Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha STUDY GUIDE

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Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Even though the main character of Herman Hesse’s novel shares the same name as the prophet Siddhartha Gotama (a.k.a. Buddha) they ARE NOT the same person. Herman Hesse borrowed heavily from both Hindu and Buddhist philosophy to create a tale of one man’s quest for truth and enlightenment. In addition, some of the events in the life of the prophet Siddhartha parallel the life of Hesse’s character Siddhartha. Some might go so far as to call the novel a legend—based in history, with a focus on a larger than life human, but fictionalized!

II. Siddhartha Glossary

•ablution—a ritual of purification involving water or washing
•Agni—god of fire, present in all sacrifices
•Atman—the deepest self, identical with God; also means “breath” or “spirit” or “soul”
•Brahma—God, the Supreme Being; or, with Vishnu and Shiva, one of the three highest gods, the Creator of the universe

•Brahman--the soul of the universe, the ultimate reality
•Brahmin—a member of the highest caste in India, that of priests (also confusingly in some texts “Brahman”)
•caste—a hereditary social and religious grouping in Hinduism
•cycle of rebirth—the endless cycle, samsara, whereby each soul is forever reborn to another life; ends only through deliberate actions leading to nirvana (Buddhism) or moksha (Hinduism)
•Buddha—”Enlightened One,” applied specifically to Siddhartha Gotama, also called “Blessed One,” the first to achieve nirvana.
-Mara—the god of death, physical love, temptation, and seduction against whom Buddha had to prevail to achieve enlightenment
•Maya—illusion, the power of god which makes us believe, falsely, in the reality of the world; sometimes personified as a goddess Maya
•meditation—a exercise designed to relax the mind and body to enable one to experience the spiritual
•moksha—in Hinduism, release from samsara, absorption in (reintegration with) God
•Nirvana—in Buddhism, the extinction of Self, the ultimate goal of the religion
•Om (sometimes OM or AUM)—a sacred sound used in meditation
•Prajapati—the personified creative force of the universe; sometimes identified with Brahma
•Rig Veda—a sacred text of Aryan India, the oldest of the Vedas.
•samana—a wandering holy man living a simple, ascetic life
•samsara—the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
•Shiva—with Brahma and Vishnu, one of the three highest Hindu gods, to some the Supreme Being. He is the destroyer of the universe
•Upanishads—sacred texts of early Hinduism centering on Brahman.
•Vedas—the several sacred texts of early Aryan India; “Veda” also means “knowledge”
•Vishnu—with Brahma and Shiva, one of the three highest Hindu gods, to some the Supreme Being. Vishnu is the supreme embodiment of Maya and as such is called the Preserver of the universe
•yoga—any of several systems of physical, mental, and spiritual exercise designed to discipline the mind and body for spiritual development

III. Siddhartha Background

This is a VERY small part of the possible background one could study for a complete understanding of Siddhartha and its context.

Buddhism

"Siddhartha" is one of the names of the historical Gotama, and the life of Hesse's character resembles that of his historical counterpart to some extent. Siddhartha is by no means a fictional life of Buddha, but it does contain numerous references to Buddha and his teachings.

The basic teaching of Buddha is formulated in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Proceeding from the premise that suffering exists and that a release from it must be found, Buddha constructed his system. The First Noble Truth is the fact of suffering. The Second Truth is that suffering arises from human desire for something, and that this desire can never be satisfied. The Third Truth is that there is a way to achieve a release from suffering. And the Fourth Truth prescribes the manner of overcoming suffering and attaining true knowledge.

The first two steps in the Eightfold Path, which leads to the cessation of suffering, are right understanding and right resolution; a person must first discover and experience the correctness of the Four Noble Truths (it is not sufficient to profess a superficial belief), and then resolve to follow the correct path. The next three steps likewise form a kind of unit: right speech, right behavior, and right livelihood. These reflect the external aspects of a person's life, which must not be neglected. The interior disciplines constitute the final three steps: right efforts, right mindfulness, and right contemplation. By this means, the follower of Buddha can arrive at Nirvana.

