Religion In Siddhartha
The ideologies of religious figures are often written in such a way that they can be understood by virtually anyone and from any background. When reading Siddhartha, the story of the titular character and his own trials and tribulations is treated in much the same way with his own experiences and life being explained so that any reader can connect with his personal struggles. Throughout the piece, it is possible to see the ways in which he seemingly rejects the traditions of the Buddha in an effort to live his own life in a way that he desires. However, upon further analysis it is clear that while he might have rejected many of the philosophies of the Buddha, it is through this rejection that he is able to truly live a life that is unique and
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that actually embraces the philosophy of Buddhism and his own, unique path in which he lives a unique kind of life.
In the novel Siddhartha, named for the main character, the story of the young man is one that is not meant to be the life of the Buddha but, at the same point, mirrors his life in a number of ways. Born into a Brahman family, Siddhartha lives a life that is considered well-to-do by many people in any century. However, this same opulence is one of the major points of contention in his life as he is unhappy with the state of his life even though he wants for nothing. Just as with the original Buddha, “Siddhartha continued living in the luxury of his palaces, he grew increasing restless and curious about the world beyond the palace walls. He finally demanded that he be permitted to see his people and his lands. The king carefully arranged that Siddhartha should still not see the kind of suffering that he feared would lead him to a religious life, and decried that only young and healthy people should greet the prince” (Boeree, 1999). The seclusion and the sheer power that his family wielded influenced the way that Siddhartha viewed the world as there was no true path for him to explore on his own. In this way, Siddhartha begins his own path against the views of the dharma of the Buddha and, at the same time, he is able to create a new path in which he lives his own path. The idea of Siddhartha in this story mirrors that of the Buddha and, at the same time, goes against so many of his teachings. After leaving his sheltered life, Siddhartha ends up finding some happiness with the woman that would become his life.
While he reveled in the sins of the flesh, he was not moving toward a state of enlightenment. This is one of the key components of the story because of the idea that this is not the original Siddhartha, who is called the Buddha, but instead it is someone whose life mirrors many of his struggles. It is this struggle that is apparent in his marriage and debauchery. The problem for Siddhartha is that he does not have a goal in his life and he simply does what he wants. He does not look for enlightenment. He simply is and does everything he desires. This is the focus of his life for many years as he lives with his wife. “Traditionally, the meaning of the term Buddha is understood as a person who has awakened from the deep sleep of ignorance. In Indian tradition, the expression was already used before, during, and after the life of Siddhartha by many religious communities, but it became most strongly linked to the Buddhist tradition” (Violatti, 2013). Siddhartha does not immediately break free of this sleep of ignorance. It takes years for him to realize that he is unhappy with his life. This is when he once again mirrors the teachigns of Buddha because it is a kind of awakening that occurs, not one that is intended or sought after. It simply happens and the enlightenment he gains is the end
result. The unhappiness that he feels shows the way that he is not able to keep a strong grasp on hope. Instead, the problem is that the Siddhartha does not know how to live in a way that follows the path of enlightenment even though he was raised in a caste that promotes the idea of spirituality. For Siddhartha, the realization that everyone has pain also mirrors the life and the teachings of Buddha. “Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer” (The Buddha, 2002). Siddhartha does not have the ability to find answers in his life so he decides to simply abandon his life for a different outcome. What then is the purpose of the years that he spends living with his wife and simply existing from day to day? The idea is that he was following his own path, not one preordained or focused on by religious dogma, and this is the goal of Buddhism. Siddhartha embraces the thoughts of Buddhism without even thinking about it because he is living a path that is only for his own peace of mind. He did not follow one laid out by his family or his caste but he lived in a way that he thought would keep him happy even though he still had his own problems. When Siddhartha finds peace, he is once again following the ideals that were set out by Buddhism. He finds his own inner peace and is able to share these feelings and thoughts with his oldest friend while he lives a relatively peaceful life. “By finding the path to Enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one'” (The Buddha, 2002). However, it goes further than simply living for himself in peace. Buddha, and Siddhartha in the book, each decide to teach what they have learned about their own path. It is not simply enough to live in peace but to teahch it to others. In the story of Buddha, it is said that this decision was made when Brahma, king of the gods, asked him to teach his