Respond to one the following questions:
Chapter 1
Look at the reasons for Siddhartha’s discontentment (5-6). How do other
religions answer these questions?
What is the tone of this chapter and how is the tone relevant to the theme?
Discuss this quote: “One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must
possess it. Everything else was seeking—a detour, error.”
Chapter 2
Debate the arguments of Govinda and Siddhartha in this chapter. What are Govinda’s arguments and thesis? What is Siddhartha’s?
"What is the tone of this chapter and how is the tone relevant to the theme?"
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the book is that the way to true happiness is through spiritual peace, and that spiritual peace can only be attained by yourself, and on your own. The tone of the first chapter is somewhat sad, and of confusion. Siddhartha is discontent with his life. He feels he can no longer learn on his path, and his father and teachers can teach him no more. He thirsts for knowledge, and feels unsatisfied. His life and his future are not giving him what he wants. He questions it, and all he knows. He feels they are no longer enough. It is stated that "dreams and a restless soul came to him" and "there was yet no joy in his own heart". He realizes that the only way to be truly happy, is to have inner spiritual peace.
When Siddhartha decides to leave his life and follow the Samanas, he takes his first step toward his inner peace. Its not the step he thinks he is taking, but it gets him heading in the right direction. He leaves his old life behind, in search of inner, spiritual peace. He gets away from the routines and the rituals, and tries to find it in a new way. This causes him to realize he can not be taught inner peace, that he needs to find it himself. So, these events help him realize what he is truly searching for, how to obtain them, and set him on his path. The tone of the chapter was the first step to realizing the theme, and shows why Siddhartha needs to find it.
"What is the tone of this chapter and how is the tone relevant to the theme?"
ReplyDeleteThe tone for early in the book is reflectively morose, listing a myriad of great things that Siddhartha has going for him; yet despite all these great things, Siddhartha is discontent, feeling that his family and teachers have given most, if not all, that they can offer, which leads him to leave in an effort to satiate his thirst for knowledge and fulfillment. When Siddhartha and Govinda leave to join the Samanas, it is one of the first glimpses of the underlying tone of the book: perfection and true happiness can only be achieved through delving into yourself and finding inner peace. In leaving his family and his entire life behind him, he moves toward this ultimate goal of self-fulfillment. He does this through the independence of taking his own path and trying to distance himself from his entitled beginnings, in an effort to find his true self without the distractions of his previous life. This chapter's tone sets a basic theme that evolves throughout the story, and provides motivation for Siddhartha's actions on his quest.
“One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must
ReplyDeletepossess it. Everything else was seeking—a detour, error.”
At this point in the chapter, Siddhartha is in a deep conversation with his thoughts and soul. He contemplates on things such as why his father, a noble Brahmin, still has to cleanse himself each day just to stay with his Self. Before this quote, he thinks to himself "Why must he [his father], the blameless one, wash away his sins and endeavor to cleanse himself anew each day? Was Atman then not within him?"
Following this, Siddhartha realizes that this is not the best way to truly find himself, and in order to be at one with his Atman, he must do it alone. Thus after deep meditation with Govinda, he realized that in order to find his Self he would join the Samanas and their "atmosphere of still passion, of devastating service, of unpitying self-denial".
Debate the arguments of Govinda and Siddhartha in this chapter. What are Govinda’s arguments and thesis? What is Siddhartha’s?
ReplyDeleteAs the chapter progresses, Siddhartha begins to come to the understanding that joining the Samana's was not the enlightenment he was after. While Govinda is under the veil that just as Siddhartha would have become a great Brahmin, he will aspire to the position of a high Samana. Yet Siddhartha see's this experience as nothing more than what he would have learned at a local tavern seeking an escape from Self. While Govinda still believes much is to be learned from the Samana's.
On another occasion, Siddhartha questions the reasoning behind following the Samana ways. He has come the realization that not even the greatest Samana has reached Nirvana. While Govinda is still under the impression that they are gaining much knowledge from the Samana's. As Siddhartha realizes that he has gained no more knowledge of salvation than a child in the womb, he and Govinda agree to take leave of the Samana's for a new path.
