Yo, sit back and allow me to explain to ya a story bout Probably the most wild and respected dudes from the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u never ever heard about him, u likely livin beneath a rock inside the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This dude was a lot more than just a monk in a very saffron robe; he was just like a force of nature, a true-existence legend who changed the whole vibe on the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the heart and soul on the Myaing Gyi Ngu place. Born inside the late 40s, I feel, but Actually, his age didnt issue lead to he had that old-soul Electrical power from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy town lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle person. He liked the mountains, the trees, and buildin issues. And Once i say buildin, I necessarily mean buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere you go he went, BAM—An additional pagoda. White ones, gold kinds, significant kinds, small types. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Men and women say he developed hundreds. Can u visualize? Many of us cant even complete a LEGO established, and this monk is out below constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Speaking of war, thats where issues get real messy and true interesting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin inside of a temple chanting all day long. He was deep inside the politics of the Karen men and women. Again inside the 90s, matters have been heated concerning the KNU and also the gov. Thuzana, he made a decision to break up and fashioned the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin a military Seems outrageous, suitable? Like, totally versus the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He produced his troopers end eatin meat. Yeah, an entire army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He desired a "pure" land wherever people lived because of the Dhamma, or a minimum of his version of it.
But hey, dont Imagine he was just some armed forces man. His followers, man, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They termed him "Sayadaw," which suggests Excellent Teacher, they usually intended it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A huge number of men and women livin there simply to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like a bit utopia he carved out from the chaos. Regardless of whether the surface world was lookin at him sideways reason for the conflict, towards the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I bear in mind hearin stories bout how he’d just stroll into harmful destinations and nobody would touch him. He had that "metta" (loving-kindness) electrical power, Or even people today had been just scared of his spiritual mojo. He handed absent in 2018 inside a healthcare facility in Bangkok, and gentleman, the funeral was large. Like, thousands of persons cryin, monks almost everywhere, a true sad working day for that Burmese Buddhist Group. Even now, his legacy is in all places. U see his face on posters in minimal tea retailers or stickers on vans drivin throughout the mud in Kayin Condition.
He was a posh dude, of course. Some individuals say he was a peacemaker, some say he induced additional difficulty. But u cant deny his effects. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it read more on this planet, a single brick and 1 vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his existence his way, raw and unfiltered, much like the jungle he called dwelling. Regard into the outdated man, U Thuzana. He was really certainly one of A sort, an actual OG from the Theravāda custom.