September 12 th, 2007 Yes! It’s finally here!

The Search Begins Resuming the Siddhartha Introduction

Who Was Siddhartha?  Multiple Answers  Siddhartha Gautama (spelled Gotama in Hesse’s text) – the founder of Buddhism itself! Therefore, “Gotama” in the story is the Buddha himself!  Siddhartha is the main character of Hesse’s text However, Hesse sets up a particularly important encounter between Siddhartha…and Gotama! He’s separated the two??? What could that mean?  Finally, Siddhartha stands in allegorically for Hesse Prior to World War I, Hesse spent time in India, and his spiritual search made for particularly rich material

Some Important Names to Remember  Siddhartha  The main character in the story  Govinda  Siddhartha’s childhood companion  Gotama  An individual who has achieved nirvana  Vasudeva  The ferryman who plays a bigger role near the end  Kamaswami  A merchant who teaches Siddhartha the principles of business  Kamala  The courtesan Siddhartha meets after leaving the Samanas

Character Relations  Siddhartha begins the story with Govinda by his side; the two embark on a quest for enlightenment together  Govinda meets Gotama and is moved by him, choosing to join his disciples; Siddhartha moves on without him after meeting with Gotama and experiencing a powerful epiphany

Character Relations, Part II  Siddhartha next meets Kamala, and earns money by working with Kamaswami  After departing here, he goes back to the river, and meets the ferryman Vasudeva  At the end, Siddhartha is reunited with Govinda, who he re-met only once since their initial parting  There is much, much more – but I don’t want to give everything away, and as Siddhartha so aptly points out, words cannot always convey everything!

What Do the Names Mean?  According to Wikipedia (always a wonderful source of academia):  Sanskrit: A compound of “Sidd” can mean “fulfilled” or “accomplished A compound of “artha” can mean “aim” or “wealth” Therefore, if you mash the two together, the literal meaning is “the wealth of the fulfilled aim” – those who search correctly and patiently will eventually find the object of the search  The stated meaning of “Siddhartha” is “he who has achieved his aims,” or “he who is victorious.”

Some of the Ground Rules  Before we get too far into an examination of Hesse’s character names…  (Another day, perhaps)  Let’s take a look at some basic tenets of Buddhism; they may be important to our study of the text!  The Three Universal Truths  The Four Noble Truths  The Noble Eightfold Path

Before Moving On…  The Buddha is not perceived as a god, particularly not in a way analogous to Christian worship of God and Christ  Rather, Gotama simply finds what he’s looking for – a greater spiritual truth  The idea that an individual could find true peace over the course of a normal lifespan is incredibly inspirational to many

Important to Know…  The Three Universal Truths  The Four Noble Truths  The Noble Eightfold Path  Samsara, Nirvana, and the Wheel  Karma  Bodhisattva

The Three Universal Truths  Also known as the three signs of existence  Anicca (impermanence)  Anatta (impersonality, non-self)  Dukkha (suffering)

Everything Changes  Anicca seems fairly self-explanatory  However, the idea of essential transience doesn’t necessitate throwing out the idea of permanence  It helps to think of the river  The river will flow more slowly in wide, flat areas, and will flow faster over rapids or downhill  It gains speed depending on the season and rainfall  In short, it exists in a state of permanent development and change, reacting to conditions outside of its control  Sound familiar?

We Are Impermanent  Let’s look to Gotama’s life for an example  At birth, Siddhartha Gautama was predicted to realize one of two destinies Great king Spiritual leader  His father, a king himself, was determined to prevent Siddhartha from becoming a religious leader, and shielded him from human suffering  At the age of twenty-nine, Siddhartha finally went out into the world, and caught his first glimpses of decline, sickness, and death This resulted in a profound change in his philosophy

Non-Self  Anatta is a slightly more abstract concept  Just remember that change is constant  Because change is constant, we are therefore subjected to constant change  As a result, we must always change and react  This eliminates the need for a “core” self  The river always exists, but does it always contain the same water?