Throughout the entire chapter Siddhartha is on what he believes is a quest to find his inner self, but comes to the realization that the exact opposite is unfolding, he is escaping himself for short times. While Govinda believes that he is gaining insight and knowledge while Siddhartha is aspiring to become the highest position of Samana and will learn many great tricks. But the two settle their differences and decide to take a different path
Debate the arguments of Govinda and Siddhartha in this chapter. What are Govinda’s arguments and thesis? What is Siddhartha’s?
ReplyDeleteAfter years of traveling and learning from the Samanas, Siddhartha has learn all there is to know about the Samana life. Siddhartha begins to ponder if perhaps there is something more to learn beyond the self mutilation to achieve losing one's Self. "Siddhartha fled from Self a thousand times, dwelt in nothing...the hour was inevitable when he would again find himself." Siddhartha conveys to Govinda the fact that none of the Samanas will ever attain Nirvana. They continue going in circles of losing their Selfs only to return back to them. Govinda retorts that the Samanas are worthy devoted teachers, and the possibility that none would ever achieve their goal seems unbelievable. He continues on describe how pointless life would be if dedication and prayers were for nothing. "What would become of everything, what would be holy on earth?" Siddhartha considers this information, but still believes that there is nothing else to gain from the Samanas and that spending his years with them would be pointless. In order to attain Nirvana, Siddhartha must look for a different path to enlightenment.
What is the tone of this chapter and how is the tone relevant to the theme?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter one, Siddhartha is filled with discontentment and longing. He is unhappy with the things he's always known, and he longs for something he has never seen nor felt. Though he doesn't know quite what he's looking for, he's confident that this "something" will bring him to his ultimate goal: Nirvana, or, more universally, inner peace. So, as Siddhartha's hungry search for knowledge and peace is described in the book, there is established a tone of yearning, inquisitiveness, and determination to discover the unknown.
The initial tone in Siddhartha's story sets the stage for his long life of searching. However, the more Siddhartha searches, the more he realizes that he doesn't know everything, which sets him on edge (or, as the Red Hot Chili Peppers would put it, "The more I see, the less I know, the more I'd like to let it go"). This quest for knowledge only leaves him with more questions and fewer answers, and it isn't until part two that he comes to realize this (in part two, Siddhartha becomes dissatisfied with his wealth, which is interchangeable with his ongoing pursuit of knowledge). This seems to be a timeless issue - ending with more questions than with which the quest was started - for no one will ever know everything hidden in the depths of truth. Though there are irrefutable truths that can be known, there is so much more that is meant to be looked at with wonder and awe rather than with impatient curiosity. With this in mind, it's important for Siddhartha (and the rest of the curious and ever-questioning whole of humanity) to come to this realization if he is ever to truly find peace, for peace is not found in knowing everything, but rather in being content without infinite knowledge while embracing an intimidating yet beautifully humbling sense of smallness.
“One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must
ReplyDeletepossess it. Everything else was seeking—a detour, error.”
At the beginning of the novel Siddhartha is all about finding inner tranquility,his mind constantly looping around the thought of obtaining true bliss. He is willing and ready to sacrifice anything to be able to experience Nirvana, (basically heaven on earth).
When Siddhartha joined the Samanas, his reasoning wasn't purely so that he could experience spiritual ecstasy, but that he would be able to rid himself f himself in order to gain knowledge of himself and the world around him. In other words, Siddhartha is looking for knowledge of his inner self and the world in messages of spiritual hope, he is searching in all of the wrong places.
Near the end of part one, when Siddhartha and Govinda go to hear the Buddha's tale of spiritual awesomeness, Siddhartha finally realizes he has been looking for what he so desperately needs, in all the wrong places. He learns that the message is not what attracts him, it is knowledge and inner peace that really drives him. He speaks of how only when you reach something like Nirvana, you cannot teach others how to get there, because its the journey itself is what you need to experience.When he finally begins his real journey, he realizes, that it is one of change, and new beginnings.He sees that this time he has no teacher, now he is his own, on his journey to find himself.
Discuss this quote: “One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must possess it. Everything else was seeking—a detour, error.”
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha thinks the above quote when he becomes unsatisfied with his religion and its rituals. He has become tired of continually praying, reading holy books, and performing rituals, trying in vain to achieve Nirvana. He is beginning to wonder why he cannot achieve Nirvana, when all he ever does is work to be pure. If even his father is unable to obtain purity, what hope does he have? "Did he [his father] not go continually to the holy springs with an insatiable thirst, to the sacrifices, to the books, to the Brahmins' discourses? Why must he, the blameless one, wash away his sins and endeavor to cleanse himself anew each day? Was Atman then not within him? Was not then the source within him?” (7).
