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Spirituality In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

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Spirituality In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha
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” (Hesse 83). Siddhartha does not have the ability to find answers in his life so he decides to simply abandon his life for a …show more content…
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 teach 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

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