Yo, sit down and allow me to convey to ya a story bout The most wild and revered dudes within the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u hardly ever heard about him, u probably livin underneath a rock within the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This dude was more than just a monk in a saffron robe; he was like a drive of mother nature, an actual-existence legend who altered The complete vibe in the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the heart and soul of your Myaing Gyi Ngu spot. Born while in the late 40s, I believe, but Actually, his age didnt issue cause he experienced that old-soul Power from the start. He wasnt about that fancy metropolis daily life in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle gentleman. He liked the mountains, the trees, and buildin matters. And After i say buildin, I signify buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere he went, BAM—another pagoda. White kinds, gold types, massive types, little kinds. It absolutely was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. People today say he crafted hundreds. Can u imagine? Most of us cant even finish a LEGO established, and this monk is out right here constructin monuments in the middle of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats exactly where items get authentic messy and authentic interesting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin inside of a temple chanting all day. He was deep in the politics in the Karen persons. Back from the 90s, factors were heated amongst the KNU along with the gov. Thuzana, he decided to split and fashioned the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin an army sounds mad, appropriate? Like, totally against The foundations. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He produced his troopers end eatin meat. Yeah, a whole army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore willpower. He wished a "pure" land in which people today lived via the Dhamma, or at the very least his version of it.
But hey, dont Imagine he was just a few navy person. His followers, guy, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They named him "Sayadaw," which means Excellent Instructor, and so they meant it. He had this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A large number of individuals livin there in order to be around him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It was like somewhat utopia he carved out of your chaos. Whether or not the surface planet was lookin at him sideways reason for the conflict, to your locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I keep in mind hearin tales bout how he’d just stroll into hazardous locations and no-one would contact him. He had that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or even individuals have been just afraid of his spiritual mojo. He handed absent in 2018 in a very hospital in Bangkok, and man, the funeral was massive. Like, thousands of folks cryin, monks almost everywhere, a real sad working day for the Burmese Buddhist Local community. Even now, his legacy is almost everywhere. U see his deal with on posters in small tea shops or stickers on trucks drivin from the mud in Kayin State.
He was a complex dude, of course. Some individuals say he was a peacemaker, some say he induced much more hassle. But u cant deny his impression. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to develop it in the world, one particular brick and just one vegetarian soldier at a time. He click here lived his life his way, raw and unfiltered, just like the jungle he identified as home. Regard on the aged man, U Thuzana. He was actually considered one of a kind, a real OG on the Theravāda custom.