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Reaching Enlightenment “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” (“Quotes by Buddha”) The Buddha went through many trials and tribulations to reach enlightenment. But, he persevered and once he reached this state, he shared his spiritual knowledge with countless others (Editors of Biography.com). The Buddha had lived a sheltered childhood. Before the Buddha was born, “his mother dreamed that a white elephant entered her womb” (“Buddha” Compton’s) and soon after she became pregnant (“Buddha” Compton’s). In the sixth century BCE in Lumbini (present day Nepal), the Buddha was born. His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama, and his father was the king of the Shakya people. His mother, Queen Mayadevi, died a week after giving birth …show more content…
to Siddhartha (“Life of Buddha”). According to legend, Siddhartha could walk and talk as soon as he was born and lotus flowers grew wherever he stepped (“Buddha” Compton’s). Early on, it was prophesied that Siddhartha would become a renowned religious leader, military leader or a king. He was raised in a lavish palace with limited connections to the outside world and excelled in math and foreign languages. At sixteen, he married Princess Yasodhara and had a son named Rahula, (“Buddha” Reynolds) but he continued to live in solitude for another 13 years (Editors of Biography.com). Because Siddhartha lived such a sheltered childhood, he was ignorant about the outside world.
When Siddhartha was about 29 he saw a series of images that opened his eyes to the preciousness of human life. He saw an ill man, an elderly man, a dead body and a holy man. These images inspired him to try and reach enlightenment (“Buddha” Reynolds). Siddhartha had many questions about life outside the palace, which led him on many explorations. His journeys led him to leave the palace to live a life of abstinence (Editors of Biography.com). For six years Siddhartha lived a life of fasting, meditation. Five religious people followed him in his ways of life (Editors of Biography.com). When none of these things helped him reach enlightenment, he fasted more vigorously. One day, a bowl of rice was offered to him by a little girl, he soon realized that none of his previous attempts were working so he ate the rice and abandoned that way of life (Editors of …show more content…
Biography.com). His previous state took a lot of self discipline and control, and his next state was much more balanced. After Siddhartha changed his way of life his five followers left him. He encouraged living in balance, not extremes. This came to be called the Middle Way (Editors of Biography.com) He meditated in Bodh Gaya in India under a Bodhi tree (“Life of Buddha”). He spent days meditating there. While he was meditating the wicked demon Mara tested him. Mara tried to declare the enlightened condition and Siddhartha “asked the earth to bear witness to his enlightenment” (Editors of Biography.com) and it exiled Mara (Editors of Biography.com). Soon after the exile of the demon, he reached enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Buddha was very generous and taught people how to reach enlightenment.
The Buddha did not want to teach at first, but as stated in old stories the king of the gods, Brahma, convinced the Buddha to share his ways (Editors of Biography.com). The Buddha found his five former followers and said his first sermon to them (“Buddha” Reynolds) in present day Varanasi, India (“Buddha” Compton’s). He taught them the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, which are both central teachings in Buddhism and they became his first followers (Editors of Biography.com). He also taught Dharma, which means “saving truth”, throughout India (“Buddha” Reynolds). The Buddha founded an order of monks after reaching enlightenment. They did not pray to any gods and the Buddha did not claim to be a god. (“Buddha” Compton’s). The Buddha taught for 80 years and died in India (Editors of
Biography.com). Even though it took the Buddha until his 30s to reach enlightenment, his troubles paid off in the end and he was able to teach a number of people how to escape suffering. Even after he died, his legacy and teachings lived on (Editors of Biography.com).
