Priya Verma
10/25/16
Global Honors Period 7
A person’s experiences shape the way he looks at the world and his own path in life. Siddhartha has many experiences throughout his life, which affect his path and his views about attaining inner peace. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is about Siddhartha a young man living in India who is trying to find happiness within himself. The book describes his spiritual journey and quest to reach happiness with his companion, Govinda. Siddhartha realizes that he should not follow specific directions or teachings of other people to reach enlightenment, as demonstrated by his experience living as a Brahmin, joining the Samanas and learning the teachings of the Buddha, but should rather follow his own unique path …show more content…
Siddartha wonders if the Samanas have the answers that he is seeking, so he decides to join them and give this new life a try. He starts to fast and in the process has many strange dreams. He loses his desire for property, clothing, sexuality, and all sustenance except that required to live. With the Samanas, "Siddhartha had one goal - to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow‹ to let the Self die" (Hesse, 14). By following the Samanas, Siddhartha’s path to Nirvana was through physical pain, until he couldn’t feel pain anymore. While Siddhartha lost all sense of pain, peace still did not come. Siddhartha notices that the head of the Samanas, who has been practicing his teachings for years, is not even enlightened yet. This is a pivotal moment for Siddhartha because this is when he realizes that the Samana’s way of life and their teachings is not a genuine path to enlightenment. Their path of self-denial does not provide a permanent solution but rather a temporary escape, disguised as Nirvana. This revelation creates internal conflict within Siddartha because he really wants the Samana’s path to lead to enlightenment but now knows deep inside that it will not work. It becomes clear to Siddhartha that it is time to move on to another path to …show more content…
The Buddha has overcome the suffering of the world and has brought his chain of karma, or rebirth, to an end. In other words he has reached Nirvana and believes he knows how to teach it to others. Govinda, is eager to learn the teachings of the Buddha, however Siddhartha is more skeptical as he has now developed a distrust for teachers. However Siddhartha ultimately decides to learn the Buddha’s teachings. After hearing his teachings, Siddhartha has doubts as he believes that some of his teachings contradict itself. He asks, “how can one embrace the unity of all things, if they are also told to overcome the physical world?” (32, Hesse) At this point Siddhartha has an epiphany about his own path to enlightenment. Siddhartha sees that the Buddha himself has achieved Nirvana, on his own, without a teacher. He then realizes that no formula for salvation or enlightenment can exist and no one can teach their path to success. Although the Buddha has reached Nirvana, that doesn't mean he can teach it. Wisdom comes from experience, which cannot be taught. Siddhartha now understands that he has to make his own journey because everyone’s path to enlightenment is