed the rumors, but Malcolm Browne was among them and decided to appear on the scene. David Halberstam of The New York Times also answered the call - and later published a detailed account of what happened.

Unwind of a tragedy

About 350 monks turned up to protest against Diem's ​​government's religious policies, and among them was Duc. According to witnesses, he arrived by car with two other monks, one who landed with a pillow in his hands and placed it in the middle of an intersection, and another who took a gallon of gas from the trunk of the vehicle.

(Malcolm Browne)

Duc sat placidly on the cushion and took the lotus position - used for moments of meditation - in the crowd. Then one of the monks poured the contents over Duc's head, who at that moment only began to manipulate the prayer beads in his hands and recite a prayer. Then, before everyone's eyes, he struck a matchstick and began to burn.

According to Halberstam's account, Duc did not move a muscle or make a sound. He remained motionless as the fire consumed his monk's robes and body, and only left the lotus position after he died and his corpse tumbled backwards. Hundreds of monks prostrated themselves before Duc and began to pray, many more could be heard crying, but most of those present watched the shocking act in silence.

The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes and, after the flames went out, a group of monks approached Duc's body and covered him with yellow robes, collected the corpse and took him to a Buddhist temple in central Saigon. Duc was - again - cremated during his funeral and his act prompted a series of self-immolations in Vietnam.

Interestingly, the Buddhist's heart would have remained intact despite the flames and turned into a relic now stored in the Xa Loi Temple. Finally, the acts of self-immolation that followed Duc's and the religious turmoil in Vietnam led to a coup d'état that ended Diem's ​​overthrow and death in November 1963.