Suffer Never  “If we suffer never/We won’t know if we are feeling good.” The Promise Ring, “Suffer Never”  Dukkha refers to all suffering, major or minor  Suffering is constant in life because it arises from our desire for the non-constant  We desire transient/impermanent  We miss something indefinable

The Four Noble Truths  The Noble Truths provide additional perspective on dukkha  Suffering exists  Suffering has a source – a cause for the effect Caused by human desire  Suffering can be eliminated if we overcome our desires Remember the ascetics?  You can eliminate desire by following the Noble Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path  Provides followers with a behavioral outline  Right View – Understand the Four Noble Truths  Right Aspiration – Care about all living things  Right Speech – Speak truthfully, kindly, respectfully, and properly (obscenity not allowed)  Right Bodily Action – Follow the Five (or Ten) Moral Precepts (Buddhist moral codes)

The Eightfold Path, Part II  Right Livelihood – Your work shouldn’t harm anything that lives  Right Endeavor/Effort – Concentrate on meditation, control your negative thoughts  Right Mindfulness – Give full attention to whatever you are doing, and give your best effort at all times (something I encourage you to do in class!)  Right Concentration – The mental discipline necessary for reaching enlightenment

Bodhisattva  One who has achieved enlightenment  However, rather than attain nirvana, bodhisattvas remain here  Dedicate themselves to the welfare of other living things  People pray to them for help

The Man Who Sold the World  Nirvana is the apex  Represents the elimination of desire  In turn, nirvana also brings serenity, wisdom, and compassion  Because desire is eliminated, suffering is eliminated  Without suffering, the samsara cycle is broken

Existential Carousel…Spin!  The samsara cycle represents birth and rebirth, the cycle of existence  You enter, leave, and re-enter the material world, which contains suffering  Hence, your existence here will be defined by suffering  Remember: Nirvana breaks the cycle! Siddhartha Gautama, upon reaching nirvana, claimed he had broken his Samsara cycle

Change is Constant  Understand the concept of karma  We receive what we earn, for good or for ill – and it lasts!  Once again, nirvana breaks the cycle  “Everything you do/Comes back to you/Whatever it may be…/What you do as an angel/Or what you do as a devil/The favor returns itself somehow.” 311, “Paradise”

Literary Evidence  Where do we see these elements expressed in Siddhartha?  You won’t know yet – unless you already finished!  We’ll go over each in due time  There’s much, much more – more in the names, more to Hesse’s motivation and background, so on and so forth.  However, that will be covered later!

In the Meantime…  Let’s see how many of the major themes, motifs, characters, plot developments, and symbols we can identify at this stage of the book.  Remember: The categories are often related!  Design a matrix for displaying everything your group finds – a list, a grid, or some other type of organizer  You’ll be presenting it in class, so make sure it’s something you can present nicely – whether in a drawing on the board, a poster, etc.  Presentations tomorrow and Thursday!

From the Top  Notice the impermanence of every detail of the first sentence  Shade (on a house – that which burns or crumbles)  Sunshine (by a river)  Shade (partnered with sunshine; whenever one disappears, so too does the other)  Handsomeness  Growing up

Om  Those of you who have read ahead realize the supreme importance of Om on the text  The “word of words” can be defined in any number of ways One useful way to think of Om is to understand that it represents unity, the “one-ness” of all things –This is why the Noble Eightfold Path places such high value on all living things – not just humans  Siddhartha is able to “pronounce it silently”  A true understanding of Om indicates enlightenment

Foreshadowing  After you read tonight’s chapters, consider the foreshadowing in “The Brahmin’s Son”  I’m a sucker for foreshadowing, and Hesse’s understated but effective use of the technique in his story is particularly impressive  After all, in a novel so intentionally light on external plot action, how much is there to foreshadow?  The brilliant aspect of the foreshadowing is that it ties into the cyclical theme

Unhappiness  Siddhartha seems to “have it all”  Yet Siddhartha is unhappy; he suffers  What is the source of “dukkha” here?  Desire (of course! Desire is the source of all suffering, remember?)  A better question: What does Siddhartha desire?  What are the questions that Siddhartha asks – both the obvious ones, and the unstated ones?  Are they similar to the questions you ask?