The Importance Of Enlightenment In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Throughout Siddhartha, Herman Hesse demonstrations the different paths to enlightenment through the use of memorable characters such as Siddhartha and Govinda. Siddhartha and Govinda were the sons of Brahmins and thus grew up basked in the ways of religion. The boys were constantly praying and listening to teachings of the teachers in their town. Because of this, they are closer to enlightenment, or the knowledge of self, sought by everyone around them. Siddhartha believes that life has more to offer than praying and meditating like his father. Govinda, who is less of a leader than Siddhartha, believes that the only way to enlightenment is through following other teachers. Throughout the book it is shown the each person must find their own path to enlightenment.

Their journey as samanas and students in the stages of life leads them to questioning the path that they were following. Although, Siddhartha did learn and become much more knowledgeable after knowing the teachings from the samanas, he didn’t quite agree with their beliefs in retaining enlightenment. "[Siddhartha] is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal. That is what Siddhartha learned from the Samanas. It is what fools call magic and what they think is caused by demons...there are no demons...everyone can reach his goal if he can think, wait, and fast." With this new found attitude Siddhartha sets out once again, with many new experiences and lessons waiting ahead for him.

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.

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.

There have been many teachers in one’s lifetime, some more important than others. These teachers and instructors affect different people in different ways, and lessons are learned that are important to prepare for real life situations. In the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, a young Brahmin named Siddhartha is not content with his current spiritual self. Siddhartha is directed to spiritual enlightenment and Nirvana because of his guidance and teaching from Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a novel about the spiritual journey of a man named Siddhartha whose living in the time of Gotama Buddha. In this novel, Hesse explains in detail what Siddhartha learns as he searches for Nirvana. For Siddhartha to learn, he needs teachers, just like everyone else if they wish to pursue and education. There are four major teachers that Siddhartha truly takes something from, these teachers are Govinda, Kamala, Vasudeva, and the river itself. Another important thing is the aspect of self realization and teaching, which is ultimately what helps Siddhartha put those teachings together and reach Nirvana. This also allows Siddhartha himself to accept his new role as a teacher to his friend Govinda, which is the

“What could I say to you that would be of value except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.” (113) Siddhartha, a book written by Hermann Hesse, is about this young boy who throughout the book grows to an old man who, throughout his journey, seeks to attain enlightenment. He comes from a Brahmin family and later decides to become a samana and lives in the woods with his “shadow”,Govinda. Siddhartha is distracted with obstacles throughout his life and ultimately finds a way to conquer them.

After being asked how he was able to reach enlightenment, Siddhartha draws the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. He says, “ No, I am telling you what I discovered. Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be forfeited by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” (115).

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, is a novel about a young boy who is trying to find his spiritual enlightenment in life. The novel begins with a young naïve boy who is living with his father following the family’s traditions of the Brahmin. To reach spiritual enlightenment Siddhartha and his friend Govinda leave the town to seek

In the beginning of the novel, Hesse artfully defines Siddhartha as the most intelligent, dashing young man of his village. The untouchable Siddhartha, however, is unsatisfied with his life. Instead, he is possessed by an unquenchable thirst for enlightenment. He rejects his father’s dreams, he rejects his teachers, and he even rejects the honorable teachings of Buddha because he honestly believes that they cannot help him in his journey to enlightenment.

The journey to reach one’s goal is never an easy one. It requires numerous trials and tribulations, and most of all, it requires the acceptance that there will be some mistakes and difficulties. This is clearly apparent in Siddhartha’s quest for Enlightenment, his true goal. Siddhartha believes that the path to Enlightenment cannot be learned from a teacher, and that if he wants to reach his goal, he has to find it on his own. On Siddhartha’s journey to achieve his goal, he experiences three lessons from three very diverse people.

Siddhartha loved his father and the teachings that were provided to him by his father, but he began to notice that the teachings were not bringing joy into his life at all. As the novel states, “He had begun to feel that the love of his father...would not always make him happy,...” (Hesse, 3), showed how Siddhartha searched for Enlightenment through his dad’s teachings but fell into realization that he could not find Enlightenment with his father. Therefore, he begged his father to let him leave the teachings and search elsewhere. His father agreed, and this restarted Siddhartha’s journey to search for Enlightenment by joining groups such as the Samana and the Buddha. Also, when Siddhartha decided to leave his father, he was also accompanied by his childhood friend, Govinda. Siddhartha decides to the leave the group that him and Govinda were a part and by doing this, he had to leave his childhood friend, Govinda,

The story of a young man that searches high and low for the path of enlightenment. In Hermann Hesse’s, Siddhartha, it shows how a young man tries to find a balance in self and spirit. Many of Hesse’s books reflect the experiences he had as a adolescent, Hesse also had trouble balancing religious aspects of his life, in the same way Siddhartha did. Hesse had attempted suicide and was expelled from school. Unlike Siddhartha, he was not very loved among people in his early life. I believe that Hesse wrote about Siddhartha because he could relate and sympathise with his feelings.

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.

According to Albert Einstein, “wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” In Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse utilizes the reoccurring theme that knowledge and wisdom are different to show the readers how to actually learn and become more complete in life. This theme can be proven at multiple points throughout the novel such as when Siddhartha is young and leaves home, when he meets Gotama and his followers, and when he advises Govinda at the end of his journey.