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

2. The Search Begins Resuming the Siddhartha Introduction

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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!

7. 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.”

8. 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

9. 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

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

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

12. 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?

13. 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

14. 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?

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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”

23. 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!

24. 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!

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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?