Yo, sit down and let me tell ya a story bout Among the most wild and respected dudes inside the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u hardly ever heard about him, u possibly livin less than a rock from the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This person was additional than just a monk inside a saffron robe; he was just like a drive of mother nature, a true-existence legend who transformed The complete vibe of the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the guts and soul on the Myaing Gyi Ngu area. Born in the late 40s, I feel, but Actually, his age didnt matter result in he experienced that outdated-soul Vitality from the start. He wasnt about that fancy city lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle man. He liked the mountains, the trees, and buildin things. And After i say buildin, I mean buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. In all places he went, BAM—An additional pagoda. White ones, gold types, large kinds, tiny kinds. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Men and women say he designed hundreds. Can u picture? The majority of us cant even complete a LEGO set, and this monk is out right here constructin monuments in the middle of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats where things get real messy and real intriguing. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin within a temple chanting all day long. He was deep from the politics of your Karen people today. Back in the 90s, factors ended up heated involving the KNU along with the gov. Thuzana, he made a decision to break up and formed the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin an army Seems crazy, right? Like, completely against the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He designed his troopers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, a whole Military of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-discipline. He wanted a "pure" land in which people lived from the Dhamma, or a minimum of his Variation of it.
But hey, dont Assume he was just some armed forces male. His followers, person, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They identified as him "Sayadaw," which implies Good Instructor, plus they intended it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see thousands of people today livin there only to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It absolutely was like slightly utopia he carved out on the chaos. Whether or not the surface world was lookin at him sideways reason behind the conflict, into the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I keep in mind hearin tales bout how he’d just walk into hazardous locations and nobody would touch him. He had that "metta" (loving-kindness) electricity, Or possibly folks were being just terrified of his spiritual mojo. He passed away in 2018 in a healthcare facility in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was huge. Like, thousands of men and women cryin, monks almost everywhere, a real sad working day for that Burmese Buddhist Group. Even now, his legacy is all over the place. U see his confront on posters in little tea outlets or stickers on trucks drivin in the mud in Kayin Point out.
He was a posh dude, obviously. Some website individuals say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought about additional difficulties. But u cant deny his influence. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to develop it on the planet, 1 brick and just one vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his life his way, raw and unfiltered, much like the jungle he called dwelling. Regard on the aged guy, U Thuzana. He was genuinely one among A form, a real OG on the Theravāda tradition.