Carl Jung once said, “One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for growing plant and for the soul of the child.” Siddhartha, a novel by Hermann Hesse, follows Siddhartha through his life stages. While Siddhartha searches for enlightenment and Nirvana; going from Brahmin, to the rich, then to having nothing. The audience can read about his struggles and sufferings that guide him to enlightenment. Siddhartha’s journey gives him several teachers and mentors; some were conventional and some more symbolic. All of them though were important and help Siddhartha to his enlightenment.
The first
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“He was no Brahmins, sharing the life of the Brahmins, no ascetic belonging to the Samanas.” (33) Siddhartha thinks that he might not need a religious mentor to find his path, hence why he wants to learn from Kamaswami, who is opposite from his previous mentors. “I have learned from you how much a basket of fish costs and how much interest one can claim for lending money.” (56) Siddhartha says that to Kamaswami when he realizes that Kamaswami wasn’t as important, even though he does teach Siddhartha what isn’t important in the whole scheme of life, which helps further down Siddhartha’s path. “Now everything is easy, as easy as the instructions in kissing Kamala gives.” (49) This is when Siddhartha first decides to deflect the physical world because of the Samanas’ teachings. Now he tries the opposite and showers himself in the physical world first with Kamala’s affections and then the riches he gains because of Kamaswami teachings of merchant life. After Siddhartha’s dream about Kamala’s dead singing bird, it makes him realize that he has been stuck in Samsara and needs to leave the teachers that got him this …show more content…
“I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I do not know anything of the art of which you are mistress.” (44) Siddhartha seeks out Kamala because of her experience and he feels that he could learn plenty of things from her. “Most people, Kamala, are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path.” (58) Siddhartha reflects upon his feelings to Kamala about his perspective on other people. The following 20 years with Kamala and Kamaswami, Siddhartha learns from Kamala that they are unlike everyone else and that’s why he learns so much from her and can actually connect with her. “Kamala indicated to her son and said, ‘Did you recognize him, too? He is your son.’” (92) At the end of Kamala’s life she is able to indirectly teach Siddhartha about people, so he can understand them. Siddhartha connects with the people and their feelings now all because of Kamala and his’ son, and that helps Siddhartha appreciate the ordinary people; who he never comprehends until
Siddhartha has the urge to become enlightened There was something telling him to endure on his journey to enlightenment and thus begins the Hero Journey This is the first step towards his journey After seeing the Samanas, he decides he wants to follow in their footsteps to learn more about himself and the world that he has been sheltered from his whole life When he tells his family about his decision of becoming and Samana they refuse to let him go, especially his father who has done most of
In the novel Siddhartha, Herman Hesse used other characters to let Siddhartha grow both intellectually and spiritually. During the course of his journey, Siddhartha encountered many people and experienced different ways of living and thinking about life. Each person taught him something about himself and the world around him.
We both reached the same conclusion; as shown by Siddhartha when he says that “there is one thing that this clear, worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced” (Hesse 27), basically saying no mentor is better than experience. I had many different teachers and, just like Siddhartha, reached the conclusion that there could only be so much teachers can teach you; you must experience to best learn. Although Siddhartha had to actually learn from experience, I mostly used it to help study material learned from teachers, although I do hope to one day learn purely from my
Throughout this journey, Siddhartha interacts and rejects many different societies that he feels do not belong to him. Siddhartha is born into a family where his father is a Brahmin, and he is supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps. In the beginning of the novel, Siddhartha tries to find enlightenment by studying texts and living in severe self-discipline. Unfortunately, this way of life does not help Siddhartha achieve enlightenment. Siddhartha feels that these rituals will not benefit him in his quest to find enlightenment. Therefore, Siddhartha alters his strategy and leaves to try to find his own way to find enlightenment. This common way of learning is the first society Siddhartha rejects. As Siddhartha leaves his home, he believes he will be able to find enlightenment by becoming a Samana who practice severe self-discipline by believing enlightenment can be reached through a rejection of the body and physical desire. Siddhartha decides he should follow the Samanas’ path and see what he can learn from them since he was not able to find the wisdom he is searching for at home. Siddhartha embraces the Samanas’ practices of eliminating all thoughts and desires. After undergoing this way of life for many years, Siddhartha realizes this way of life will not provide him with enlightenment. Siddhartha leaves this type of society to once again search for his own path to enlightenment. Siddhartha meets the Buddha who has achieved enlightenment, and Siddhartha hopes he can learn from the enlightened one. ---- (quote) Siddhartha heads to a nearby city where he meets Kamala, a beautiful woman who he becomes close with. In this city, Siddhartha becomes caught up in the way of life of common people. Siddhartha is becoming a businessman involved in gambling, pleasures, and riches. By practicing common habits, he realizes he has been involved in Samsara which is the path of normal life.
