Siddhartha Essays

Essays On Siddhartha
Daniel Gutierrez Honors English 4 Mr. Rodriguez 08/30/17 Siddhartha "That was how everyone
loved Siddhartha. He delighted and made everybody happy. But Siddhartha was not happy."
(Page 6) This is a great example of perception vs. reality as everyone makes it seem that one
person might be happy, but inside they can be at the complete opposite state. This causes him to
have the desire for more wisdom than what he has been taught. He wanted to find out what was
really important and wanted to feel no emotion in regards to what people think of him. "What is
concentration? What is the ability to leave one's body? What is fasting? What is retention of
breath? It is a flight from the self, it is a brief escape from the torment of being 'I', it is a brief
numbing of the mind to counter pain and the senselessness of life." (Page 9) Siddhartha is saying.
that the practices of the samana are just a way of leaving life and its problems temporarily by
making their bodies undergo these hardships. They eventually become numb with the pain and
by doing so, the samana are able to leave their worries of the real world temporarily. "Yes, he
thought breather deeply, I will no longer try to escape from Siddhartha. I will learn from myself,
be my own pupil; I will learn from myself the secret of Siddhartha." (Page 32) Here Siddhartha is
demonstrating that he is the only one that matters when it comes to thoughts of who he is, and
only his opinion of himself matters. Acceptance and the ability to look into himself will lead to
that road of happiness. Also, to be minimalistic as to if there is nothing to be needed then it is not.
This is something many people should take into consideration as to stay away from being
materialistic. "He looked around him as if seeing the world for the first time. The world was
beautiful, strange, and mysterious." (page 39) Siddhartha & Govinda left to join the Samanas to set
themselves free for enlightenment. The Samanas put out the idea that you must eliminate "the self"
so one can achieve spiritual fulfillment one day. "Now he, too, felt belatedly for once in his life
that strongest and strangest of passions; he suffered from it, suffered pitifully, and yet he was
blessed, and yet he was in
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Essay On Siddhartha
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse details the life and quest of the novel's eponymous character, as he
ventures through countless walks of life in an attempt to achieve his ultimate goal: enlightenment.
His journey takes him through periods of both denial and excess, during the latter of which he meets
Kamala. Unlike Siddhartha, who spent his youth in holy devotion, Kamala is more akin to the
average person: she is a temptress, and thus has spent her life pursuing sensual pleasures and material
wealth. She serves first as a teacher but will eventually become a student of Siddhartha's quest, as
after many years of teaching her knowledge of love making, discontent causes him to leave her. The
emptiness which comes from a life of gluttony is not isolated...show more content...
Because of this, despite being in his early twenties, Siddhartha had still yet to have a romantic
relationship of any kind. It was shortly after he left his ascetic life that he had a prophetic dream
in which he envisioned himself in a sexual encounter; following this, Siddhartha sought to learn
the art of love making, and to embrace the physical pleasures which he had so long denied. On his
way to the city, Siddhartha has his first brief sexual encounter with a woman washing clothes, but
quickly moves on, believing better things to lie ahead; after seeing Kamala, he knows this to be
true. She is described as "...[having] heaped black hair... [a] bright, very sweet, very clever face, a
bright red mouth like a freshly cut fig, artful eyebrows painted in a high arch, dark eyes, clever
and observant, and a clear slender neck above her green and gold gown" ( Hesse 51). But before
Siddhartha can have the privilege of a relationship with Kamala, she tells him, "He must have
clothes, fine clothes, and shoes, fine shoes, and plenty of money in his purse and presents for
Kamala" (54). Siddhartha, dedicated and deliberate, goes on to attain fabulous wealth, all in order to
experience the teachings of

