Thich

 

“I said this was not suicide, because in a difficult situation like Vietnam, to make your voice heard is difficult. So sometimes we have to burn ourselves alive in order for our voice to be heard so that is an act of compassion that you do that, the act of love and not of despair.  Jesus Christ died in the same spirit.”  ~Thic Nhat Hanh (source) 

The quote above does help me understand his motivations of Thich Quang Duc, who set himself ablaze at the age of 81 in July of 1963.

But it also sounds a little like spin to me.