Yo, sit down and let me notify 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 never ever heard of him, u in all probability livin underneath a rock in the Kayin Condition or sumthin. This man was extra than simply a monk in a saffron robe; he was similar to a pressure of character, a true-existence legend who improved The full vibe with the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the guts and soul in the Myaing Gyi Ngu location. Born inside the late 40s, I feel, but honestly, his age didnt issue induce he had that outdated-soul Electrical power from the beginning. He wasnt about that extravagant city daily life in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle male. He liked the mountains, the trees, and buildin items. And Once i say buildin, I signify buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere he went, BAM—A further pagoda. White types, gold ones, major types, little types. It absolutely was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Persons say he created hundreds. Can u picture? Many of us cant even complete a LEGO established, and this monk is out here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats wherever points get true messy and genuine interesting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in a temple chanting all day long. He was deep during the politics on the Karen people today. Back again within the read more 90s, points were being heated amongst the KNU and the gov. Thuzana, he made a decision to split and shaped the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin a military sounds ridiculous, proper? Like, fully against The foundations. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He built his soldiers end eatin meat. Yeah, an entire army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He preferred a "pure" land exactly where people lived via the Dhamma, or at the very least his Edition of it.
But hey, dont think he was just a few military services male. His followers, man, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They named him "Sayadaw," which implies Wonderful Trainer, they usually meant it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see thousands of men and women livin there only to be close to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like a little utopia he carved out of the chaos. Even though the outside environment was lookin at him sideways reason for 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 dangerous sites and nobody would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, or maybe people had been just terrified of his spiritual mojo. He passed absent in 2018 within a medical center in Bangkok, and male, the funeral was enormous. Like, Countless persons cryin, monks almost everywhere, a real unfortunate working day for the Burmese Buddhist Group. Even now, his legacy is everywhere. U see his confront on posters in very little tea outlets or stickers on trucks drivin in the mud in Kayin State.
He was a posh dude, of course. Some individuals say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought on far more hassle. But u cant deny his effect. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it on the planet, one brick and a person vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his existence his way, Uncooked and unfiltered, much like the jungle he identified as home. Regard on the old person, U Thuzana. He was definitely among A form, an actual OG of the Theravāda custom.