Siddhartha Essay
Siddhartha
In the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, the main character experiences many ups and downs
while on his journey to inner peace. First, he decides to live his life as a Samana. Later he
abandons that life in return for a life as a rich man. In the end he decides that his rich life is
unsatisfying and he begins the simple life of a ferryman. Herman Hesse writes about what it takes to
obtain inner peace through his character Siddhartha.
Siddhartha decides the way to obtain peace is by living like a Samana.
" 'Tomorrow at daybreak I will begin the life of the Samanas.' " (Pg 10) Siddhartha rids his life of
all the things he doesn't need. Then he learns how to control his inner self, but is unable to gain inner
...show more content...
Later Siddhartha learns that none of these things are helping him gain peace and he no longer wants
to be a Samana.
Then Siddhartha begins to gamble and he gets rich. He becomes addicted to gambling and begins
to put his life in danger. When he gambles, he gains many of the finer things in life like a garden,
rich clothes and a lot of money. The only problem is, none of these things make him happy. He
tries to buy his happiness, but it doesn't work. "He staked high and unsparingly, hating himself,
mocking himself. He won thousands, he threw thousands away, lost money . . . " (Pg 29)
Siddhartha even considers suicide because he is very unhappy. These problems are making him
very old and sick. Siddhartha decides this life also doesn't make him happy so he decides to move on.
This time around Siddhartha decides to become a ferryman. He gets rid of all the things that he
doesn't need just like when he was becoming a Samana. He learns a lot through his new friend
Vasudeva. Vasudevaguides Siddhartha and tells him to listen to what the river tells him. " 'The
River has taught me to listen; you will learn from it too.' " (Pg 105) Siddhartha learns a lot from
listening to the river. Then Kamala comes back to him with his new son, but then Kamala dies
because she gets bitten by a snake. This brings down Siddhartha's morale. When he runs into Govinda
after many years of not seeing him, he becomes happy

Siddhartha Analysis
1.The book Siddhartha is told in chronological order. The reader follows him from his wealthy
childhood to a time of spiritual and an unworldly journey until he accomplished his goal of peace and
understanding. The form is biographical, but it is also a symbol because the characters portray the
attributes that their names indicate. Many events that Siddhartha goes through could also be
understood as a figurative internal quest. From one chapter to another Siddhartha has also been
compared with the tales of well–known heroes. The book is divided into two uneven parts of four
chapters in Part One and eight in Part Two. Part one takes Siddhartha from his father's home, through
the years with the Samanas and the chance meeting with the Buddha,

Siddhartha's Spiritual Journey Essay examples
From the river of life where Siddhartha learns the unity of all things, he takes himself back to the
river he once crossed, and falls into a deep sleep that reawakens him to the world. Throughout the
novel, Siddhartha travels to find spiritual meanings in his life as he deals with the Samanas, Gotama
Buddha, the Kamala and the ferryman. From different events that happen to him physically and
mentally, Siddhartha realizes what he is set out to do. After his father tells Siddhartha that he may
join the Samanas if he wishes, Siddhartha searches for the three stages on his journey to
enlightenment that are the stage of the mind, the stage of the flesh, and the stage of transcendence.
When Siddhartha discards all material possessions and...show more content...
Crying from the death of Kamala, Siddhartha saw in his dream that the bird was dead, just as all
that was good in had died during his time living the life of a rich person. As Siddhartha realizes
life has many meanings when he Siddhartha continued down the road until he met Vasudeva by
the ferry again; the stage of transcendence begins. In the river, Siddhartha sees images come
together, just as he hears voices come together. "He saw that the water continually flowed and
flowed and yet it was always there, it was always the same and yet every moment it was new.
(135)" More years passed and Siddhartha learned many more secrets from the river. Siddhartha
and his son who "left the river and headed back to the town (126)"where Siddhartha's life began.
Siddhartha's "life goes around in a cycle (132)" when he realizes that he gained the wisdom from
his journey that he can pass it on to his son. Siddhartha not only experienced the stage of the mind,
the stage of the flesh, and the stage of transcendence, but he overcame them so well that he
eventually achieved a great peace inside of him. Siddhartha lives with himself and life, and is able to
completely experience what the meaning of life really meant. Also he experiences enlightenment by
accomplishing his goals. He is an example for people to follow through the rigorous course of

