Siddhartha: Overcoming Misfortunes Of The Past
opinion Essay
551 words
Siddhartha: Overcoming Misfortunes of the Past
On page 132 we read "Everything that was not suffered to the end and finally concluded, recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone." What does this mean in regards to Siddhartha and any other of the characters in Hesse's story? Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
This quote is taken from the context of when Siddhartha is crossing the river and he sees his reflection and it looks like his father. This quote refers to a repeating of events. It is illustrated by Brahmin being separated from
Siddhartha and Siddhartha being separated from his own son. This parallels the quote in three ways. Taken literally it identifies the “father-like-son” aspect of the situation. It can be taken as a metaphor for the endlessness of time as well. Taken out of context, this quote identifies that anything that is not followed or completely worked through will continue to exist and it will repeat itself. Siddhartha left his father, Brahmin, at a young age to join the ascetics.
Siddhartha is now considering the pain his father must have gone through not seeing his son again. Siddhartha's son, too, was separated from his father.
Without dealing with this situation, the distance between father and son would never be reconciled. Thus the situation Siddhartha had with Brahmin would be repeated. The quote can also be interpreted as a metaphor for time. Obvious recurrences can be noted in time, suggesting that time repeats itself. Instead of a river, another symbol can be used for time, perhaps a pool. According to this quote, things repeat themselves in time. In a pool objects float around until they finally make their way to the outlet. Events swirling around in time without reconciliation are “trapped” until they are dealt with. The entire pool makes up all that time is. All the experiences and thoughts of past, present, and future that have not been dismissed all contribute to the whole of time.
If the quote stood alone, without the context of Siddhartha's reflections on his father and his son, it would state that anything that isn't finished through completion would forever hang in the cloud of time. “Every thing that has not suffered to the end...” If something is not carried on to completion, it will repeat itself until the initiative is taken to finish it. “
...recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone.” I can identify with this quote because at time I am prone to over committal. I will devote myself to too many things and I cannot physically complete them all.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how he sees his reflection and it looks like his father.
- Analyzes how the situation can be taken as a metaphor for the endlessness of time.
- Explains that a symbol can be used for time, such as the river, or the pool.
- Opines that if something isn't carried on to the end, it's a good thing.
- Opines that at times they are prone to over committal. they will devote themselves to too.
- Explains that when problems of his past are dealt with, he can concentrate on living in the present.
Related
- analytical
- narrative
- explanatory
- Siddhartha the Life of a Prophetanalytical essayBuddhism was brought to light about 500 BC by Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism has not been described as a religion as such but rather as philosophy. The story of Siddhartha Gautama and how he brought Buddhism to limelight is quite moving. In this essay the thoughts of Siddhartha Gautama are explained and how the society reacted to his arguments. Generally this essay will briefly describe the achievements of Siddhartha Gautama in his quest to attain enlightenment and how that impacted the society of his time and to some extent the current society.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that buddhism was brought to light about 500 bc by siddhartha gautama and how the society reacted to his arguments.
- Explains that buddha was born in 563 b.c.e. his father, who was a king, was informed that siddhartha would end up being monk, but if he could be prevented, could make him powerful.
- Describes the three truths that have been described as central to the philosophy of buddhism: suffering, selfish desires, and a state above all suffering.
- Explains the eightfold path, which advocates for attainment of self control. it is a strike of balance between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence and excessive automortification.
- Analyzes how siddhartha's experience of being enlightened was described as such: his mind was cleansed, he engaged in meditation that had less bodily harm and succeeded in becoming buddha.
- Explains that the teachings of buddha had a great effect on the society. the philosophy teaches mankind how to live happily.
1390 wordsRead More - The Teachers of Siddharthanarrative essayThe Teachers of Siddhartha In the book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, the main character Siddhartha had many teachers along his quest for happiness. Throughout his life he denounced teachers and their teachings. In his last meeting with his lifelong friend, Govinda, he mentions five in which he was indebted : a beautiful courtesan, a rich merchant, a dice player, a Buddhist monk, and Vasudeva. The first of these teachers along his way was Kamala a beautiful courtesan.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the scent in their hair and the money they carry in purses.
- Narrates how he carelessly bet his money on thousands of dollars in order to reach his high.
- Opines that one has already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards.
- Opines that it has never been their experience that a samana from the woods would come to them and desire to learn from them.
- Explains that after rejecting this life of sin, he vowed to leave the city and never return. he retreated into the forest and went to the river.
