Yo, sit back and let me explain to ya a story bout Just about the most wild and respected dudes in the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u never ever heard of him, u in all probability livin beneath a rock within the Kayin State or sumthin. This person was far more than simply a monk inside a saffron robe; he was like a power of nature, an actual-lifestyle legend who modified The full vibe of your borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the guts and soul from the Myaing Gyi Ngu location. Born in the late 40s, I feel, but Truthfully, his age didnt make any difference bring about he had that old-soul Vitality from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy city everyday living in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle person. He loved the mountains, the trees, and buildin factors. And After i say buildin, I signify buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Just about everywhere he went, BAM—A further pagoda. White types, gold kinds, big ones, smaller ones. It was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Persons say he built hundreds. Can u envision? The majority of us cant even end a LEGO set, and this monk is out listed here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats where by items get real messy and true intriguing. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in a temple chanting all day long. He was deep inside the politics with the Karen people. Again within the 90s, issues have been heated amongst the KNU as well as the gov. Thuzana, he decided to split and formed the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist website Army. Now, a monk leadin an army sounds nuts, ideal? Like, fully against the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He manufactured his soldiers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, a whole Military of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He desired a "pure" land in which men and women lived because of the Dhamma, or at least his Variation of it.
But hey, dont Believe he was just a few military services person. His followers, person, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They referred to as him "Sayadaw," which means Good Trainer, and so they intended it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A huge number of persons livin there simply to be near him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It was like a bit utopia he carved out with the chaos. Whether or not the surface globe was lookin at him sideways reason behind the conflict, for the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I keep in mind hearin tales bout how he’d just stroll into unsafe destinations and no-one would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or perhaps men and women were just frightened of his spiritual mojo. He passed absent in 2018 within a healthcare facility in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was substantial. Like, Many people today cryin, monks all over the place, an actual unhappy day to the Burmese Buddhist Neighborhood. Even now, his legacy is in all places. U see his experience on posters in tiny tea outlets or stickers on vans drivin throughout the mud in Kayin State.
He was a complex dude, obviously. A lot of people say he was a peacemaker, some say he caused extra difficulties. But u cant deny his impression. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to construct it on the planet, a single brick and one vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his daily life his way, Uncooked and unfiltered, much like the jungle he known as house. Regard into the aged person, U Thuzana. He was actually certainly one of A sort, a true OG from the Theravāda tradition.