Siddhartha Modern Critique in Hesse\'s

Siddhartha

Modern Critique in Hesse's Spiritual Text

Herman's Hesse's important 1922 novel, Siddhartha would help not just to expose western thinking to eastern spiritual philosophy but would do so with an emotive and humanizing narrative. By contextualizing the modern search for spiritual completion and wholeness in ancient India, Hesse succeeds in drawing a parallel between the emotional needs of modern man and those same which stimulated the discovery of Buddhism. In an evaluation of that which the Hesse work tries to mirror, we can see that there are both the historical and philosophical levels at play in his literature. The protagonist, as will be discussed here, is based on pre-existent mythology on the human prophet of Buddhism but also offers an extremely relevant case study in individual alienation in the face of modern material society.

For Hesse, a German-born author with a mother of Indian descent and a history of time spent in his formative years in India, this text would represent a natural integration of modern impulses such as industrialization and capitalist pursuit and of ancient symbioses such as that represented in the trials of Buddhist revelation. (Wikipedia, 1) Indeed, this instinctual duality is well represented in the subject matter and language alike.

The titular protagonist, in particular, is demonstrative of the modern emptiness and malaise which caused so many in the era following Germany's World War I defeat to re-examine their priorities. (DeLong, 11) Hesse describes Siddhartha accordingly, noting in language which borders on biblical mimicry that "with gestures of perfect propriety, loved by all, the joy of all, nevertheless he bore no joy in his heart. Dreams came to him, and uneasy thoughts, flowing to him from the water of the river, sparking from the night stars, molten in the rays of the sun; dreams came to him, and restlessness of the soul." (Hesse, 5) in spite of this linguistic approach, which flowers the text as a work almost of doctrinal importance, there is a case to be made the Siddhartha is a distinctly modern protagonist, whose search for meaning in both the spiritual and material is pertinent to our own self-discovery. It is particularly in this parallel that Hesse achieves a work which rationally applies eastern philosophy to the inherent needs of the modern man.

This is the confluence of thought that, history will show, bred Buddha's founding figure. According to historical record, the inspiration for Hesse's protonist, Siddhartha Gautama was a prince, born to great wealth in a year that is estimated to be around 563 B.C. (Hooker, 1) He was raised in excess but, due to revelations as a youth that were incited by his growing cognizance of the suffering in which other men lived, he left the confines of his lush life in order to better understand himself and, in turn, human nature. It was in his journey that Buddhism found its roots and its first proselytizing master. His experiences and understanding of the One, as it passed from one life into another in accordance with Vedic teachings, became the pervading focus of his meditation. Through lucid communication with his consciousness, he hoped to learn of the reincarnating cycle through which he had come to be Siddhartha and through which he would cease to be this person. After undergoing an intense phase of self-denial, through which he came to reject the excesses of physical desire, Siddhartha became "the Buddha, or "Awakened One." Instead, however, of passing out of this cycle himself, he returned to the world of humanity in order to teach his new insights and help free humanity of their suffering." (Hooker, 3).

This is a story which drives the philosophical impulse of Hesse's novel. To this extent, Siddhartha is an emblematic novel, designed not just to approach an historical inflection point with a humanist's eye, but also to engage a discussion on the human condition as a whole. As the Garzilli (1972) text tells, the Hesse novel may be understood as a story of the search for self and unending need to fill a yearning or a void within one's self. The suffering and need which is promoted by this sensation is the very same which contributes to the Buddhist revelations which Siddhartha finds in his journey.

His quest to better understand humanity and to come to terms with the self dispatches him to his pursuits all on his own. Indeed, there is a sense of social discontent demanding this type of purifying detachment. To this extent, Siddhartha "chooses 'to leave all doctrines and all teachers and to reach the goal alone -- or die.' In his search, he 'has discovered the comforting secret that a teacher is unnecessary." (Leech, 8) Separate from doctrine and scripture, then, the figure of Siddhartha ultimately finds entitlement to his own wisdom.

Therefore, both history and Hesse tell of a figure who traveled the country of India for the whole of his life, preaching that which he had learned in his own trials. The men who would come to follow him and to take in his teachings, would become his disciples. The constant search for clarity which drives Siddhartha is a point of focus for Hesse, as is his willingness to share this search for clarity with others. This aspect of history blends meaningfully with the observations attempted on the modern human condition. Siddhartha's dramatic attempt to silence the distruptive voices of material society is especially moving in this regard.

After building his foundational principles, Siddhartha determined to meditate without interruption until he achieved awareness of his true consciousness, rather than accepting the version of truth filtered through his body's senses. It was through this experience, where he silenced the body without stirring for a full twenty-four hours in a quest for unfettered exploration of the Self, that he brought the noble truths to the surface. These realizations represented an answer to his initial question and formed the foundation to Buddhism, wherein he established that the basis to all human life was suffering. This first noble truth was followed by the assertion that suffering is caused by desire. Due to the impermanence of things such as life and pleasure, he explains that suffering is prompted by our constant desire to make permanent those things which gratify us. The third noble truth then proceeds that human suffering can be curtailed by the elimination of human desire.

The fourth and most concretely instructive of the noble truths is Buddha's advisement that "desire can be ended by following the "Eightfold Noble Path": right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration." (Hooker, 3) This set of correlated impulses reflects the assertion that desire and need will tend to cause a misdirected approach to one's life. In the words of Hesse's Siddhartha, 'When someone is seeking... It happens quite easily that he only sees the thing he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal.'" (Fielding, 150) This obsession becomes both unhealthy and emotionally unfulfilling. Hesse finds a way to assert to modern audiences the Buddhist warning that the desire for material enrichment will only widen a whole of unfulfilled emptiness.

This relevance makes Siddhartha a work of value to modern discourse and justifies its frequent reference in academic contexts. In an article by Mossman (2006), the author praises Siddhartha for the continued relevance of its message and its approach. Mossman's consideration of Siddhartha offers us a critical analysis which reflects dually on its illumination of the evolution in theological history from Hinduism to Buddhism as well as on the importance of this illumination to today's young learner.