Siddhartha Essay
Siddhartha Many books have great stories to tell. A lot have a deep message to convey.
Siddhartha however, is a unique book. Though simple in its style, it is deep in meaning. One can
take in its plot and get out of it a good story. On the other hand one can read deeper into it and try
to find meaning from the story. Hermann Hesse somehow manages to tell something to the reader
that is much deeper than the words he writes on the page. Perhaps it is the words he chooses that
helps readers relate to Siddhartha. Maybe it's the dreamlike feeling one gets after reading the
book, partially due to how time is not linear in it. Whole years pass without notice, then just a day
or two are focused on. This shows how Hesse is less...show more content...
Siddhartha also believed that the wise Brahmin teachers had already passed on to him the bulk of
their knowledge. With that, one day he and Govinda went to a banyan tree to pronounce Om, the
sacred Hindu syllable. When Siddhartha was done meditating he no longer felt that he could stay
there any more. He felt that in order to achieve inner peace he had to move on. Asking Govinda to
come with him, he decided to join a band of Samanas. When he goes home to ask for his father's
permission, his father thinks for a long time before denying his son his request. Siddhartha stands in
the same place all night in defiance and upon much consideration, his father finally grants him
permission to leave. The next morning, Siddhartha and Govinda leave with the group of Samanas.
Siddhartha joined the Samanas and assumed the life of an ascetic hoping to attain Nirvana. He
believed that by denying his body, his soul would flourish. To become empty of all things– thirst,
desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow– was the only way to become empty and let the Self die. "He
ate only once a day and never cooked food. He fasted for fourteen days. He fasted for twenty–eight
days. The flesh disappeared from his legs and cheeks. Strange dreams were reflected in his
enlarged eyes. The nails grew long on his thin fingers and a dry, bristly beard appeared on his chin.
His glance became icy when he encountered women; his lips curled with

Siddhartha Greed Essay
There are numerous comparisons of a life of greed versus a life of simplicities. Siddhartha
experiences both lives in the novel. At one point in the story, he barely ate.
In another part, Siddhartha indulged in abundant food and drink. He eventually realizes a life of
indulgence prevents hims from continuing his path to enlightenment. Siddhartha begins to live a
simple life again, which ultimately brings him peace. Kamaswami, Siddhartha's business parter,
lives out a life of greed. When Siddhartha began working with Kamaswami, their lives were at
odds. Siddhartha was still influenced by his samana past, and Kamaswami was living a luxurious
life. Kamaswami's lifestyle began to rub off on Siddhartha, and his life was soon consumed by
material pleasure. "He had been captured by the world, by lust, covetousness, sloth, and finally
also by that vice which he had used to despise and mock the most as the most foolish one of all
vices: greed" (Hesse 120). As he becomes accustom to the good life, his happiness dwindles. He
becomes depressed and develops bad habits, like gambling. As Siddartha spirals, he eventually
realizes that a life of indulgence will never bring him true joy. "Worthless, so it seemed to him,
worthless and pointless was the way he had been going through life; nothing which was alive,
nothing which was in some way delicious or worth...show more content...
I am definitely not completely disciplined and enlightened as Siddhartha is, but I feel like our
approaches to life are similar. I, like Siddhartha, am always on the search for knowledge. For
example, whenever I hear about a topic I am not familiar with I will look it up on the internet and
learn all about it. I want to gain wisdom throughout my life because I dislike ignorance. I strive to
be able to understand people from all walks of life and be able to comprehend what life is like for