Other aspects of Buddha's teachings are also of interest. Buddha was rather logical, scientific, and rational in his approach. He did not speak of supernatural phenomena or an afterlife, and he dismissed the possibility of miracles. Buddha taught self-reliance. He had little use for rituals and formalistic laws, and he urged each man to work out his own salvation-which would, of course, be possible only within the framework of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The historical Gotama, like the figure in Siddhartha, taught that love and deep attachment to anyone or anything was wrong, since it leads to suffering. Buddha never defined the state of Nirvana as he understood it, beyond saying that in it the cessation of suffering is attained, and that this is accomplished by the absolute extinction of the will.

Hinduism

Elements of this Indian religion are also present in Siddhartha. Hinduism is not as dogmatic as Christianity, or even as Buddhism. One important -perhaps the most important - aspect of Hinduism is the concept of the Search or Quest for Truth. Whereas the Buddhist and the Christian each has a specific (if ultimately unknowable) goal and general guidelines which he can follow to attain it, for the Hindu the quest itself is all-important.

There are obvious parallels between Hinduism and Siddhartha, and these have not been overlooked by critics. Most critics even assert that Hinduism is a more significant source for the book than is Buddhism. Eugene F. Timpe, has analyzed parallels between Siddhartha and the Bhagavad-Gita an important poetical document of the Hindu religion. Timpe maintains "that Hesse was influenced largely by the Bhagavad-Gita when he wrote his book and that the protagonist was groping his way along the path prescribed by the Bhagavad-Gita." Hesse was indeed familiar with this important work, and a comparison between it and Siddhartha is rewarding.

As Timpe points out, the basic central problems of Siddhartha and the Gita are similar: how can the hero attain a state of total happiness and serenity by means of a long and arduous path? The development of each character is divided into three distinct stages: in Siddhartha there are – as one would expect in Hesse - innocence, followed by knowledge ("sin"), which, together, lead to a higher state of innocence accompanied by increased awareness and consciousness.

In the Gita the path is similar, but not identical. It goes from action to knowledge to wisdom. Action is the first stage in the hero's long road to perfection. Not arbitrary human actions are meant, but rather a form of action produced by acceptance of the Divine element in an individual. The person then moves toward knowledge-knowledge of the Self and of the Absolute, which ultimately are revealed to be identical. The renouncing of all earthly attachments is a necessary component of each of the first two stages of

development. A kind of self-fulfillment is stressed. An individual must find and follow his own path, for the ultimate goal cannot be attained by any form of imitation, however noble and admirable the model or teacher may be. The final, and highest, stage is characterized by reverence and wisdom. The seeker reveres and even worships the Absolute, with which he is identical.

Direct parallels with Siddhartha can be drawn. Hesse's hero seeks his own path to fulfillment. Although his path is one of trial and error, he is always at least unconsciously aware of the nature of his quest. He comes to realize that seeking a goal will ultimately prove to be limiting. From Vasudeva he acquires knowledge of what true action is. Finally, he is transfigured and attains wisdom.

IV. Siddhartha Reading Questions

Please answer all questions in your notebooks.

Part One - Answer all questions on a separate sheet of paper.

The Brahmin’s Son

1.  What is Atman?

2.  What does OM mean?

3.  What caste is Siddhartha?

4.  What doubts did Siddhartha have about the priests and wise men?

5.  Who are the Samanas?

6.  Who is Govinda?

7.  How did Siddhartha’s father react to Siddhartha’s desire to leave?

8.  What made his father finally concede?

9.  What inferences about Siddhartha’s character can you make after the first chapter?

With the Samanas

1.  How does Siddhartha change physically and mentally when he joins the Samanas?

2.  Which of the noble truths doe s this cause him to realize?

3.  What will cause the awakening of the “innermost Being”?

4.  Even though Siddhartha was able to abandon himself and attain selflessness what eventually happened?

5.  How does Govinda react to Siddhartha’s doubts?

6.  What is “the man of knowledge” the worst enemy of? (page 19 in the Bantam edition)

7.  After Govinda and Siddhartha have spent three years with the Samanas what rumor beings to circulate?

8.  What opinion of teachers does Siddhartha relate to Govinda once Govinda has expressed interest in Gotama?

9.  How does Siddhartha say that Gotama has already helped the pair?

10.  What effect does Siddhartha have on the eldest Samana when Siddhartha informs him that he and Govinda will be leaving the community?

