Edward Wong, "Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire in Protest," New York Times, 9/26/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/asia/two-tibetan-monks-set-themselves-on-fire-in-protest.html?_r=1&ref=buddhism)

Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire

In this article, Edward Wong writes about two Tibetan monks setting themselves on fire outside of a monastery in Western China. This is not the first time that monks have done this to themselves outside of this Kirti monastery. A total of four self-immolations by monks have taken place outside of this monastery due to disagreements with Chinese policies in the area. The two most-recent monks reportedly said, "Long live the Dalai Lama!" before setting themselves on fire. I think this article speaks negatively about the monks indirectly. It's hard for us to understand why someone would do that to themselves, especially someone that is a spiritually figure such as a monk. In the eyes of the public, this action seems barbaric and idiotic. But, in the eyes of the monks associated with this monastery, it probably holds an entirely different meaning.