The mysterious relic of the heart of Venerable Thich Quang Duc

Fifty-five years ago, Venerable Thich Quang Duc self-immolated in the streets of Saigon to protest the government's repression of Buddhism. Afterward, a mysterious story circulated about his "immortal heart," that the flames could not burn him.

Burned twice, but the heart didn't burn?

After Venerable Thích Quảng Đức self-immolated at the intersection of Phan Đình Phùng and Lê Văn Duyệt streets (now the intersection of Cách Mạng Tháng 8 and Nguyễn Đình Chiểu streets, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) on June 11, 1963, his body was brought to Xá Lợi Pagoda for burial. On June 20, 1963, the Inter-denominational Committee for the Protection of Buddhism and many monks, nuns, and Buddhists took his body to be cremated at Phú Lâm Cemetery. According to legend, after many hours of cremation, although his coffin and body had turned to ashes, his heart remained intact. The heart was then cremated again for many hours but remained intact, forming a solid, stone-like mass. Fearing that the "immortal heart" of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức might be stolen by the Ngô Đình Diệm regime, the Inter-denominational Committee for the Protection of Buddhism decided to place it in a bronze tower about 0.5 meters high and 0.3 meters wide, and then store it in a vault at the French Bank in Saigon.

	I affirm that the relic of the heart of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức is real; I just don't understand scientifically whether the heart remains intact after being kept in that stupa for so many years.
Venerable Thich Giac Toan

The fact that the heart of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức remained unburned despite being repeatedly cremated is still a mystery. Many consider it unbelievable until they witness it firsthand. However, recent news that the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association in Ho Chi Minh City is requesting to bring the "immortal heart" of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức to be enshrined in the 13-story stupa currently under construction at Vietnam National Pagoda (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) has once again drawn attention to this matter: Is it true that the heart remained unburned after being cremated twice? If so, where is the relic of that heart now?

The "immortal heart" was once returned by the bank.

Venerable Thích Giác Toàn, currently the Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and Director of the Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute, recounted: “Before 1975, the relic of the heart of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức was managed by the Institute of Buddhist Doctrine of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. Venerable Thích Từ Nhơn, the treasurer of the Institute of Buddhist Doctrine, deposited the “immortal heart” with the French Bank in Saigon. After 1975, the state took over the French Bank, which included the management of the heart of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức…”

The Bank of France is currently the headquarters of the State Bank of Vietnam's branch in Ho Chi Minh City. The bank's leadership declined to disclose information to the press regarding this matter; however, Venerable Thich Giac Toan stated that in 1991, the bank had once invited the Buddhist Sangha to return the heart relic of Venerable Thich Quang Duc.

The image is said to represent the "immortal heart" of Venerable Thich Quang Duc. Photo: TL

“At that time, the bank was full of relevant authorities, bank representatives, the Government Religious Affairs Committee, the City Religious Affairs Committee… On the Church side, there was Venerable Thich Thien Hao, the Permanent Vice Chairman and Head of the Executive Board of the City Buddhist Association; Venerable Thich Tu Nhon, Vice Head of the Executive Board and Head of the Central Sangha Affairs Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Association, and also the former depositor; Venerable Thong Buu, the eldest son of Venerable Thich Quang Duc; and I, who was then a member of the Central Control Board of the Buddhist Association. We all agreed to accept it, and then decided to deposit it back with the State Bank of Vietnam because we didn't have a place to store it and didn't dare bring it back,” Venerable Thich Giac Toan recalled.

Those present at the deposit ceremony have since passed away, except for Venerable Thich Giac Toan. He said that when they received back the bronze stupa containing the heart relic, they noticed the two seals of the Institute of the Supreme Patriarch and the Institute of Buddhist Doctrine, signed by the First Supreme Patriarch Thich Tinh Khiet and Venerable Thich Tu Nhon. However, no one opened the stupa to see its internal condition; it was left as it was when deposited with the bank from 1991 to 2017. Recently, for the first time, a delegation from the Buddhist Church visited the bank to see the bronze stupa containing the heart relic, but they could only view it from the outside and were asked not to film or take pictures.

"I affirm that the heart relic of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức is real, but I don't understand scientifically whether the heart is still intact after being kept in that pagoda for so many years. This needs to be examined and verified by doctors or scientists," said Venerable Thích Giác Toàn.

An exhibition about the life and religious career of Venerable Thich Quang Duc.

On May 30th, an exhibition on the life and religious career of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức will be held at Vietnam National Pagoda. The exhibition will display relics, artifacts, clothing, a heart symbol, paintings, and photographs of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức during his lifetime. This event commemorates the 55th anniversary of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức's self-immolation for the Dharma (1963-2018). A ceremony commemorating this event will also be held at Vietnam National Pagoda on June 3rd.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ky-bi-xa-loi-trai-tim-hoa-thuong-thich-quang-duc-185759850.htm