Yo, sit down and allow me to tell ya a Tale bout One of the more wild and respected dudes from the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u hardly ever heard about him, u in all probability livin beneath a rock inside the Kayin State or sumthin. This dude was a lot more than simply a monk inside a saffron robe; he was like a pressure of mother nature, a true-life legend who changed The full vibe with the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the center and soul in the Myaing Gyi Ngu region. Born within the late 40s, i think, but Actually, his age didnt subject cause he experienced that outdated-soul Strength from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy town lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle gentleman. He loved the mountains, the trees, and buildin things. And After i say buildin, I indicate buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. All over the place he went, BAM—A further pagoda. White types, gold kinds, major kinds, little ones. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Individuals say he constructed hundreds. Can u think about? Most of us cant even complete a LEGO established, and this monk is out listed here constructin monuments in the middle of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats exactly where things get true messy and real intriguing. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in a temple chanting all day long. He was deep during the politics on the Karen people. Back again inside the 90s, factors have been heated involving the KNU plus the gov. Thuzana, he decided to break up and fashioned the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin an army sounds nuts, right? Like, entirely towards the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He created his troopers cease eatin meat. Yeah, a whole Military of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore discipline. He required a "pure" land in which individuals lived through the Dhamma, or at the very least his Model of it.
But hey, dont Consider he was just a few armed service guy. His followers, person, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They known as him "Sayadaw," which means Excellent Trainer, and they intended it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see Many people livin there simply to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It was like a little utopia he carved out on the chaos. Whether or not the surface world was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, to the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I remember hearin stories bout how he’d just walk into harmful areas and nobody would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or possibly persons had been just frightened of his spiritual mojo. He handed absent in 2018 within a clinic in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was substantial. Like, A large number of individuals cryin, monks almost everywhere, a true sad working day to the Burmese Buddhist community. Even now, his legacy is everywhere you go. U see his facial area on posters in very little tea stores or stickers on vehicles drivin in the mud in Kayin Condition.
He was a posh dude, for sure. Some people say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought about far more hassle. But u cant deny his effects. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to make it in the world, 1 brick and check here one particular vegetarian soldier at a time. He lived his lifestyle his way, raw and unfiltered, much like the jungle he termed property. Respect to the aged gentleman, U Thuzana. He was genuinely certainly one of A sort, a true OG in the Theravāda tradition.