Enlightenment is defined as, “a final blessed state marked by the absence of suffering and desire,”; although, to be completely without desire would require experience with the indulgences of the physical world. This is relevant in the lives of Siddhartha from Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, and Phil from the movie, Groundhog Day. Phil and Siddhartha’s characters are developed through a series of confusion, loneliness and reckless behavior that ultimately results in a state of depression that opens their eyes and allows them to reach enlightenment. The paths of Phil and Siddhartha begin in a confused state, and the poor choices made during this time leads to gluttony, greed and overindulgences. This ravenous state results in depression, and further,
In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, Unity is a reflecting theme of this novel and in life. Unity is first introduced by means of the river and by the mystical word "Om." Siddhartha's quest for knowledge began when he left his father and sought the teachings of the Samanas. By becoming a Samana Siddhartha had to give up all of his possessions and learn to survive with practically nothing. He quickly picked up all of the Samanas' tricks like meditating, abandonment of the Self, fasting, and holding of the breath. By abandoning the Self, Siddhartha left himself and took on many other forms and became many other things. At first, this excited Siddhartha and he craved more. He took on the shape and life of everything, but he would always return to himself. After he began to notice this endless cycle he realized how dissatisfied it really made him. He had learned all the noble tools the samanas had taught for attaining the innermost Being that is no longer Self, yet even after mastering all of the arts he never progressed further than his cycle of abandoning his Self and returning to it.
"It is this what you mean, isn't it: that the river is everywhere at once?” Siddhartha took many journeys in his life all of which were necessary for him to reach enlightenment. There are multiple factors that lead to Siddhartha's enlightenment such as his journey through the city and meeting Kamala and Kamaswami. The plays a massive role in his journey to enlightenment. Without any of these he wouldn't have reached enlightenment
In his early life, he was born a Kshatriya. Until the age of twenty nine, Siddhartha lived a luxurious life as a prince. Siddhartha’s father, King Shuddodana consulted Asita, a well-known soothsayer, concerning the future of his son. Asita proclaimed that he would be one of two things: He could become a great king, even an emperor. Or he could become a great sage and savior of humanity. This made King Shuddodana wary of what his son may become, therefore he did anything in his power to surround his son Siddhartha with beauty and health to show Siddhartha that there is nothing to save humanity from since it is perfect. If Siddhartha was my son, I would let him see all the suffering in the world and allow him to take action instead of hiding it. It is selfish for the King to hide humanity’s flaws. One day, Siddhartha had seen two wandering, sick and old men. He also, for the first time, experienced death. Due to the sights he had seen, he escaped the palace and lived in a forest where he followed a spiritual life of meditation. After only six years, he achieved enlightenment under the famous Bodhi tree. Siddhartha claims that everyone is able to achieve enlightenment and we all possess
he makes a number of choices, "turns", that put him on a path of his
Siddartha, on page 34, did not believe that a person could gain “salvation through teachings,” but that a person needed to find his salvation through himself and no words could ever describe one’s enlightenment when he found it.
While the idea of attaining enlightenment can be taught, the method or path of attaining that enlightenment cannot be taught or passed along. For most of his life, Siddhartha tries to achieve enlightenment through the rejection of his desires, thus becoming a Samana. Soon enough, however, Siddhartha realizes that the path of the Samana is not the right one for him, and soon after he starts to study the doctrine of the Buddha. Yet Siddhartha soon starts to see flaws within the Buddha’s doctrine:
"On the great journey of life, if a man cannot find one who is better or at least as good as himself, let him journey joyfully alone." The story of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse makes this point true. The main character Siddhartha dealt with the Samanas and Gotama Buddha, the second with Kamala and then the ferryman. The three parts correspond to the three stages though which Siddhartha passes on his journey to enlightenment: The stage of the mind; the stage of the flesh; the stage of transcendence.
As human beings, we sometimes can not synchronize our minds and souls. When we are at our success of knowledge or intellect, we blind our mind with our ambition which comes along in reaching the knowledge or intellect. As a young brahmin, Siddhartha, has been taught that Brahmin is the soul of "Atman" or the 'Only One' (Chapter 1, page 5). It means that Brahmin is the highest position beside the Creator. This intellect alienates Siddhartha's 'Self'. He does not think that his superior's 'Self' will give him salvation. Siddhartha thinks his 'Self' conquers himself. He wants his 'Self" to die to find wisdom and spiritual knowledge.
