The Spiritual Journey 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.

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.

After leaving Gautama, Siddhartha decides to experience the world of ordinary living. Siddhartha sees a beautiful young courtesan, Kamala, and begs her to teach him the art of love. She tells Siddhartha that he

After leaving Buddha, Siddhartha moves to a village.  In the village, Siddhartha meets a woman named Kamala.  Kamala influences Siddhartha to change the lifestyle to which he has grown accustomed (http://www.imsa.edu/~trasched/siddhartha/phys.html.

Siddhartha meets this beautiful woman named Kamala. He is intrigued by her and wants to get to know her. Kamaswami is also an involved character in the book that contributed with the way Siddhartha gains so much of his wealth. Siddhartha learns from the two of them to make money, and all is well for a little while, but

Siddhartha begins to deviate from his holy walk in life when he meets Kamala. In Siddhartha Kamala is a pleasure woman who owns a beautiful grove outside of a larger town. “Siddhartha saw how beautiful she was

This change in character, though it is more dominant towards the end of the novel, is also seen in the second part of Siddhartha’s journey when he meets Kamala for the first time. It is very surprising when Siddhartha asks Kamala to be his teacher, especially after he relays to Govinda that he was not satisfied with the teachings of the Samanas. But even so, Siddhartha follows through and is a good student, “He visited the beautiful Kamala regularly, learned the art of love in which, more than anything else, giving and taking become one. He talked to her, learned from her, gave her advice, received advice. She understood him better than Govinda had once done. She was more like him” (Hesse 58). This shows that Siddhartha has made a much deeper connection with Kamala than he has anyone before. These connections then show us that Siddhartha has learned about attachment, something that he did not have as a Samana.

Kamala soon becomes Siddhartha’s lover, and she helps him learn the ways of the city, leaving his ascetic life as a Samana behind. She then has a child that is from Siddhartha, whom Siddhartha had never met. Kamala does not have a very spiritual life, and Siddhartha influences her to seek a more spiritual lifestyle to better herself. She becomes tired of being a courtesan and realizes she can be a better person. The author brings Kamala back into the story when the news of Gotama’s advancement towards death breaks out into the villages; “One day, when very many people were making a pilgrimage to the dying Buddha, Kamala, once the most beautiful of the courtesans, was also on her way. She had long retired from her previous way of life, had presented her garden to Gotama’s monks, taking refuge in his teachings. . .” (Hesse 90). Kamala is one of the most important characters in the book because she is able to teach Siddhartha about physical love, and lead him to spiritual enlightenment.

Siddhartha, written by Herman Heese, is a book about a man’s journey to find his inner self beginning when he is young and ending when he is of old age. Siddhartha, while on this quest, searched for different mentors to teach him what they know, hoping to find truth and balance in and of the universe. At the end of the novel, Siddhartha reaches the enlightenment through many teachings.

He starts out by finding friendship with his buddy, Govinda. They have been friends ever since their childhood. There are really close, like each other's shadow. They have traveled and lived most of their life together. Govinda was a very loyal friend. "Govinda, his friend, the Brahmin's son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddhartha's eyes and clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace

Heroism is generally seen in society as an act of bravery, such as salvation of others from physical danger or facing danger without showing fear. In addition, heroes often have a great sense of morality. A romantic hero is a broader term referring to a character who attains his prize and follows the hero’s journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell. The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, follows a character named Siddhartha who is a hero in his own right because he attains the wisdom he seeks. Despite Siddhartha’s sense of morality and his apparent lack of concern for others, he is a romantic hero because he learns how to distinguish between knowledge and wisdom, and finds his boon. Siddhartha’s heroism is evident because he is a seeker of truth and desires to discover himself and the world, and through it, enlightenment.

Siddhartha Guatama founded the fourth most popular religion in the world, Buddhism. In order to establish a religion that walked the middle ground between hedonism and asceticism, Siddhartha searched for perfection and enlightenment through fasting and meditation. However, before reaching enlightenment, he lived a completely different life. Hermann Hesse encompasses and describes the spiritual journey of Siddhartha Guatama in his novel Siddhartha. Influenced and aspired by his own personal life, Herman Hesse portrays the individual’s struggle to enlightenment and awakening through love and wisdom.

Kamala, is the main, and indeed, the only female main character in the novel Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. Kamala, a wealthy courtesan, is the bridge between the lay people reading the novel and the main character Siddhartha, who is more of a holy man, than a relatable character. Kamala is a kind, yet selfish women who allows for the reader to connect to Siddhartha, by making him more imperfect. Later in the novel, even after Siddhartha has left town, she unintentionally brings Siddhartha, his son, and again provokes him to react as an imperfect human rather than a holy man. Thus, Kamala, while not necessarily a large character, she is integral to the plot and to the reader's ability to connect to the novel.

Everyone has specific needs that must be reached in order to live a joyful and fulfilling life. These needs to feel fully alive and find meaning in life can be found through self-actualization. For example: expressing your talents, searching for spiritual enlightenment, finding knowledge, and giving back to the world are all evident ways to find your own true happiness. In the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, the main character named Siddhartha is on a quest for enlightenment and happiness. Siddhartha has a strong spiritual understanding of himself and the world.

We see Kamala as a temptress who seduces Siddhartha and draws him away from his journey to enlightenment. She does however indirectly lead Siddhartha to his enlightenment first by teaching him the values and limitations of the material world, and also by bearing his son who gives Siddhartha the most difficult test on his path.