Yo, sit down and allow me to tell ya a story bout one of the most wild and respected dudes during the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u never ever heard about him, u most likely livin below a rock during the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This male was extra than simply a monk in a saffron robe; he was like a force of nature, an actual-lifetime legend who changed The full vibe of your borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the guts and soul on the Myaing Gyi Ngu place. Born while in the late 40s, I do think, but Actually, his age didnt matter result in he experienced that previous-soul Strength from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy town life in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle person. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin issues. And After i say buildin, I suggest buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere he went, BAM—A further pagoda. White ones, gold ones, massive kinds, small ones. It absolutely was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. People say he crafted hundreds. Can u think about? The majority of us cant even end a LEGO set, which monk is out right here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats where points get genuine messy and genuine interesting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in the temple chanting all day. He was deep from the politics with the Karen people. Back within the 90s, things ended up heated involving the KNU plus the gov. Thuzana, he decided to break up and formed the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin a military sounds nuts, correct? Like, thoroughly versus The foundations. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He produced his soldiers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, an entire Military of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He preferred a "pure" land in which persons lived by the Dhamma, or no less than his Variation of it.
But hey, dont think he was just some navy man. His followers, guy, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They called him "Sayadaw," which suggests Terrific Instructor, plus they meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A large number of men and women livin there simply to be close to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like a bit utopia he carved out with the chaos. Although the outside environment was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, to your locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I remember hearin tales bout how he’d just walk into hazardous destinations and nobody would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or possibly people have website been just terrified of his spiritual mojo. He handed away in 2018 in a medical center in Bangkok, and gentleman, the funeral was big. Like, Many people today cryin, monks almost everywhere, a true sad working day for the Burmese Buddhist Group. Even now, his legacy is almost everywhere. U see his experience on posters in minimal tea shops or stickers on trucks drivin through the mud in Kayin Point out.
He was a fancy dude, needless to say. A lot of people say he was a peacemaker, some say he triggered much more issues. But u cant deny his influence. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to develop it in the world, 1 brick and a single vegetarian soldier at a time. He lived his lifetime his way, raw and unfiltered, much like the jungle he named home. Respect into the old male, U Thuzana. He was genuinely one of a kind, a real OG of the Theravāda tradition.