life’s learning to others. According to the tale of Buddha, “Buddha set in motion the wheel of teaching: rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centers around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the dharma. For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many disciples, who became Arahants or 'noble ones', who had attained Enlightenment for themselves” (The Buddha, 2002). The idea is that Buddhism allowed for many people to follow a path of enlightenment through their unique trials and hardships. Siddhartha follows the path of the Buddha even without realizing that he is doing it. How then does one argue that he is not following the path of Enlightenment as found in the center of Buddhism? The question is ont how he is acting against Buddhism but how he is not proactively looking for a source of enlightenment. For many people, the idea is that by living as the Buddha one can find solace in the ideas of the path but it does not mean that they will gain clarity. For Buddha, and for Siddhartha as well, it was eventually about finding a form of balance in his life. He tried the life of self-denial and of rigorous attempts at faith but this did not help. After a time, Siddhartha “abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial and ascetism, but did not return to the pampered luxury of his early life. Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor poverty” (The Buddha, 2012). The middle path allowed for Siddhartha to live without want but also to live in a way that allowed him to find a new place in the world. When moving further into an analysis of how Siddhartha mirrors the teachings of Buddha in his own life, it is important to note the ways that he does follow the rules of Buddhism as well as goes against them. In addition to the idea of following his own path, Siddhartha also follows these teachings in the fact that he does not mean to cause pain to anyone and only wanted to live his life in a way that would please him. At first, he does this by living in a kind of gluttony. HE does not want for anything as his class in society affords him luxury but this does not give him any real reason to live other than to simply exists. Simiarly, moving to the exact opposite end of the specrum keeps Siddhartha from being happy as wlel because he does so in an attempt to achieve enlightenment and fails. In both cases, the extremes are not helpful for him or do they give him peace. It is only when he finds that the middle path, one without luxury and one without undue hardship, that he is able to find peace and the mental happiness he sought. This was also apparent when others witnessed the change in him because it was a kind of calm that radiated from him once he found his place in the world. The idea of him going and teaching this same method of thought to others is the best way that he showcases a similarity to Buddhism thoughts and practices. He embraces his life and his fate which gives him the peace to teach others. Siddhartha and Buddha do differ in the way that they give the dharma to others in their lives. This is because of the fact that the ways of enlightenment were different for each. After achieving enlightenment, “Buddha traveled, preaching the Dharma (the name given to the teachings of the Buddha) in an effort to lead others to and along the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader” (Buddha Biography, 2015). The idea was that everyone’s path is their own and simply following a leader who has already achieved enlightenment does not guarantee one’s own path. It is that everyone has their own path to follow and their own role in the world. For Siddhartha, this was to find a path that led him to an enlightened place even without following a strict path as laid out for him ahead of time. He was able to grow, teach, and learn about the world because he followed a path with no master, tried a number of different ways of living, and in the end found what he needed.
that actually embraces the philosophy of Buddhism and his own, unique path in which he lives a unique kind of life.
In the novel Siddhartha, named for the main character, the story of the young man is one that is not meant to be the life of the Buddha but, at the same point, mirrors his life in a number of ways. Born into a Brahman family, Siddhartha lives a life that is considered well-to-do by many people in any century. However, this same opulence is one of the major points of contention in his life as he is unhappy with the state of his life even though he wants for nothing. Just as with the original Buddha, “Siddhartha continued living in the luxury of his palaces, he grew increasing restless and curious about the world beyond the palace walls. He finally demanded that he be permitted to see his people and his lands. The king carefully arranged that Siddhartha should still not see the kind of suffering that he feared would lead him to a religious life, and decried that only young and healthy people should greet the prince” (Boeree, 1999). The seclusion and the sheer power that his family wielded influenced the way that Siddhartha viewed the world as there was no true path for him to explore on his own. In this way, Siddhartha begins his own path against the views of the dharma of the Buddha and, at the same time, he is able to create a new path in which he lives his own path. The idea of Siddhartha in this story mirrors that of the Buddha and, at the same time, goes against so many of his teachings. After leaving his sheltered life, Siddhartha ends up finding some happiness with the woman that would become his life.
