Shovelling Snow With Buddah

337 Words2 Pages
The narrator finds himself connecting with Buddha in a peculiar way by clearing snow out of the narrator’s driveway. The narrator questions how strange it is to see Buddha outside a stereotyped environment but accepts the circumstance his in. Throughout the piece the narrator speaks his mind and finds a spiritual connection in shoveling snow and even proposes to Buddha how “this is so much better than a sermon in church” which the Buddha does not reply to. At the end of the piece Buddha proposes that when their task is finished they could go inside and play cards. The narrator agrees and also offers to make hot chocolate. The author writes a funny and whimsical situation in which a spiritual authority is outside his “usual Iconography” helping a friend in a simple task. Although the work is uncomplicated the narrator connects a spiritual meaning behind it. In his tone the narrator admires how devoted and concentrated Buddha is shoveling the snow. The 4th-6th paragraphs become metaphors for spirituality and Zen Buddhism showing how nature can also become a path to religious enlightenment. Buddha does not comment when the narrator states his opinion “This is so much better than a sermon in church” because the author was alluding to Zen principals in which outside scriptures does not stand upon words. Being silent also symbolizes tranquility with nature and enlightenment as in the quote “Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be”. By being able to find peace and serenity in a snowy driveway the author ties the meaning of the poem. Humans are always in search for a religion that will answer their existence and purpose of living in order to keep at bay with themselves. But by gambling into a single faith many people feel their doubts and problems will lessen just by the mere acceptance of a religion. Instead they should look to fix these problems
Open Document