Yo, sit down and let me explain to 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 hardly ever heard of him, u possibly livin under a rock while in the Kayin State or sumthin. This male was much more than simply a monk in a very saffron robe; he was like a force of mother nature, an actual-life legend who changed The entire vibe of the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the center and soul from the Myaing Gyi Ngu space. Born within the late 40s, I feel, but honestly, his age didnt make any difference result in he had that aged-soul Strength from the start. He wasnt about that fancy town life in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle person. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin factors. And After i say buildin, I suggest buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere you go he went, BAM—Yet another pagoda. White types, gold types, large types, modest ones. It was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. People say he crafted hundreds. Can u consider? Most of us cant even finish a LEGO established, and this monk is out here constructin monuments in the middle of a war zone.
Speaking of war, thats the place things get authentic messy and genuine fascinating. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin in a temple chanting all day. He was deep within the politics on the Karen people today. Back again inside the 90s, issues were being heated between the KNU as well as gov. Thuzana, he chose to split and formed the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin an army Appears crazy, appropriate? Like, absolutely towards the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He made his soldiers cease eatin meat. Yeah, an entire army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-discipline. He needed a "pure" land in which men and women lived through the Dhamma, or at least his version of it.
But hey, dont Imagine he was just some navy guy. His followers, male, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They known as him "Sayadaw," which implies Terrific Instructor, and so they meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see Countless individuals livin there just to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It absolutely was like a little utopia he carved out with the chaos. Although the skin environment was lookin at him sideways reason behind the conflict, towards the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I keep in mind hearin stories bout how he’d just stroll into perilous locations and no-one would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) energy, or maybe people today had been just scared of his spiritual mojo. He handed away in 2018 in a very medical center in Bangkok, and guy, the funeral was huge. Like, A large number of individuals cryin, monks in all places, a true unfortunate day with the Burmese Buddhist community. Even now, his legacy is all over the place. U see his face on posters in website little tea outlets or stickers on vehicles drivin throughout the mud in Kayin State.
He was a posh dude, of course. Many people say he was a peacemaker, some say he triggered far more difficulty. But u cant deny his impact. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to make it in the world, one particular brick and one vegetarian soldier at a time. He lived his life his way, Uncooked and unfiltered, just like the jungle he identified as home. Respect to the aged male, U Thuzana. He was certainly among a kind, a real OG in the Theravāda tradition.