Wisdom In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” The novel Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, is about the main character Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment. It delves into Siddhartha’s life as he follows several different paths to find the one which will lead him to Nirvana. Siddhartha experiences many trials and tribulations but along the way he finds solace in various teachers who help him discover the true path to enlightenment. Even though Siddhartha believes that he can not follow teachings in order to reach Nirvana, Siddhartha learns valuable lessons, that are important for his path to enlightenment, throughout the novel. Siddhartha learned how to dismiss his desires from the Samanas, he learned about the world of love from Kamala, and he learned how to let go from Vasudeva.

The Samanas practice a life of asceticism where they deny themselves the feelings of desire. They avoid all forms of self-indulgence and destroy their impulses. During his time with the Samanas, “Siddhartha learned a great deal from the Samanas; he learned many ways of losing the Self. He travelled along the path of self-denial through pain, through voluntary suffering and conquering of pain, through hunger, thirst and fatigue.” (Hesse 12) Siddhartha learned how to become empty of everything and renounce the pleasures in life. He learned how to think, fast, and wait which were valuable skills. While he did not reach enlightenment during his time with the Samanas, he needed to learn the teachings of asceticism in order to continue on his journey. His time following the life of asceticism helps him later in the novel when he has to find a balance between the two