Yo, sit down and let me tell ya a story bout The most wild and revered dudes from the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u never heard of him, u possibly livin less than a rock inside the Kayin State or sumthin. This dude was extra than simply a monk inside a saffron robe; he was just like a power of mother nature, an actual-life legend who modified the whole vibe in the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the center and soul in the Myaing Gyi Ngu spot. Born from the late 40s, I feel, but Truthfully, his age didnt matter result in he had that aged-soul energy from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy town daily life in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle guy. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin things. And when I say buildin, I signify buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Just about everywhere he went, BAM—One more pagoda. White ones, gold ones, large types, little types. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Folks say he developed hundreds. Can u picture? The majority of us cant even finish a LEGO established, and this monk is out right here constructin monuments in the course of a war zone.
Speaking of war, thats the place matters get actual messy and actual intriguing. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in a temple chanting all day long. He was deep in the politics with the Karen people today. Again from the 90s, issues ended up heated in between the KNU and the gov. Thuzana, he chose to break up and shaped the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin a more info military Seems outrageous, suitable? Like, fully from The foundations. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He made his troopers end eatin meat. Yeah, a whole army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-discipline. He required a "pure" land where individuals lived from the Dhamma, or at least his Edition of it.
But hey, dont Consider he was just a few navy man. His followers, gentleman, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They identified as him "Sayadaw," meaning Good Trainer, and they meant it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A huge number of people livin there only to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like a bit utopia he carved out on the chaos. Even when the skin planet was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, on the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I recall hearin stories bout how he’d just stroll into dangerous destinations and no-one would touch him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or perhaps people today had been just scared of his spiritual mojo. He passed absent in 2018 in a hospital in Bangkok, and guy, the funeral was huge. Like, Many persons cryin, monks everywhere you go, a true unfortunate day for the Burmese Buddhist Neighborhood. Even now, his legacy is almost everywhere. U see his confront on posters in little tea outlets or stickers on vans drivin in the mud in Kayin State.
He was a posh dude, needless to say. Many people say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought on a lot more issues. But u cant deny his effect. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to construct it on this planet, a single brick and 1 vegetarian soldier at a time. He lived his daily life his way, raw and unfiltered, just like the jungle he referred to as dwelling. Regard to the previous person, U Thuzana. He was certainly certainly one of a kind, a true OG with the Theravāda tradition.