Yo, sit down and allow me to tell ya a Tale bout The most wild and respected dudes while in the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u hardly ever heard of him, u possibly livin below a rock within the Kayin Condition or sumthin. This guy was far more than simply a monk inside of a saffron robe; he was similar to a drive of mother nature, a true-everyday living legend who adjusted The complete vibe of your borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the guts and soul from the Myaing Gyi Ngu place. Born while in the late 40s, I feel, but Actually, his age didnt subject lead to he experienced that old-soul Power from the start. He wasnt about that extravagant metropolis lifetime in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle man. He loved the mountains, the trees, and buildin things. And Once i say buildin, I suggest buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Almost everywhere he went, BAM—An additional pagoda. White ones, gold kinds, massive ones, small types. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. People today say he created hundreds. Can u visualize? Most of us cant even finish a LEGO set, and this monk is out right here constructin monuments in the course of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats in which points get actual messy and authentic interesting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin inside a temple chanting all day long. He was deep in the politics in the Karen persons. Again in the 90s, factors have been heated involving the KNU as well as the gov. Thuzana, he made a decision to break up and shaped the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin an army sounds mad, suitable? Like, completely towards the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He created his soldiers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, an entire army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He wished a "pure" land the place individuals lived via the Dhamma, or at least his Model of it.
But hey, dont Assume he was just some navy dude. His followers, guy, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They termed him "Sayadaw," which means Terrific Teacher, they usually intended it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see Many people livin there simply to be near him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like slightly utopia he carved out with check here the chaos. Even though the skin entire world was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, to your locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I bear in mind hearin tales bout how he’d just wander into risky places and no-one would contact him. He had that "metta" (loving-kindness) energy, or maybe individuals have been just petrified of his spiritual mojo. He handed absent in 2018 in the medical center in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was big. Like, Countless individuals cryin, monks almost everywhere, an actual sad working day with the Burmese Buddhist community. Even now, his legacy is everywhere. U see his encounter on posters in minor tea retailers or stickers on trucks drivin in the mud in Kayin State.
He was a complex dude, obviously. Many people say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought on additional issues. But u cant deny his impression. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it in the world, just one brick and a single vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his life his way, Uncooked and unfiltered, just like the jungle he identified as home. Respect for the previous person, U Thuzana. He was truly certainly one of A sort, an actual OG in the Theravāda tradition.