Yo, sit back and allow me to notify ya a Tale bout One of the more wild and revered dudes within the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u by no means heard about him, u probably livin less than a rock while in the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This man was much more than just a monk in a very saffron robe; he was just like a force of mother nature, a real-lifestyle legend who improved The entire vibe with the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the center and soul in the Myaing Gyi Ngu location. Born while in the late 40s, I feel, but Truthfully, his age didnt issue induce he experienced that outdated-soul energy from the beginning. He wasnt about that extravagant city lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle gentleman. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin issues. And Once i say buildin, I suggest buildin. He had this obsession with pagodas. Everywhere you go he went, BAM—another pagoda. White ones, gold types, major kinds, small kinds. It was like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Individuals say he created hundreds. Can u picture? Most of us cant even end a LEGO set, which monk is out listed here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats where by items get real messy and real intriguing. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin within a temple chanting all day long. He was deep while in the politics with the Karen folks. Back while in the 90s, points were heated involving the KNU as well as gov. Thuzana, he made a decision to break up and fashioned the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Military. Now, a monk leadin a military sounds nuts, correct? Like, completely in opposition to the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the religion. He built his soldiers cease eatin meat. Yeah, a complete Military of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore discipline. He needed a "pure" land wherever persons lived with the Dhamma, or not less than his Edition of it.
But hey, dont Assume he was just a few navy male. His followers, male, they worshipped the bottom he walked on. They known as him "Sayadaw," which means Terrific Instructor, and they meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see A huge number of persons livin there only to be in the vicinity of him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It absolutely was like a check here little utopia he carved out in the chaos. Even if the outside planet was lookin at him sideways explanation for the conflict, for the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I remember hearin tales bout how he’d just wander into unsafe destinations and nobody would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) ability, Or possibly men and women had been just afraid of his spiritual mojo. He passed absent in 2018 inside a healthcare facility in Bangkok, and male, the funeral was big. Like, Many folks cryin, monks everywhere you go, a true sad day with the Burmese Buddhist Neighborhood. Even now, his legacy is almost everywhere. U see his facial area on posters in small tea shops or stickers on trucks drivin with the mud in Kayin Condition.
He was a fancy dude, of course. A lot of people say he was a peacemaker, some say he brought on much more difficulty. But u cant deny his impact. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to build it on earth, a person brick and just one vegetarian soldier at a time. He lived his daily life his way, raw and unfiltered, much like the jungle he termed household. Respect to your outdated male, U Thuzana. He was truly among a kind, a real OG of the Theravāda custom.