Three Readings Of Siddhartha

    An important symbol in Siddhartha is the smile. Each of the three characters in the story who attain a final state of complete serenity is characterized by a beautiful smile which reflects their peaceful, harmonious state. In each case this smile is a completely natural phenomenon; it cannot be created at will by people who have not attained the prerequisite state of harmony with life.

"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.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is about a man's journey to find inner peace and happiness.  He first decides to try to seek peace by following the Samanas, holy men.  Then he seeks happiness through material things and pleasures of the body.  After this path fails to provide him with the peace for which he searches, he follows Buddha but soon realizes that Buddha's teaching will not lead him to his goal.  Siddhartha finally finds peace when Vasudeva, the ferryman, teaches him to listen to the river.

In Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha’s ultimate goal is to achieve spiritual enlightenment. He experiences many different environments before he finally reaches the stage he has been striving for. In order to achieve spiritual enlightenment one must have a sense of happiness and clarity, by examining the the river and the happiness among the characters we are able to note that in order to be self fulfilled one must have a clear head and a happy heart.

Matthew 6:19-20 says “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” Some people look to the world for worldly pleasures. For example: it could be a video game, a sport, a food, or anything. In Siddhartha, a young man finds himself left hopeless by his religion, decides to look to the world to fill his needs. Through the relationships with Kamala and Kamaswami, Siddhartha’s life is negatively impacted.

In the opening of Chapters Six and Seven, Siddhartha is introduced into the world of business. Siddhartha transcends fairly well in the art of merchandise, but unlike the majority of society, he does not emotionally attach himself to his work. This lack of emotional connection to the universe of money and goods derives from his teachings as a Samana. However, these spiritual virtues fade as Siddhartha becomes more accustomed to a life of social superiority. He also transitions into a life of vices due to his realization that he is a spectator in life. Siddhartha learns from the people that he needs to be active in enjoying the fruits of life. Conclusively, he stoops down to the moral basis of an average person, not a Samana. Siddhartha lavishes

"It is this what you mean, isn't it: that the river is everywhere at once?”. Siddhartha takes many journeys in his life. All of which are essential to him reaching enlightenment. In these journeys there are multiple factors that lead to this point but the most important ones are the city, Kamala, and the river. Without these he couldn’t reach enlightenment.

When Siddhartha chased his son into the town he realized the circular movement that is life and was the final step to his enlightenment. By not approving of his sons choices he mirrored his own father at the beginning of the book when his father did not want Siddhartha to go join the Samanas and start his spiritual journey. Siddhartha relaezies he cannot force his way of life onto another person because they will not achieve enlightenment through teaching. Siddhartha in his own journey learned from his teachers such as his father, the head samana or Gotama but none of them could set him on the track to full enlightenment because he must realize his path on his own. When Siddhartha abandons the chase for his son it is him coming too the conclusion

“Even if things don't unfold the way you expected, don't be disheartened or give up. “One who continues to advance will win in the end,” - Daisaku Ikeda. The Eightfold path is a guideline for one to explore and practice their wishes. One learns to see life realistically. Herman Hesse, the creator of Siddhartha, who is a growing up in Buddhist India around the time 600 B.C. In the novel Siddhartha, By Herman Hesse, the main character Siddhartha undergoes the steps of the Eightfold passage, Wisdom, Ethical Conduct, and Mental Development. Siddhartha is constantly changing into a new man as the novel progresses, as he searches for enlightenment. Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment will certainly be long, but in the end be completely worth

2. Describe the quality of life that Siddhartha leads. Identify his family, friends, religious experience and training. Siddhartha has a good life, he is not knowledge full, and is adored by everyone else. He comes from a Brahmin family and has training from his father.

Unlike most people’s journey through life, Siddhartha's life started out how most people would want their lives to be. Siddhartha has a very rich family and has a high place and society, and although many people only dream of having this, Siddhartha was not happy. So, Siddhartha begins his journey to become ultimately happy and reach nirvana.

Siddhartha’s protected environment could no longer satisfy him when he discovered the unfortunate truths of every person 's life. Occasionally, the prince would leave the palace to take trips into the city. His father, wanting to shelter him, would orchestrate these trips to avoid the unpleasantries of life. The story goes that four sights led Siddartha to leave his established life. He experienced these sights on outings he was taken on by his charioteer named Chandaka. Even though care was taken to hide these things the prince saw old age, disease, and death that drastically changed his view of the world. On a fourth outing, he saw a holy man and a practicing ascetic. This is when he first perceived these realities of human life. He suddenly became aware of the causes of suffering in the world. This encounter showed him, what he thought was the way to overcome life 's sufferings, the ascetic path. At the age of twenty-nine he left his wife, his son, and his palace behind to lead a life of extreme asceticism that he believed could lead him to the answer of overcoming human suffering. For six years Siddhartha Gautama followed asceticism and meditation. He practiced the yoga discipline under two masters, Arada Kalama, and Udraka Ramaputra. Not finding the answers under his two teachers he left to engage in extreme asceticism and was joined by five others; Ashvajit, Vashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman, and Kaundinya. These men became followers of Siddhartha. After six years, he

(Hesse 64). Siddhartha couldn’t cope with this type of change. He had grown so attached to gambling that, “Siddhartha began to play dice for money and jewels with increasing fervor…” (Hesse 63). This new lifestyle changed Siddhartha, to where “Slowly, the soul sickness of the rich crept over him” (Hesse 63).

Siddhartha is the novel’s protagonist. Siddhartha sets out on a mission to receive religious enlightenment. On his way to discover enlightenment he tests the religious philosophies he comes upon. Siddhartha’s has a very obvious desire for spiritual understanding of himself and the world. He devotes himself to pursue this understanding, even when the path is strenuous. Outside forces do not easily sway Siddhartha, and he follows his heart. A man dedicated to his personal quest for knowledge, Siddhartha will abandon a course if he feels it is flawed. Siddhartha has a son, who is also named Siddhartha.

"Dive into the world of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse wrote. This book will transport you into a world between science fiction and fantasy. You will find all kinds of worlds that allow you to evader you and let your imagination run. Each chapter you will learn more about this mysterious heroine and her story.