The Coyote
Metaphor for the Truth of the Cause of Suffering
An Essay by Ethan A. Mills


Yesterday I watched a Roadrunner cartoon on TV and its Buddhist theme became very apparent.

The Coyote tries and tries several times every episode to catch the roadrunner (to eat him I guess). He fails every time, being exploded, crushed, falling off of cliffs and all sorts of horrible things. Each time he fails, his desire to try new Acme contraptions to catch the roadrunner are fueled even more. But he ALWAYS fails. He never catches the elusive roadrunner. He never sees that if he'd just stop trying to catch the roadrunner, he could be happy and end his suffering. He just doesn't get it.

Most people are trying to catch roadrunners all the time and just like the Coyote, they just don't get it. They blame the roadrunner for making them unhappy when in fact, it's their own fault. I think I'll use this analogy to explain Buddhism to people, especially children. It seems pretty accurate.

I wonder if there are Buddhists working for Warner Brothers. Hmmm....

For those of you who aren't Americans, I don't know if you have any idea what I'm talking about, but I'm guessing we export the Roadrunner and Coyote show (it's on with Bugs Bunny) so you may have seen it around.

This is my brilliant analysis of the week. Thanks for reading.

-- Ethan A. Mills