Mi’Asia Taylor
3-28-14
a-2
Socrates
once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." In Herman Hesse's novel,
Siddhartha, the journey for self-discovery takes many forms and necessitates
Change for the protagonist throughout life. 1. The protagonist Siddhartha must
first journey from his life as a Brahmin in order to understand his search for
spiritual enlightenment. 2. Next, Siddhartha finds he must reject his spiritual
quest in order to better understand the world and his role in it. 3. His final
search for self leads him to the brink of suicide and ultimate understanding of
the nature of his heart and the need for continuing self-reflection. The
character of Siddhartha develops the theme of search for self and the need for
constant renewal in every life to achieve the true "life worth
living."
The protagonist Siddhartha must first journey from his life as a
Brahmin in order to understand in order to understand his search for spiritual
enlightenment. Siddhartha isn’t happy with his life as a Brahmin he is
determined to get away from the Brahmin life so he sat out to leave soon, to
find interest in some kind of spiritual belief “Siddhartha had begun to feel
the seeds of discontent within him. He had begun to feel that he love of his
father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always
make him happy, give him peace, satisfy
suffice him.”(5) Siddhartha was taught the Brahmin life and teachings.
But he realizes that the spiritual path that he has been on is just not enough
for him. He is not satisfied with and he was not at peace. His father's
teachings weren't enough to comfort his soul.
“Siddhartha said
to Govinda:” “tomorrow morning, my friend, Siddhartha is going to join the
samanas. He is going to become a samana.”(9)Siddhartha isn’t interested in his
life as a Brahmin anymore. He feels that the teaching from his father just isn’t
enough. He wants to feel that his spiritual life makes him happy, he believe
that leaving the Brahmin life will lead him to his destiny. Siddhartha has to
tell his father who he has always obeyed, that he wants to leave the Brahmin
life. His father tells him all these things that he will do Siddhartha replies
with I will. Siddhartha says he will leave at “day, noon, evening” (11) He is
now on his way to what he thinks of as a better life, on his way to his
destiny.
‘Siddhartha learned a great deal from the samanas: he learned
many ways of losing the self. He traveled along the path of self-denial through
pain, through voluntary suffering and conquering of pain, through hunger,
thirst and fatigue. He traveled the way of self-denial through meditation,
through the emptying of the mind of all images….but although the paths the
paths took him away from self, in the end they always led back to
it.”(15
-16)
This quote describes Siddhartha trying to find enlightenment and all the
frustration that came with it. The samanas advocate eliminating the self in
order to achieve spiritual fulfillment. The samanas believe the one can
effectively eliminate the self by denying the persons senses. Siddhartha had
completely mastered this technique, but he doesn’t succeed. He loses himself
just temporarily trying to resist hunger, thirst, and fatigue, but Siddhartha
always comes back to himself. Siddhartha was doing everything to try and
achieve enlightenment. Siddhartha is a dedicated spiritual person, but he does
not like the wait and see approach. When a spiritual influence loses interest
he goes on to another. Siddhartha makes some spiritual progress with the
samanas and he is certainly better off with them than he is back home in his own
village. Nevertheless the oldest samana has not attained Nirvana, and
Siddhartha is not going to wait around.
Siddhartha is trapped in a cycle of losing and regain his self, and believes
there is a better way to Nirvana.
Siddhartha is still on his journey to find
enlightenment. He still hasn’t found his heart warming religion or teachings
that make him feel complete. He will keep his path until he finds whatever he is
looking for. Siddhartha knows that he will soon find enlightenment but until
then he will keep looking because; he knows that somewhere there is and will be
teaching that fulfil his path or journey. And he will then know that the cycle
of losing and finding himself was not all for no reason. Also that his journey
wasn’t a waist of a life time.
3-28-14
a-2
Socrates
once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." In Herman Hesse's novel,
Siddhartha, the journey for self-discovery takes many forms and necessitates
Change for the protagonist throughout life. 1. The protagonist Siddhartha must
first journey from his life as a Brahmin in order to understand his search for
spiritual enlightenment. 2. Next, Siddhartha finds he must reject his spiritual
quest in order to better understand the world and his role in it. 3. His final
search for self leads him to the brink of suicide and ultimate understanding of
the nature of his heart and the need for continuing self-reflection. The
character of Siddhartha develops the theme of search for self and the need for
constant renewal in every life to achieve the true "life worth
living."
The protagonist Siddhartha must first journey from his life as a
Brahmin in order to understand in order to understand his search for spiritual
enlightenment. Siddhartha isn’t happy with his life as a Brahmin he is
determined to get away from the Brahmin life so he sat out to leave soon, to
find interest in some kind of spiritual belief “Siddhartha had begun to feel
the seeds of discontent within him. He had begun to feel that he love of his
father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always
make him happy, give him peace, satisfy
suffice him.”(5) Siddhartha was taught the Brahmin life and teachings.
But he realizes that the spiritual path that he has been on is just not enough
for him. He is not satisfied with and he was not at peace. His father's
teachings weren't enough to comfort his soul.
“Siddhartha said
to Govinda:” “tomorrow morning, my friend, Siddhartha is going to join the
samanas. He is going to become a samana.”(9)Siddhartha isn’t interested in his
life as a Brahmin anymore. He feels that the teaching from his father just isn’t
enough. He wants to feel that his spiritual life makes him happy, he believe
that leaving the Brahmin life will lead him to his destiny. Siddhartha has to
tell his father who he has always obeyed, that he wants to leave the Brahmin
life. His father tells him all these things that he will do Siddhartha replies
with I will. Siddhartha says he will leave at “day, noon, evening” (11) He is
now on his way to what he thinks of as a better life, on his way to his
destiny.
‘Siddhartha learned a great deal from the samanas: he learned
many ways of losing the self. He traveled along the path of self-denial through
pain, through voluntary suffering and conquering of pain, through hunger,
thirst and fatigue. He traveled the way of self-denial through meditation,
through the emptying of the mind of all images….but although the paths the
paths took him away from self, in the end they always led back to
it.”(15
-16)
This quote describes Siddhartha trying to find enlightenment and all the
frustration that came with it. The samanas advocate eliminating the self in
order to achieve spiritual fulfillment. The samanas believe the one can
effectively eliminate the self by denying the persons senses. Siddhartha had
completely mastered this technique, but he doesn’t succeed. He loses himself
just temporarily trying to resist hunger, thirst, and fatigue, but Siddhartha
always comes back to himself. Siddhartha was doing everything to try and
achieve enlightenment. Siddhartha is a dedicated spiritual person, but he does
not like the wait and see approach. When a spiritual influence loses interest
he goes on to another. Siddhartha makes some spiritual progress with the
samanas and he is certainly better off with them than he is back home in his own
village. Nevertheless the oldest samana has not attained Nirvana, and
Siddhartha is not going to wait around.
Siddhartha is trapped in a cycle of losing and regain his self, and believes
there is a better way to Nirvana.
Siddhartha is still on his journey to find
enlightenment. He still hasn’t found his heart warming religion or teachings
that make him feel complete. He will keep his path until he finds whatever he is
looking for. Siddhartha knows that he will soon find enlightenment but until
then he will keep looking because; he knows that somewhere there is and will be
teaching that fulfil his path or journey. And he will then know that the cycle
of losing and finding himself was not all for no reason. Also that his journey
wasn’t a waist of a life time.