Throughout history there have been countless numbers of teachers: artisans, craftsmen, ideologist, to name a few. They have all master some skill, gained some wisdom, or comprehended an idea. These teachers have achieved knowledge which allows them to excel and to be above and beyond regular people. Knowledge is something everyone strives for, and many desire. To achieve knowledge, one must have an eye-opening experience, and epiphany that leads to the increase of one’s intellect and skill set. In Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, the main character, Siddhartha, goes in an almost never ending quest to achieve knowledge. Throughout this journey, Siddhartha encounters many teachers, whom which he learns a great deal, but fails to attain that knowledge he achieves for. However, each and every single one of them teaches him something which ultimately contribute to his final achievement of knowledge. As Siddhartha mentioned to his good friend Govinda:
In his novel Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse used the story of a young Indian Brahmin searching for insight to explore different means of achieving inner peace. Siddhartha attempted to use both asceticism and the life of the wealthy to experience illumination. He fluctuated from rich to poor multiple times before he reached enlightenment. However, Hesse did not always accurately portray the most essential piece of Indian culture—the Caste System—perhaps because he wanted to appeal to a western audience that had little knowledge of the system. Siddhartha, who lived in the Indian Caste of priests, would not have been able to move between social ranks in the manner Hesse portrayed.
The first teacher that Siddhartha had was the Samanas. Siddhartha followed their path for a few years, and learned much from them. He had accomplished the eightfold path and the four noble truths in a short time. Although he had learned much he came to a decision to leave the Samanas. Siddhartha was grateful for they’re teachings, but in the end he believed he could have learned everything that they had taught him on his own.
Siddhartha's path lead him through constant re-evaluations, keeping him focused on himself. He began as the son of a wealthy Brahmin, sheltered from the real world and any experience with it, but having the best education he could obtain. He began his life at home, as a thinker, possessing wisdom and thoughts he had yet to earn through experience.
Throughout the tale, Siddhartha strives to be one with Atman, or internal harmony/eternal self, but by his own attainment. Even when he is offered the insight of Gotama, the divine and perfect one, who is the embodiment of peace, truth, and happiness, he refuses following him and decides to attain Nirvana in his own way. In this, Siddhartha shows his prideful nature but also reveals a positive aspect: self-direction. He realizes that others' ways of teaching can only be applied to their past experiences, but is still reluctant to ac...
Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha describes the journey and maturation of Siddhartha. Siddhartha is a young Indian, whose journey to find internal peace takes him to many different places. One of these is the city, where he soon accumulates a large fortune. Wealth and material possession haunt Siddhartha and hinder him from attaining internal peace. This is also demonstrated Brahmin village where he is unhappy with the rituals, and sees wealth and material goods destroying him Herman Hesse uses Siddhartha demonstrate that success is not derived from material wealth, but from personal successes that may have nothing to do with wealth.
This proves that Vasudeva allows Siddhartha to get his experience firsthand and gently guiding to the source of the wisdom. Therefore, Vasudeva is not a teacher to Siddhartha, merely he is a
I believe that Vasudeva was a guide to Siddhartha more than he was a teacher to him. There are several reasons for my assertion.
	The second concept in Siddhartha is the idea that knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. Siddhartha believes this very strongly, and feels it is only right that one must gain wisdom for himself. When he and Govinda come to the garden of the Buddha and listen to Gotoma’s words, Govinda is immediately converted and stays. Siddhartha, however, does not. He respects Gotoma and believes that he has actually reached Nirvana, but Siddhartha does not believe that Gotoma can teach him to reach it. Later Siddhartha finds himself at a river, having run away from his riches. Here he sees another wise man, Vasudeva, the ferryman. He stays at the river and learns wisdom for himself. Siddhartha learns of the wonders of life, and that what he had always held to be true was true; that wisdom is not teachable.
...nt. The river does not grant this enlightenment in itself; its purpose is to direct Siddhartha’s thoughts to someone who is ready to listen to him and help his journey.
The novel, Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse focuses on a young man named Siddhartha and his lifelong pursuit to attain enlightenment. Throughout his endeavor, Siddhartha follows the way of rejection and doctrines from the Samanas and Gautama the Buddha, respectively. Soon enough, however, Siddhartha realizes that following the path of others is hopeless, and he starts to look within himself to gain wisdom and become enlightened. By looking at and listening to the river, Siddhartha begins to realize who he actually is through the visions and voices that appear from the river. This helps bring Siddhartha to the conclusion that gaining wisdom is completely different than gaining knowledge. Hesse suggests, via Siddhartha, that wisdom, unlike knowledge, cannot be passed on or taught. Siddhartha’s character serves to display how wisdom can only be found through the self.