Religion 105
Paper #1
3/8/01
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse discusses the many paths of teaching that relate to Hinduism that Siddhartha followed on his journey through life and how each path helped him realize what he wanted with his life. Siddhartha follows many teachings or paths in which to reach his spiritual destination, which at the beginning was to reach Nirvana. The four stages of life choices, which favor both renunciation and world upholding, are 1) student 2) householder 3) forest hermit and 4) wandering ascetic (Ghose, 1/18/01). In the book, Siddhartha participated in each of these lifestyles for a significant amount of time. Unlike his father, Siddhartha did not want to be a Brahmin. He thought his calling was to be a samana, which is very similar, if not an interchangeable term for wandering ascetic. Siddhartha and his beloved friend Govinda were at heart destined to be samanas. Siddhartha bid farewell to his family renouncing material wealth and sensual pleasure as in two of the four aims of life. They wander into the woods to concentrate and try to reach the heightened sensation that is to come with being closer to realizing Nirvana.
During his journey with the samanas, he learned to follow many paths that took him away from his self-centered ego. By following and voluntarily suffering through, and eventually overcoming things such as pain, hunger, thirst and fatigue, he was getting closer to what the samanas thought was pure and good. Although he would leave his ego, behind when enduring those scenarios he always came back to his ego, what he and Govinda were working for had only been a lesson in the many teachings and sets of goals they must accomplish to reach the ultimate goal they wanted; redemption (Hesse 14-17). Their journey as samanas and students in the stages of life leads them to questioning the path that they were following, where these teaching helping them were they leading them on the right path? "There is, I believe, no such thing as what we call learning.' O my friend, only one knowledge: it is everywhere, it is Atman, it is in me and in you and in every being. And I am starting to believe that this knowledge has no worse enemy than the wish to know, than learning (Hesse 18)." Siddhartha and Govinda spend three years, as samanas in which Siddhartha's soul feels not fulfilled. After these three years, a man they refer to as Gautama, the Sublime one, the Buddha. Govinda chooses to follow the teaching of Gautama. Siddhartha parted from Govinda to leave behind the childhood memories and with that decision, he felt at peace, he had renounced friendship too. He was no longer going to leave himself behind and begin his day with the thinking of Atman. Atman is the subject of knowledge (Smart 203). His identity was plain and simple, Siddhartha, the awakened one, not his father's son and not a Brahmin. (Hesse 38). Siddhartha never fully reached the definition of a householder by raising a family but held a position that would be deemed householder by our society today. Siddhartha found his way into the village after leaving Govinda and saw Kamala who propositioned herself to him and his sensual pleasure that he had suppressed for years while following the samanas was awakened. Siddhartha for many years was Kamala's lover and helped him to become a rich merchant and have all the personal wealth he had taught himself not to want for most of his life. His ego was the focus of his life. He followed the teachings of greed and personal prosperity, everything he once disbelieved that was right for him. After years of pleasure and learning that, he was not amazed and entertained by the simple pleasures that gave him such joy many years before. He found those simple pleasures distasteful and he realized why being a merchant was not his choice of life choice. As he chooses to leave Kamala and that life behind, he doesn't realize that he has fulfilled a quota of being a householder. At the time he leaves, Kamala is pregnant with Siddhartha's son. Siddhartha once again he renounces the traditional teaching of society and goes off to find his way with the instincts that he possesses. "Full of disgust and distress, he had even wanted to throw it away. But he had come to his senses by a river, under a coconut tree, with the sacred word Om on his lips, whereupon he had fallen asleep. And now he had awakened and was looking at the world as a new man (Hesse 79-80)." Om the sacred word of the Brahmin, with the word brings peace and serenity. He never thought his father's teaching of the Brahma would be the relief he would resort to. The feeling of Om was heard and felt by him after reaching such a point of despair that suicide was contemplated. He had to experience the worst to experience grace and to bring the thoughts of Atman and Brahmin back to him. He was again a new and awakened person learning from his past mistakes. Siddhartha tries to learn the way of the ferryman Vesudeva and the river. The river has a language all it's own which sings to Siddhartha and enlightens him in ways that he has never been to before. Vesudeva pointed him in the direction of the river so Siddhartha could learn its message all on his own. Siddhartha finds the true teaching that makes him truly happy which is ironically to follow the life of a Brahmin, the one thing he didn't want to be in his youth. Vesudeva waited for Siddhartha to realize the revolutionary thought that everything in the world was together as one. The wholeness and the oneness of the river communicated him to show him serenity and understanding. The river also provoked a thought that gave him the understanding that of why as a child he had to leave the teachings of the teachers "wisdom cannot be communicated. Wisdom that a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish. Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. We can find it, we can live it, we can be carried by it, we can work wonders with it, but we cannot utter it or teach it (Hesse 123-4)." Siddhartha's followed many paths in his life. Each of his paths led him to another lesson or teaching that furthered his quest for his spiritual destination. He experienced all aspects of life, from rich to poor, lonely to companionship, stranger to lover and from guest to friend. By going through those path changes, his emotions and mind were put to the test and succeeded. The paths and four different types of living made his spiritual journey a successful one and that is why he reached the highest of wholeness and oneness' feeling he did.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Siddhartha’s life journey is representative of the worldly human desire to find meaning and success within oneself.…
- 563 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin, progresses on a quest for the true meaning of life, or Nirvana, through constant movement between distinct paths in order to fulfill his feeling of emptiness. Throughout the novel “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha learns that enlightenment comes from within, and initially commences to seek external guidance from the Brahmins, Samanas and Buddism. Since his childhood, the Brahmins deposited their absolute knowledge into his “waiting vessel”, his spiritual mind, yet he was still not at peace. The Brahmins teach Siddhartha the virtue of patience, the art of prayer as well as make him well-versed in the different rituals. The feeling of desolation immersed in him provokes Siddhartha’s determination to leave,…
- 641 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The novel, Siddhartha, displays the troubles faced throughout Siddhartha’s life on his journey to find spiritual understanding of himself and the world. As a boy, Siddhartha was born a respected Brahmin; however, he begins to doubt that the religious practices of the group will help him achieve peace. Therefore, he leaves to find a different path toward nirvana. He sees a wandering group of almost naked beggars, Samanas, looking for food and decides to experience…
- 1953 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha Ifsson I Handout I (page 2) 8. What important event took place in Hesse'slife in 1923?…
- 1375 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
One of the first precepts that Hesse tried to depict was the four noble truths: life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path of cessation is suffering. Hesse shows us these four truths when Siddhartha leaves his home and has to break off from his family and live as a Samarian. I think that Hesse has depicted this part of the story to us to show that if someone wants enlightenment, he/she has to let go of what they have in order to reach the higher being that the Buddhist believe to be in. Another part in the book that showed this is when Siddhartha and his friend’s beliefs where clashing with his own. Siddhartha and his friends had traveled together for a while and when they all realized it was best for them all to go their separate ways it then turned into a test of Siddhartha’s ability to let go. For so long Siddhartha had grown up with someone always there by his side, so of course doubt was on his mind when he left, but once he realized his ability in doing things on his own it was much easier.…
- 1214 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Written by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha provides a unique experience of how suffering can be overcome with an aspiration in mind, no matter how long it takes. Even at the beginning of the book, Siddhartha realizes he is discontent by the sheltered world of his fancy life of a Brahmin. He believes there is something more, to truly understand and find peace with his innermost self, the goal of achieving Nirvana. He begins with joining the Samanas, believing that one has to suffer to reach this enlightened state; living like the Samanas would create conditions of treacherous life, having to starve, feeling weak in order to feel better (13). Siddhartha even encounters Buddha, and decides it is not worth it to follow him, for he wants to experience life and suffering for himself, instead of being taught second-hand. Eventually he met a girl, Kamala, and it almost…
- 1300 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