While he reveled in the sins of the flesh, he was not moving toward a state of enlightenment. This is one of the key components of the story because of the idea that this is not the original Siddhartha, who is called the Buddha, but instead it is someone whose life mirrors many of his struggles. It is this struggle that is apparent in his marriage and debauchery. The problem for Siddhartha is that he does not have a goal in his life and he simply does what he wants. He does not look for enlightenment. He simply is and does everything he desires. This is the focus of his life for many years as he lives with his wife. “Traditionally, the meaning of the term Buddha is understood as a person who has awakened from the deep sleep of ignorance. In Indian tradition, the expression was already used before, during, and after the life of Siddhartha by many religious communities, but it became most strongly linked to the Buddhist tradition” (Violatti, 2013). Siddhartha does not immediately break free of this sleep of ignorance. It takes years for him to realize that he is unhappy with his life. This is when he once again mirrors the teachigns of Buddha because it is a kind of awakening that occurs, not one that is intended or sought after. It simply happens and the enlightenment he gains is the end
result. The unhappiness that he feels shows the way that he is not able to keep a strong grasp on hope. Instead, the problem is that the Siddhartha does not know how to live in a way that follows the path of enlightenment even though he was raised in a caste that promotes the idea of spirituality. For Siddhartha, the realization that everyone has pain also mirrors the life and the teachings of Buddha. “Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer” (The Buddha, 2002). Siddhartha does not have the ability to find answers in his life so he decides to simply abandon his life for a different outcome. What then is the purpose of the years that he spends living with his wife and simply existing from day to day? The idea is that he was following his own path, not one preordained or focused on by religious dogma, and this is the goal of Buddhism. Siddhartha embraces the thoughts of Buddhism without even thinking about it because he is living a path that is only for his own peace of mind. He did not follow one laid out by his family or his caste but he lived in a way that he thought would keep him happy even though he still had his own problems. When Siddhartha finds peace, he is once again following the ideals that were set out by Buddhism. He finds his own inner peace and is able to share these feelings and thoughts with his oldest friend while he lives a relatively peaceful life. “By finding the path to Enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one'” (The Buddha, 2002). However, it goes further than simply living for himself in peace. Buddha, and Siddhartha in the book, each decide to teach what they have learned about their own path. It is not simply enough to live in peace but to teahch it to others. In the story of Buddha, it is said that this decision was made when Brahma, king of the gods, asked him to teach his life’s learning to others. According to the tale of Buddha, “Buddha set in motion the wheel of teaching: rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centers around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the dharma. For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many disciples, who became Arahants or 'noble ones', who had attained Enlightenment for themselves” (The Buddha, 2002). The idea is that Buddhism allowed for many people to follow a path of enlightenment through their unique trials and hardships. Siddhartha follows the path of the Buddha even without realizing that he is doing it. How then does one argue that he is not following the path of Enlightenment as found in the center of Buddhism? The question is ont how he is acting against Buddhism but how he is not proactively looking for a source of enlightenment. For many people, the idea is that by living as the Buddha one can find solace in the ideas of the path but it does not mean that they will gain clarity. For Buddha, and for Siddhartha as well, it was eventually about finding a form of balance in his life. He tried the life of self-denial and of rigorous attempts at faith but this did not help. After a time, Siddhartha “abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial and ascetism, but did not return to the pampered luxury of his early life. Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor poverty” (The Buddha, 2012). The middle path allowed for Siddhartha to live without want but also to live in a way that allowed him to find a new place in the world. When moving further into an analysis of how Siddhartha mirrors the teachings of Buddha in his own life, it is important to note the ways that he does follow the rules of Buddhism as well as goes against them. In addition to the idea of following his own path, Siddhartha also follows these teachings in the fact that he does not mean to cause pain to anyone and only wanted to live his life in a way that would please him. At first, he does this by living in a kind of gluttony. HE does not want for anything as his class in society affords him luxury but this does not give him any real reason to live other than to simply exists. Simiarly, moving to the exact opposite end of the specrum keeps Siddhartha from being happy as wlel because he does so in an attempt to achieve enlightenment and fails. In both cases, the extremes are not helpful for him or do they give him peace. It is only when he finds that the middle path, one without luxury and one without undue hardship, that he is able to find peace and the mental happiness he sought. This was also apparent when others witnessed the change in him because it was a kind of calm that radiated from him once he found his place in the world. The idea of him going and teaching this same method of thought to others is the best way that he showcases a similarity to Buddhism thoughts and practices. He embraces his life and his fate which gives him the peace to teach others. Siddhartha and Buddha do differ in the way that they give the dharma to others in their lives. This is because of the fact that the ways of enlightenment were different for each. After achieving enlightenment, “Buddha traveled, preaching the Dharma (the name given to the teachings of the Buddha) in an effort to lead others to and along the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader” (Buddha Biography, 2015). The idea was that everyone’s path is their own and simply following a leader who has already achieved enlightenment does not guarantee one’s own path. It is that everyone has their own path to follow and their own role in the world. For Siddhartha, this was to find a path that led him to an enlightened place even without following a strict path as laid out for him ahead of time. He was able to grow, teach, and learn about the world because he followed a path with no master, tried a number of different ways of living, and in the end found what he needed.