Siddhartha Herman Hesse\'s 1922 Novel

Siddhartha

Herman Hesse's 1922 novel Siddhartha parallels the legend of the Gautama Buddha: the man who inspired the religion of Buddhism. Hesse captures the spirit of Buddhism and the essence of the Buddha. The Gotama Buddha is wholly unlike any other religious figure in that he does not proscribe belief in God, let alone an organized religion. For Buddha, religion is a social phenomenon and a crutch. It is because of this that I was able to resonate and respond to Siddhartha. The title character was born into a Brahman family, which is the political, economic, social, and spiritual elite of India. As a privileged boy he could be easily swayed to live a life of luxury without any worry or fear. Instead, Siddhartha and his friend Govinda search for a deeper meaning to existence. Siddhartha is dissatisfied with the rigid religious duties of the Brahmans, much like the son of an Archbishop or Rabbi might feel. Religion has no answers for Siddhartha or for Govinda and together they seek enlightenment elsewhere. Their journeys diverge, and Siddhartha experiences life to the fullest extent possible. He undergoes extreme asceticism and extreme debauchery until he realizes that living for the moment is the key to enlightenment. Siddhartha learns his deepest spiritual lesson from a ferryman. Like Siddhartha, I have learned my most profound lessons from the most mundane circumstances.

Siddhartha starts his life as a privileged Brahman who is being trained in the austere religion of his father. His parents love him, and he them. Siddhartha also has a strong affection for his friend Govinda. The two boys share their discomfort with the Hindu religion, not on any theological or philosophical grounds but rather on the practical use of the Brahmanic teachings. Siddhartha finds that the teachings of the Brahmans have become superficial rituals. With a natural curiosity about the meaning of life, Siddhartha finds himself drawn to the band of nomadic mystics called the Samanas. Joined by Govinda, Siddhartha finds solace in the escapist, ascetic lifestyle of the Samanas. Yet Siddhartha soon finds problems with their faith as well as with that of the Brahmans. Dissatisfied, Siddhartha and Govinda decide to break away from the Samanas and instead follow a new leader, Gotama.

Gotama is modeled after Gautama Buddha, the spiritual leader who was born into a Brahman caste but who developed his own philosophical doctrine. Siddhartha and Govinda join the Gotama's group of followers. Govinda is especially pleased but Siddhartha is not. Siddhartha still notices some of the same faults in the Gotama Buddha as he found with Brahmanism and with the Samanas. Essentially, Gotama is just another religious figure for Siddhartha. Siddhartha seeks something more profound, something that changes his entire outlook on life rather than set answers to a profound metaphysical truth.

Therefore, Siddhartha leaves the Gotama and also his friend Govinda. Siddhartha lives like an ordinary materialistic man. He meets Kamala, a lovely woman who teaches him about sensuality and pleasure. Siddhartha learns from her lessons about his body and material existence, which are lessons he would never have learned from the likes of Gotama. Siddhartha becomes a wealthy businessman, he drinks, he gambles, and he ceases seeking for a deeper spiritual truth. His break from the spiritual quest is like a lesson in itself. Siddhartha experiences the ups and downs of material existence that cause people to seek religious understanding. Thus after many years, Siddhartha abandons his materialistic existence. He leaves behind Kamala and wanders off on his own, consumed with thoughts of nihilism.

Siddhartha meets Vasudeva the ferryman. He sees in Vasudeva a quality of peace that he associates with enlightenment. Vasudeva embodies that which Siddhartha has been looking for since he was a boy. His materialistic existence momentarily comes back to haunt him when Kamala approaches Siddhartha with their son. Kamala dies, leaving the son with Siddhartha. The son is a great disappointment who steals Siddhartha's money. Siddhartha has no choice or inclination to do anything else but live the rest of his years on the river, learning lessons from the day-to-day existence of a ferryman. Encounters with the immediacy of nature help Siddhartha cultivate the Zen mind that has come to represent the essence of true Buddhist philosophy.

Siddhartha more than anything represents the sprit of Buddhism. Buddhism is ill defined as a religion. A religion is that which Siddhartha was running from: a set of social and religious rituals reinforced by norms. Siddhartha did not want to be told what to believe, but rather how to live. His life path took him to experience a multitude of journeys and all of them offered Siddhartha valuable lessons. The message of Siddhartha is that enlightenment can only be found from immediate personal encounters or the willingness to experience life to the fullest. Enlightenment does not come from going to church, reading the Bible, or any other religious behavior.

Herman Hesse's story reflects the historical narrative of the Buddha. Like Siddhartha, the historical Buddha was a Brahman prince who felt dissatisfied with his father's Hindu religion. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with a plethora of rituals, rites, ceremonies, and a complex cosmology. Siddhartha, like the historical Buddha, wanted to do away with the trappings of religion to discover a distilled essence of truth. The historical Buddha was also believed to have found enlightenment after a period of time spent living a materialistic existence. In fact, enlightenment came not from asceticism nor from materialism but from a "middle path." The true key to enlightenment, according to the teachings of the Buddha, is learning how to be in the present moment without being entrapped by it.