Yo, sit back and allow me to convey to ya a story bout Among the most wild and revered dudes from the Burmese Theravāda scene. We talkin bout U Thuzana Sayadaw. If u under no circumstances heard of him, u almost certainly livin underneath a rock inside the Kayin Point out or sumthin. This guy was additional than simply a monk inside of a saffron robe; he was just like a power of nature, a real-everyday living legend who modified the whole vibe in the borderlands.
U Thuzana, he was the heart and soul in the Myaing Gyi Ngu area. Born in the late 40s, I feel, but Actually, his age didnt matter trigger he experienced that aged-soul Electrical power from the beginning. He wasnt about that fancy town lifestyle in Yangon. Nah, he was a jungle gentleman. He beloved the mountains, the trees, and buildin items. And After i say buildin, I necessarily mean buildin. He experienced this obsession with pagodas. Almost everywhere he went, BAM—An additional pagoda. White ones, gold ones, massive ones, smaller kinds. It had been like he was tryin to pin the earth down with holiness. Men and women say he built hundreds. Can u consider? The majority of us cant even end a LEGO established, and this monk is out listed here constructin monuments in the midst of a war zone.
Talking of war, thats the place things get true messy and serious exciting. U Thuzana wasnt just sittin within a temple chanting all day long. He was deep while in the politics of your Karen individuals. Back while in the 90s, points ended up heated involving the KNU as well as the gov. click here Thuzana, he decided to split and shaped the DKBA—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. Now, a monk leadin a military sounds ridiculous, appropriate? Like, thoroughly versus the rules. But for his followers, he was protectin the faith. He created his soldiers cease eatin meat. Yeah, an entire army of vegetarians! That’s legit some hardcore willpower. He needed a "pure" land where folks lived by the Dhamma, or not less than his Model of it.
But hey, dont Feel he was just a few army dude. His followers, person, they worshipped the ground he walked on. They known as him "Sayadaw," meaning Good Teacher, and they meant it. He experienced this aura. If u went to Myaing Gyi Ngu, u would see 1000s of folks livin there simply to be close to him. No booze, no meat, just pure devotion. It had been like a bit utopia he carved out on the chaos. Regardless of whether the skin world was lookin at him sideways cause of the conflict, to the locals, he was there daddy, there protector, there saint.
I recall hearin tales bout how he’d just wander into hazardous destinations and no-one would contact him. He experienced that "metta" (loving-kindness) energy, Or perhaps men and women were just terrified of his spiritual mojo. He passed away in 2018 in a very hospital in Bangkok, and person, the funeral was massive. Like, thousands of men and women cryin, monks almost everywhere, a real unfortunate day to the Burmese Buddhist Local community. Even now, his legacy is all over the place. U see his confront on posters in minor tea stores or stickers on vans drivin with the mud in Kayin Condition.
He was a fancy dude, of course. Many people say he was a peacemaker, some say he prompted much more problems. But u cant deny his impact. He wasnt just talkin bout Nirvana; he was tryin to develop it on the planet, one particular brick and just one vegetarian soldier at any given time. He lived his daily life his way, raw and unfiltered, just like the jungle he termed house. Respect into the aged gentleman, U Thuzana. He was really considered one of A form, a real OG in the Theravāda tradition.