While discovering the third noble truth, Siddhartha departs from the Buddha and his friend, Govinda, leaving him to possess the carte blanche to do whatever must be done to uncover what he desires to know. On the path away from his friend and the Buddha, he says, “I was seeking Brahman, Atman, I wished to destroy myself, to get away from myself, in order to find in the unknown innermost, the nucleus of all things, Atman, Life, the Divine, the Absolute. But by doing so I lost myself on the way” (31). In summary, Siddhartha ponders about his desire to attain more wisdom and how he knows that desire causes suffering, which leads him to realize that he has strayed and that he needs to end his desire to end his suffering. He will only obtain what he wants if he rids his desire to learn more. By giving up his desire for knowledge he finds himself. Another indication of this can be unveiled in chapter 3 stating, “This is why I am continuing my travels--not to seek other, better teachings for I know there are none.” In other words Siddhartha has desired more knowledge all of his life and now he has had his eyes opened. He now knows that because he has desired more wisdom so badly he has suffered so much trying to get it, and not getting it. The knowledge Siddhartha wants is the one thing that after years of searching for he has not found and that is how he suffered from his own
Through out the novel Siddhartha had constantly taken risks that he believed would lead him to nirvana. He would take these risks even if it meant leaving his family, his best friend, and having to live as a poor man searching for himself. Siddhartha has many teachers during his journey. Although he had many teachers he believed that with or without them he would have learned what he needed to learn to obtain nirvana.
Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, is a novel about a man's progression towards his goal to center his life with a combination of peace and balance. Many of the displayed philosophies can be applied to today's world. Through my reading, I noticed many similarities between my life and Siddhartha's. First, Siddhartha felt a need for independence, that to truly be happy with his success, he must attain his achievements in his own way, and not others. Even though, he feels he must acquire this by himself, he tries to be as removed from his human side as possible. Only later does he learn that individuality and freedom from necessity must be united to procure his objectives and free him from his imperfections. Second, Siddhartha discovers that things and riches do not bring happiness. They are only temporary. No matter the extent of wealth a person has this never satisfies the insatiable need for possessions. Lastly, Siddhartha found that balance is the key to peace and happiness. Although a simplistic teaching, it is very complex to learn and apply. In my life, I can relate to his path and lessons, because I feel the same struggles and battles with attaining serenity.
In Siddhartha, Siddhartha had to overcome many goals at a young age and later on throughout his life. For instance he was expected to be a decent person because his father was a Brahmin. He was dissatisfied because he realized he had learned all he could from his teachers and his parents. “Siddhartha did not answer. He felt little curiosity for the teachings, he did not believe that they would teach him anything new.” He later overcame that when he reached nirvana. After he was dissatisfied he decided to go on his own and reach nirvana, however he was side tracked by joys of the modern world like money materials and women. The women being Kmala. He later on had a kid and met another stump in the ground. The stump being that he wasn’t involved
Prince Siddhartha Gatuthama (the Enlighted One) or simply known as the Buddha he was believed to have been born in 563 BCE or between the 6th and 4th century BEC , in Kapilavastu, Nepal or around east India. Born into the the Indian Tribe Shakyas to his father and mother,Queen Maha Maya,Mahapajapati Gotami, and King Suddhodana, seven day's after his mother giving birth to Price Gatuthama, she passed away, Siddhartha was then raised by his father King Suddhodan. Buddha as a young boy was considered a holy young man, he him self knew he didn't want to be a King like his father or a military leader. His father did not want young Siddhartha to see the pain and heartache of the world, kept him in a very sheltered life, Siddhartha father built him a palace where Siddhartha was sheltered from religion and the heartache of the world.
Over three thousand years ago a colony in Siberia was formed. The colony dispersed and a percentage of people moved south, another percent to Western Europe, and the rest to North Eastern India. This was to form more Buddhist colonies and to spread the religion (Yee 1). Within the country of Siberia there was a King named Suddhodana and his beautiful wife Queen Mayadevi (Yee 2). A few years after they became King and Queen they gave birth to a son named Siddhartha, also known as Buddha (Yee 2). One evening while Siddhartha is all alone and thinking he decides to escape from the Palace and go for a walk. On his walk he was enlightened and discovered the truth of life. The three things that he witnessed were a sick man, a dead man, an old man, and a poor person (Scheck 8). These were essential for building the basis of Buddhism and helped to teach other believers how to live an honest and perfect life. When Siddhartha got married, he was then entitled to the throne of Siberia. He was conflicted with this choice and decided to leave his wife and son to become a monk. He felt this life was complete because it was full of serenity and unity (Yee 11). Once Siddhartha became a monk and went through all of his rituals in order obtain monkhood he changed h...