Siddhartha is questioning why he, his father, and other Brahmin have to cleanse themselves if Atman lives within them. He believes that he should only have to cleanse himself once, and all sin and blame will be gone from him forever. He wonders why he continues to sin, if he is a holy man and spends so much time trying to purify himself. He comes to the conclusion that the sin is within his own heart; it is his Self that continues to cause sin and blame to come upon him. Siddhartha thinks that anything that happens that does not work toward stopping the Self is a waste of time, “…a detour, error.” He believes that the only way to stop his Self is to destroy it. It is for this purpose that he joins the Samanas. Siddhartha believes that the self-denying practices of the Samanas will bring him to Nirvana, and understanding of all things.
What is the tone of this chapter and how is the tone relevant to the theme?
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha has been raised as a Brahmin. He was loved by everyone and expected to be a great Brahmin. However, Siddhartha was not satisfied with the life he led. He had a undying thirst for knowledge that could not be quenched by the teachings of the Brahmins or by anyone else in the Brahmin community. He felt as though there was much more to learn in order to truly conquer the Self and attain Nirvana. This chapter takes the reader with Siddhartha on his journey to gain knowledge and understanding of the Self.
With the Semanas, Siddhartha completely excludes himself form the rest of the world. Besides Govinda, it is just Siddhartha by himself. With the practices of the Semanas, he develops the ability to leave himself. He feels that this way, he is conquering his Self...but the feeling is only temporary. He soon realizes that he could've learned the very same things living on the streets. He was only running away from his Self. When he and Govinda hear of the Buddha, they go into town to listen to his teachings. Govinda believes in his teachings and stays with Buddha. Siddhartha is still not satisfied. He takes the teachings into account along with everything else he ever knew. On his his continuing journey, he is awakened and sees things from a different perspective once again and sees the world as it is for the first time, thinking everything is wonderful and clear and bright like it never has been. He then turns to life of pleasure and leisure hoping to find another way of learning.
While Siddhartha experiences many different ideas and awakening, he ends up where he started. He is still on a journey to learn more and never being satisfied he feels he has attained nothing. For Siddhartha and his thirst of knowledge, the his journey will never be over.
“One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must
ReplyDeletepossess it. Everything else was seeking—a detour, error.”
Siddhartha comes up with this quote above when he becomes unsatisfied with his religion and its ritual. He is tired of doing the same rituals and reading holy books trying to to achieve Nirvana.He is having a hard time achieving that Nirvana that he wants, he can not seem to figure it out, he works to be pure and holy yet he does not come out with the outcome that he wants.
He is beginning to wonder why he cannot achieve. His father is unable to obtain purity, what hope does he have? His father searches for that Nirvana himself and still nothing comes of his works. He, himself tells Siddhartha once you have found it come to me and share what it is with me. Sidhartha is wondering why he, his father and the other Brahmin have to cleanse themselves if Atman lives within them all. Siddhartha believes that he should have to only cleanse himself once like the christians do. This rebirth is what the christians call getting baptized. The baptizing cleanses all once and it lasts a lifetime. Siddhartha wonders why he is continuing to sin even though he is being the purest he can be. He then comes to the conclusion that his sin is in his heart, it is him that is causing sin and blame to come upon him. He begins to think that anything that is not working towards stopping the self is a waste of time. He believes that the only way to stop himself from being unpure is to destroy himself.It is for this purpose that Siddhartha joins the Samanas. He believes that the self-denying practices of the Samanas will bring him to Nirvana, and understanding of all things and to be the purest that he can be.
@ Mason Lewis
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. The struggle between Govinda's and Siddhartha's views of the Semana way is very diverse and opposing. On one hand Siddhartha realizes that the Semanas know nothing more than common people on the streets and says, "what I have so far learned from the Semanas, I could have learned more quickly and easily in every inn in a prostitute's quarter, amongst the carriers and dice players." On the other, Govinda is completely under the spell of the Semanas and is in awe of the arts they practice.
After a great deal of discussing, Siddhartha persuades Govinda to change his mind and join Siddhartha on a quest to find the Illustrious One, Gotama.