Yo, sit down and allow me to notify ya a Tale bout Probably the most wild and revered dudes while in the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u by no means heard about him, u almost certainly livin under a rock in the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This guy was extra than simply a monk in a saffron robe; he was similar to a drive of character, a real-lifetime legend who changed The complete vibe with the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the center and soul of your Myaing Gyi Ngu space. Born within the late 40s, I feel, but honestly, his age didnt make any difference lead to he had that aged-soul Power from the start. He wasnt about that fancy city lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle man. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin factors. And Once i say buildin, I mean buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere you go he went, BAM—An additional pagoda. White ones, gold kinds, massive types, compact kinds. It absolutely was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Folks say he designed hundreds. Can u imagine? Most of us cant even finish a LEGO established, and this monk is out listed here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats the place things get serious messy and genuine fascinating. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin inside of a temple chanting all day. He was deep within the politics from the Karen individuals. Back again in the 90s, factors have been heated between the KNU plus the gov. Thuzana, he decided to split and formed the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin an army Appears outrageous, proper? Like, fully in opposition to The principles. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He manufactured his troopers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, a whole army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore discipline. He wanted a "pure" land wherever persons lived with the Dhamma, or a minimum of his Edition of it.
But hey, dont Consider he was just some military person. check here His followers, male, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They termed him "Sayadaw," which means Good Trainer, they usually meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see thousands of persons livin there in order to be close to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It absolutely was like just a little utopia he carved out in the chaos. Regardless of whether the surface planet was lookin at him sideways explanation for the conflict, towards the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I remember hearin tales bout how he’d just stroll into risky sites and no-one would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) electricity, Or even people today had been just fearful of his spiritual mojo. He handed absent in 2018 inside of a clinic in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was substantial. Like, thousands of people cryin, monks everywhere you go, a real unfortunate day for your Burmese Buddhist Neighborhood. Even now, his legacy is all over the place. U see his experience on posters in minimal tea shops or stickers on vehicles drivin through the mud in Kayin Condition.
He was a fancy dude, obviously. Some individuals say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought about additional trouble. But u cant deny his affect. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it on this planet, one brick and a person vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his life his way, Uncooked and unfiltered, much like the jungle he called dwelling. Regard to your old male, U Thuzana. He was truly considered one of A form, an actual OG on the Theravāda custom.