565 wordsRead More - Learning From Siddharthaanalytical essaySiddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, is a novel about a man's progression towards his goal to center his life with a combination of peace and balance. Many of the displayed philosophies can be applied to today's world. Through my reading, I noticed many similarities between my life and Siddhartha's. First, Siddhartha felt a need for independence, that to truly be happy with his success, he must attain his achievements in his own way, and not others. Even though, he feels he must acquire this by himself, he tries to be as removed from his human side as possible. Only later does he learn that individuality and freedom from necessity must be united to procure his objectives and free him from his imperfections. Second, Siddhartha discovers that things and riches do not bring happiness. They are only temporary. No matter the extent of wealth a person has this never satisfies the insatiable need for possessions. Lastly, Siddhartha found that balance is the key to peace and happiness. Although a simplistic teaching, it is very complex to learn and apply. In my life, I can relate to his path and lessons, because I feel the same struggles and battles with attaining serenity.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how siddhartha, written by herman hesse, is about a man's progression towards his goal of centering his life with peace and balance.
- Analyzes how siddhartha strives to be one with atman, but by his own attainment. he is consumed with winning' independence and not listening to friends or elders.
- Analyzes siddhartha's second stage, where he learns that things do not last and cannot bring bliss.
- Explains that siddhartha's most significant lesson is learned in the enlightenment phase. he determines that to be with atman, his sought after goal, he must reach an equilibrium between the body, mind, internal being and his character traits.
- Concludes that siddhartha went from pupil to teacher, steadfastly focussing and diligently achieving greatness.
1013 wordsRead More - The Maturation of Siddharthaanalytical essayThe Maturation of Siddhartha Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse is the story of a young Indian noble who ventures off in the world to find an understanding of the meaning of life. His journey begins as a young Brahmin who yearned to unwind the complexities of his existence. He ends as an old sage who has found peace within himself and his surroundings. Throughout the book, Hesse allows the reader to trace Siddhartha's maturation process both through his experiences, and people with whom he comes in contact. During his journey, he makes a number of choices, "turns", that put him on a path of his maturation which is marked by self discovery and independence.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that siddhartha, by herman hesse, is the story of a young indian noble who ventures off in the world to find an understanding of the meaning oflife.
- Analyzes siddhartha's maturation process through his experiences, and people with whom he comes in contact.
- Explains that siddhartha's meeting with gautama, the buddha, is the first keyexperience that contributes to his maturation process.
- Analyzes how siddhartha becomes convinced that the buddha's methods satisfy his logical andtangible needs, but will not bring him any closer to realizing his spiritual and metaphysical needs.
- Explains that siddhartha's attainment of self realization can only be made by himself, regardless of what gautama may impart to him. his attempted suicide put him on a path to maturity.
- Analyzes how the protagonist becomes self-centered, greedy, and no longer a writer. his moral demise is the seed from which another stage of his maturation is fertilized.
- Analyzes how siddhartha's growth is evident in his leaving the village after being disgusted with the life he has lived in.
- Narrates how siddhartha realized the secular and spiritual lifestyle, and was in a position to choose which path suited him. after kamala's death, he was left to raise his son.
- Narrates how little siddhartha wasrude, spoilt, and a pain to bear. he graciously gave of himself so that his son would have as easy as possible.
- Explains that siddhartha's physical and spiritual development becomes complete by learning to love, something which he told kamala that would never be able to do.
- Concludes that siddhartha's maturity can be traced to events that allowed him to seek out his individuality.
816 wordsRead More - Siddharthaanalytical essaySiddhartha In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, Unity is a reflecting theme of this novel and in life. Unity is first introduced by means of the river and by the mystical word "Om." Siddhartha's quest for knowledge began when he left his father and sought the teachings of the Samanas. By becoming a Samana Siddhartha had to give up all of his possessions and learn to survive with practically nothing. He quickly picked up all of the Samanas' tricks like meditating, abandonment of the Self, fasting, and holding of the breath.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how siddhartha's quest for knowledge began when he left his father and sought the teachings of the samanas.
- Explains that siddhartha felt dissatisfied with his stay with the samanas, but in reflection, he mastered the art of self-denial and many ways of losing the self.
- Analyzes how govinda is siddhartha's childhood friend, serving as a benchmark for his progress toward enlightenment.
- Analyzes how siddhartha questions both his religion and his society because they are one and the same. he is the perfect and glorious character in this book.
- Analyzes how siddhartha's goal was to let the self die, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, and pure thought. the world and inertia creeped into his soul.
- Opines that when they are no longer young, when their hair is fast growing gray, and when strength begins to diminish, now they begin again like a child.
- Narrates how they learned through their body and soul that it was necessary for them to sin, that they needed lust, to strive for property, and to learn not to resist them.
- Analyzes how the great teacher, who recognizes humanity's vanity and transitoriness, loves humanity so much that he devoted a long life solely to help and teach people, is of greater importance than the words.
624 wordsRead More - Siddharthaexplanatory essaySIDDARTHA’S FOLLOWING OF THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS In this paper, I will be explaining how Siddhartha had arrived at the Four Noble Truths. The first paragraph contains how Siddhartha’s life was full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. The second paragraph will be the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions in Siddhartha’s life. Following, in the third paragraph I will be explaining how the only way to cure suffering is to overcome desire.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how siddhartha's life was full of suffering, pain, and sorrow, followed by the only way to cure suffering is to overcome desire.