Siddhartha's Early Life
The Buddhist monk sat cross–legged on a mountain top, inhaling and exhaling while focusing his
mind. He was trying to reach the state of enlightenment discovered by the religion's founder
Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha's early life greatly affected and influenced the beliefs and values
found in the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold path, and the Dhammapada. Precisely his early life in
the palace affected the second noble truth, his four journeys impacted the first noble truth, and his
experiences influenced the Dhammapada.
The second noble truth is avidya or ignorance and has myriad connections to the Siddhartha's life
before he became the Buddha. During his childhood in a place of wealth and luxury, he grew up in a
false reality constructed...show more content...
As the fish, taken out of its watery home and thrown on land, thrashes around, so does the mind
tremble, while freeing itself from the dominion of Mara (the Evil One)." The connection between the
passage and the Buddha's life is how the Buddha's mind trembled and thrashed while freeing itself
from the chains of Mara to reach enlightenment. To reach enlightenment the Buddha went through
four jhanas. During the jhanas the Buddha had to face Mara and not let his mind tremble. Mara
unleashed his worst for Siddhartha. During the first jhana Mara threw flaming arrows down on
Siddhartha, but because of his deep concentration on his mind turned the arrows into harmless lotus
flowers. During the next jhana Mara unleashed his three daughters to seduce Siddhartha and make
his mind tremble. But do too Siddhartha's control he was able to completely free himself from the
dominion of Mara. Also in the Dhammapada, " Having perceived this significant fact, let the wise
and self–restrained man quickly clear the path that leads to nirvana." This passage was influenced
during when Siddhartha saw a musician tuning his sitars and perceived the way to reach nirvana. He
discovered that balance between self–restrain and meditation. With that he quickly cleared the
obstacles out of his path and reached nirvana with his newfound knowledge. Both of these quotes
found in the Dhammapada were strongly influenced by Siddhartha's life, what he witnessed, and
what he experienced. Siddhartha's experiences

Siddhartha Reflection
In his novel, Siddhartha, Herman Hesse describes the self inflicted and tedious journey of the
protagonist, Siddhartha Gautama. Throughout his excursion, Siddhartha learns and experiences
many unique lessons that will shape him into the man he so desperately wants to become: a man of
peace and tranquility. He has his ups and downs but after encountering a beautiful woman, Kamala,
and learning the methods of love and compassion, he transforms into a singular character. This was
an infinitesimal yet, pivotal moment that displays how Siddhartha was guided back to his purpose
after being led astray by wealth, greed, and temptations. It changes the tone, diction, and message of
the remainder of the story.
Siddhartha left the 'Illustrious Buddha' to seek further knowledge and gain a better understanding
of why there were so many issues plaguing mankind. After seeing Kamala, he sought her
counseling and wanted to learn the art of love. She instructs him to find a 'job' and obtain more
'money'. This leads to Siddhartha to use his ability to read and write with a merchant that would
make him very wealthy. This is ironic because he was once in a similar state of wealth and prestige
as a Brahmin before he left them. He begins to become more enamored with Kamala and becomes
blinded by love. His disposition and attitude towards life changes completely. Siddhartha undergoes a
seriously contaminating transformation that was influenced by the temptations of this world. The
entire reason of his journey has changed. He has no purpose.
The moment Siddhartha decided to follow Kamala's advice, seeking her guidance on love, he began
to deviate from the path of his journey. His urges and temptations are too strong and it tarnishes his
inner peace. This antithesis is used to connect Siddhartha's internal and external conflicts. By
committing himself to Kamala, he has completely lost sight of his own intentions. His journey began
when he left his father and his village to seek enlightenment on his own. It included a series of
painful and meticulous searching and labor, but he gained much knowledge from it. Now Siddhartha
is enjoying himself, gambling and drinking frequently. 'He had no feeling,' Siddhartha was truly lost.