Gotama

1.  How did Siddhartha know who Gotama was even though the two had never met?

2.  What did Gotama tell the people he had discovered?

3.  What decision does Govinda make after seeing Gotama?

4.  What must Govinda leave behind now that he has made a decision?

5.  During the conversation between Gotama and Siddhartha how does Sid. explain Gotama’s vision of the universe?

6.  What is the small gap or small break in Gotama’s vision of the universe?

7.  What is Gotama’s view on opinions?

8.  According to Siddhartha what is the one thing that cannot be “communicated in words and teachings”?

9.  What has Gotama both stolen and given to Siddhartha?

10.  How is Siddhartha a doppelganger (look it up!) to Govinda?

Awakening

1.  What is Siddhartha’s view of studying “causes”?

2.  What is the one thing that teacher’s could not teach Siddhartha?

3.  In Siddhartha’s quest to destroy himself what undesirable thing happened?

4.  What is significant about Hesse’s use of diction when he says, “I wished to destroy myself, to get away from myself…”

5.  What is Mara?

6.  What is Maya?

7.  What realization does Siddhartha have about his life back home?

8.  How was Siddhartha feeling after this realization?

Part Two – Answer all questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Kamala

1. How has Siddhartha’s perception of the world around him changed?

2. In the past what had Siddhartha wanted to do with his “self”?

3. What is the significance of Siddhartha’s dream of Govinda?

4. What has the ferryman learned from the river?

5. What is the significance of the interaction between Siddhartha and the woman by the brook?

6. Who does Siddhartha see on the sedan chair? Answer with her name and her profession.

7. What does Siddhartha ask of Kamala?

8. What is Kamala’s philosophy of love?

9. What does Siddhartha have to offer Kamala that finally impresses her?

10. Who does Kamala introduce Siddhartha too?

11. How does Siddhartha compare himself to a stone?

Amongst the People

1. How does Siddhartha compare the life of a merchant and the life of a Samana?

2. What is Siddhartha’s attitude towards business?

3. What is recommended to Kamaswami for handling Siddhartha?

4. What happens when Siddhartha goes to buy rice?

5. How did the life of a Samana influence Siddhartha in his business life?

6. How did Siddhartha say that he and Kamala are alike?

7. According to Siddhartha how are the followers of Gotama like falling leaves?

Samsara

1. What happened to the “wheel of thinking” in Siddhartha?

2. What on the other hand had become awakened?

3. What has changed about Siddhartha’s view of worldly possessions?

4. What is the significance of the title of this chapter?

5. What event led to Siddhartha’s realization of the futility of his current lifestyle?

6. Where was Siddhartha when he realized he had to leave his life behind?

7. What happened to Kamala after the disappearance of Siddhartha?

Name ______

V. Response for pp 86-115 (By the River and The Ferryman)

For this section of the book, I’d like you to create something called a double-entry journal. Our version is not really a journal but a piece of loose leaf so that I can collect them and look over your thinking. For your double entry journal you need to have at least 4 quotes longer than two lines and any of the responses listed on the right hand side of the chart. Length of entry for the right side should be enough to demonstrate thought and effort. Be creative and express your inner-genius! You will share these with the class!!!

Left Hand Side / Right Hand Side
Quotes from the text / Visual commentary (your own drawings, visual analogies, doodles)
Quotes from the text / Written reactions, reflections, commentary, musings
Quotes from the text / Connections
Ø  Text to text
Ø  Text to Self
Ø  Text to world
Quotes from texts / Questions (Clarifying & Probing)
Quotes from texts / Social Questions (Race, class, gender inequalities)
Quotes from texts / Memories
Quotes from texts / Naming Literary or Persuasive Techniques

2 Shamy 12CP