- Explains that siddhartha had related to suffering, pain, and sorrow due to his riches, but he lacked knowledge that his wealth was superficial.
- Explains that the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, such as riches, power, and long life.
- Explains siddhartha's third noble truth: the only cure for suffering is to overcome desire. he meditates in the river and loses all sorrows.
- Explains siddhartha followed the eightfold path, which consisted of right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and contemplation.
- Explains that siddhartha reached nirvana through the four noble truths, which led to the eightfold path.
459 wordsRead More - Siddhartha Into The Wild Analysisanalytical essayMany people have a feeling of unfulfillment at some point in their lives. They feel that they are not living life to the fullest, and make drastic changes in order to reach that feeling of true fulfillment. This feeling is usually manifested as a “mid-life crisis,” which is when middle-aged people face a major shift of identity and self-confidence, causing them to act out and buy sports cars and have affairs with younger women in order to feel younger and more fulfilled. However, these feelings of unfulfillment can be manifested in other ways. In Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha and the movie Into the Wild, the main characters, Siddhartha and Chris McCandless, have these same feelings and make major life changes in order to reach complete happiness
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many people have a feeling of unfulfillment at some point in their lives, and make drastic changes in order to reach true fulfillment. siddhartha and chris mccandless have similar feelings, but their journeys begin and end differently.
- Analyzes how siddhartha and chris have good lives before embarking on their respective journeys.
- Analyzes how siddhartha and chris are forced to abandon people who are close to them in order to achieve their goals.
- Compares how chris and siddhartha's journeys are started under different circumstances, have different end goals, and have vastly different conclusions.
- Compares siddhartha's goal of preparing for the alaskan wilderness with that of chris. their goals, motives, and endings are different.
- Explains that siddhartha and chris have the same intention, to experience a meaningful and fulfilling life. they both have to overcome many difficult challenges during their journey.
1399 wordsRead More - Siddhartha's Journey To Enlightenmentexplanatory essayReaching Enlightenment “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” (“Quotes by Buddha”) The Buddha went through many trials and tribulations to reach enlightenment. But, he persevered and once he reached this state, he shared his spiritual knowledge with countless others (Editors of Biography.com).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the buddha went through many trials and tribulations to reach enlightenment, but he persevered and shared his spiritual knowledge with countless others.
- Explains that siddhartha lived a sheltered childhood and was ignorant about the outside world. he saw ill people, dead bodies, and holy men, which inspired him to seek enlightenment.
- Explains how siddhartha changed his way of life and encouraged living in balance, not extremes. he meditated in bodh gaya, india, under a tree, while the wicked demon mara tested him.
- Explains that the buddha was generous and taught people how to reach enlightenment. the buddha founded an order of monks after reaching the age of 80.
- Explains that even though it took the buddha until his 30s to reach enlightenment, his troubles paid off and he was able to teach a number of people how to escape suffering.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hesse synchronized form and substance in siddhartha to best illustrate a feeling of unity and the journey through the mind, body, and soul.
- Analyzes how hesse maintains appropriate rhythm and form throughout the novel in order to communicate siddhartha's inner journey through the three stages of experience.
- Explains that siddhartha experiences the land of the senses and of corporal pleasure in the next three chapters, followed by the interlude, "by the river", which serves to consolidate the experiences just past.
- Analyzes how hesse used the symbolism of the river to unify siddhartha's experiences. the river serves as a separation between the mind and spirit, and the body and senses.
- Analyzes how hesse consciously employs certain mechanisms of style to exemplify siddhartha's inner states. he uses a characteristic triple rhythm throughout the novel.
- Analyzes how siddhartha, the handsome brahmin's son, grew up with his friend govinda in the shade of the house, river bank by the boats, and the sallow wood and fig tree.
- Analyzes how the triadic structure found throughout the novel imparts a systematic, methodical tone to siddhartha, and together with the consciously created form unifies the experiences.
741 wordsRead More - Siddhartha - The Three Stagesanalytical essaySiddhartha - The Three Stages "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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the story of siddhartha by hermann hesse makes this point true. he dealt with the samanas and gotama buddha, the second with kamala and the ferryman.
- Analyzes how siddhartha sets about letting the self die, escaping his self during his stay with the ascetic samanas. he discards all material possessions and tries to flee his body and control his other needs.
- Analyzes how siddhartha is moved by the beauty of the courtesan kamala as she enters her grove in a sedan.
- Analyzes how siddhartha's inner voice surges out and becomes boldly manifest in the river, which, far more than simply water, is the voice of life itself.
- Explains that siddhartha uses both thought and action until he can gain no more from them, and then gets beyond them to reach the realm of the soul.
557 wordsRead More