Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Make of yourself a light," these simple yet profound words encapsulate the essence of Mary Oliver's poem "Buddha's Last Instruction." Taking the dying Buddha's final words as its central theme, the poem meanders through layers of light, metaphorically and literally, to explore the intrinsic value of life, as well as the role of individual purpose within the broader spectrum of existence.

The poem opens with a personal confession: "I think of this every morning / as the east begins / to tear off its many clouds / of darkness." This routine act of observing the sunrise transforms into a sacred ritual, wherein the speaker reflects upon the Buddha's final wisdom. Oliver deftly interweaves this daily occurrence with a historical, almost mythical, moment-the dying Buddha under the sala trees. It's an instance fraught with existential possibilities; "he might have said anything, knowing it was his final hour," but he chooses to focus on light.

Oliver emphasizes the anticipation of light, not just as a natural phenomenon but as an idea that encompasses hope, enlightenment, and meaning. As the villagers around the Buddha "stretched forward to listen," we too lean into the poem, touched "by its ocean of yellow waves," awaiting wisdom to alight our understanding. In this setting, light takes on an ethereal quality, serving as a link between the cosmic, the individual, and the divine.

Then the speaker reflects, "No doubt he thought of everything / that had happened in his difficult life." This line acknowledges the Buddha's humanity, reminding us that enlightenment doesn't mean an absence of suffering but perhaps a different relationship to it. The poem then surges forward with an almost transcendental experience, as the sun blazes "like a million flowers on fire." Amidst this, the speaker admits, "clearly I'm not needed," yet paradoxically feels themselves "turning / into something of inexplicable value."

This is the crux of the poem: in the grand scale of the universe, one might argue human life holds little value. Yet, in internalizing the wisdom of light, the speaker (and by extension, each of us) finds an "inexplicable value." The importance isn't derived from being needed by the world but by becoming a source of light, akin to the Buddha's last instruction.

The final lines draw attention back to the Buddha who, despite nearing the end, "raised his head" to look into the eyes of the gathered crowd. It's as if to ask, "Are you listening?" Oliver's poem serves as a similar beckoning, urging us to turn inward, to illuminate the dark corners of our existence and, most importantly, to carry that light into the world. Even as individuals in a vast universe, we are carriers of light, and in that, we find our inexplicable value.

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