Siddhartha Essay
SidHartha In the novel Siddhartha a young man journeys away from his family on a quest for
knowledge. Siddhartha, a young Indian Brahmin grows restless with his life at home in a small
Indian village. He leaves with his best friend Govinda to become a samana. Soon Siddhartha
becomes aware that the way of the Samana's does not teach true salvation, and he and Govinda leave
to seek Gotama Buddha. When they finally do find the Buddha, Siddhartha decides that he doesn't
want to learn what the Buddha has to teach. He leaves Govinda behind and goes off in search for a
life of possessions, and pleasure. He finds this desired life as the business partner to a rich merchant,
and with frequent visits to Kamala, the local courtesan. He fathers a...show more content...
Several of his actions would be unthinkable, unless you knew his reasons.
"Silently Siddhartha stood in the fierce sun's rays, filled with pain and thirst, and stood until he no
longer felt pain and thirst. Silent he stood in the rain, water dripping from his hair... Silently
Siddhartha crouched among the thorns. Blood dripped from his smarting skin, ulcers formed, and
Siddhartha remained stiff, motionless, till no more blood flowed, till there was no more pricking, no
more smarting."(14).
Had the novel been written as "a fly on the wall" the reader would not know what Siddhartha was
trying to accomplish, and that he is a man who "Has one single goal– to become empty... to
experience pure thought. (14)". A reader without being able to get into Siddhartha's mind might think
that he is just a psychopath who mutilates himself.
When Siddhartha finally found a teacher who had something to offer him, one might have expected
him to stay. This man, this Buddha, was truly a holy man to his fingertips. Never had Siddhartha
esteemed a man so much, never had he loved a man so much. (28)". But, again, because the reader
has knowledge of Siddhartha's thought process you know before he leaves that he wasn't going to
stay.
" Siddhartha did not reply. He was not very curious about the teachings. He did not

Siddhartha Essay
In the days of Siddhartha, there were different ways of achieving the Enlightenment. Learning about
the Enlightenment couldn't be taught with words, but can be taught mentally, and individually.
Siddhartha went on a voyage to achieve enlightenment and finally learned about it. It all takes place
in ancient India where he lived with his father who is a Brahmin.
Siddhartha was a handsome man who lived with his father in ancient India. Everyone in the village
wants Siddhartha to become a Brahmin like his father. Govinda, who is Siddhartha's best friend,
together they perform all the rituals of religion and does all the rituals which bring him peace and
happiness. Siddhartha doesn't want to become like his...show more content...
Siddhartha and Govinda inform the leader of the Samanas of their decision to leave and join with the
Gotama's.
Siddhartha and Govinda find Gotama's camp of followers and are taken in. Siddhartha is happy
with Gotama, and he and Govinda are instructed in the Eightfold Path, the four main points, and
other aspects of Buddhism. While Govinda is convinced to join Gotama and his followers,
Siddhartha still has doubts. He has noticed a contradiction in Gotama's teachings. Siddhartha
decides to learn from the pleasures of the body and the material world. Siddhartha meets a friendly
ferryman, very happy with his simple life. Siddhartha crosses the ferryman's river and goes to a city.
He meets a beautiful courtesan named Kamala. He thinks she would be the best one to teach him
about love, but Kamala will not have him unless he proves he can fit into the material world. She
convinces him to take up the path of the merchant. Siddhartha soon finds employment with a
merchant named Kamaswami and begins to learn the trade. Kamala then becomes his lover and
teaches him what she knows about love. Years pass, and Siddhartha's business increases
tremendously in digits. He then becomes a rich man. He gambles, drinks, and dances, and anything
that can be bought in the material world is his for the taking. He understands that the

Siddhartha Existentialism
Existentialism In the stories that have been discussed during the school year, a majority of them
signify the importance of existentialism. To be more specific, the authors of Lord of The Flies,
Siddhartha, and The Stranger all created characters in which they question the purpose of life and
proceed to find answers through different means. In the novel Lord of the Flies, all of the boys are
isolated and free from supervision, and find themselves questioning how to continue their lives. In
Siddhartha, Siddhartha finds himself unhappy with his lifestyle and attempts to find a brighter
perspective on life to answer why life has a purpose. In The Stranger, Meursault constantly
struggles to find a purpose to life. In the end of the novel, when is about to be sentenced to death, he
finally shows what he believes is his reasoning for existing....show more content...
The author included many characters experiencing existentialist thoughts to show readers different
ways in which people are able to find a reason to be alive. In the beginning of the novel, many of the
boys were hopeless and lacked encouragement to the point where they all seemed to be constantly
arguing. They had lost the true meaning of life due to isolation and lack of supervision. Many of
them were dependent on others, but towards the end of the novel their true selves seemed to be
more evident. As time progressed through the novel, the boys were able to express their true selves
and became more independent. Independence was an asset for them retrieving their full potential on
the isolated

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