Yo, sit back and let me tell ya a Tale bout Probably the most wild and revered dudes while in the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u never heard of him, u likely livin below a rock inside the Kayin Condition or sumthin. This dude was extra than just a monk in the saffron robe; he was just like a pressure of nature, a true-lifestyle legend who changed The full vibe with the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the heart and soul with the Myaing Gyi Ngu place. Born while in the late 40s, I feel, but Truthfully, his age didnt matter trigger he had that aged-soul Strength from the beginning. He wasnt about that extravagant city lifetime in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle guy. He liked the mountains, the trees, and buildin things. And After i say buildin, I suggest buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. In all places he went, BAM—A further pagoda. White kinds, gold types, big types, smaller ones. It absolutely was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. People say he constructed hundreds. Can u envision? The majority of us cant even end a LEGO set, and this monk is out right here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Speaking of war, thats exactly where items get actual messy and true exciting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin inside of a temple chanting all day. He was deep from the politics from the Karen persons. Back within the 90s, items were being heated among the KNU and also the gov. Thuzana, he chose to split and fashioned the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin an army Appears outrageous, right? Like, totally from The principles. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He created his soldiers prevent eatin meat. Yeah, a whole army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore self-control. He preferred a "pure" land wherever individuals lived from the Dhamma, or at least his Edition of it.
But hey, dont Believe he was just some armed service person. His followers, male, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They known as him "Sayadaw," which implies Fantastic Trainer, and they meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see thousands of persons livin there only to be in close proximity to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It was like just a little utopia he carved out of your chaos. Regardless of whether the surface globe was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, on the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I bear in mind hearin stories bout how he’d just walk into perilous spots and no-one would touch him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) energy, Or possibly men and women were being just terrified of his spiritual mojo. He passed absent in 2018 inside of a medical center in Bangkok, and guy, the funeral was huge. Like, A huge number of persons cryin, monks in all places, an actual unhappy working day for your Burmese Buddhist Group. Even now, his legacy is all over the place. U see his confront on posters in tiny tea shops or stickers on trucks drivin with the read more mud in Kayin State.
He was a fancy dude, needless to say. Lots of people say he was a peacemaker, some say he induced more difficulties. But u cant deny his effect. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it on the planet, a person brick and a person vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his lifestyle his way, raw and unfiltered, just like the jungle he termed house. Regard to your aged person, U Thuzana. He was actually considered one of A form, a true OG on the Theravāda custom.