Is self-immolation supposed to be a shortcut to Nirvana or something?
Some Mahayana Buddhists think imitating one of the Buddhas (Bhaisajyaguru; who ritually self-immolated spreading the light of the Dharma for a thousand years) will bring healing and cleansing to those left behind. The problem being that Bhaisajyaguru had entered the state of ‘Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings’ before doing so.