After spending many years with his father and the nearby Brahmins, Siddhartha realizes that they cannot teach him anything else. He first joins the Samanas (wandering ascetics who live in the forest) to help kill his ego so he can find his true Self, the Atman within him. They teach him to inhabit all the organisms and objects…
- 501 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha had struggled in vain with his Self, when he was a Brahmin and an ascetic. Too much knowledge had hindered him. He realized that the inward voice was right, that no teachings can bring him salvation that was why he had to go into the world and lose himself in power, women, money. Chapter 9-The Ferryman 1.…
- 1273 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, is the story of a young man searching for enlightenment. Through his journey, Siddhartha follows several Buddhist and Hindu paths to achieve his ultimate goal of enlightenment. Siddhartha follows the path of the Brahmin, the Samana, the materialistic gambler, and eventually the Buddhist middle path. Being the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha leads a privileged life, but this isn’t enough for him. Siddhartha had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and after a time, he leaves his father to find his own path to Nirvana. Although Siddhartha was raised in a strict Hindu society, his path to Nirvana was a combination of Buddhism, and Hinduism.…
- 1426 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
So, overall we see the young boy, Siddhartha go on a journey just trying to find what he wants in life. Trying to find himself and go through lust, greed, serenity, and eventually finds peace throughout. We see many different characters throughout have a different influence and teach a different lesson. That is why when discussing Siddhartha my understanding of the cultural and context was developed immensely when seeing the perspective of my peers.…
- 328 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In the book, Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha is on a quest to self-discovery, which was influenced by characters like Gotama, Kamala, and Vasudeva. These characters have impacted Siddhartha’s life considerably, and contribute to his path to enlightenment. They have brought him teachings, love, money, and the art of listening. Siddhartha has the most substantial impact on himself throughout the novel by questioning teachings, experiencing new concepts, and learning from the river of life, which flows inevitably.…
- 540 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
There’s a saying that you learn something new everyday. Whether, the information is obtained through a teacher, an adventitious coincidence, or through research, knowledge is always gained. Conflicted between what his many teachers had advised him to do, he continued to change his lifestyle and gained many important insights along the way. Had Siddhartha ignored his discontempt and continued to live his life as a Brahmin, it would have been impossible to learn the key skills he needed to reach Enlightenment.…
- 598 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha, a young man from the Brahmin caste, goes through many stages during his quest to pursue deeper understanding and it is what he learns at each stage that brings him closer to wisdom whilst shedding previous aspects of himself. Siddhartha takes place in ancient India where all life is shaped by the scenery and culture of that time and the hero being influenced by such leaves his home to find spiritual enlightenment. The sole purpose of his journey is to find the wisest way to live and to achieve the Atman within. It becomes clear that he is dissatisfied with his life and also the knowledge he began to suspect was not full. “He had started to suspect that his venerable father and his other teachers, that the wise Brahmans had already…
- 830 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha written by Herman Hesse is an inspiring novel about a young Indian’s travels to achieve his goal. Siddhartha’s previous learning affects him in both positive and negative aspects on his long journey to reach enlightenment. Enlightenment in the Indian culture means to reach total knowledge on life and the afterlife. Siddhartha’s journey as a Brahmin, a Samana, being rich and greedy, and living in the hut as a river man brought him great wisdom and helped him achieve total enlightenment.…
- 960 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Siddhartha leaves his family behind to journey out and find peace, love, and happiness, to discover each key to life at different times. Siddhartha loses his son, but knows what happiness and love is; the keys to life is a connection to his life journey. Govinda starts out knowing what love and happiness are, but leaves with Siddhartha to find peace. When the Buddha wasn't enough, Govinda left on his own journey seeking peace, but little did he know his best friend had found peace. Knowing Siddhartha had found peace, Govinda knew that he could find peace as…
- 1163 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays