New Life

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All By Himself

My prediction from my last blog so far is wrong, I thought Siddhartha would come back to the Illuminated one and his teachings but he hasn't. He is still reflecting on his life and who he is and wants to be. " I am no longer what I was, I am no longer ascetic, no longer a priest, no longer a Brahmin." (Pg 33). He decides that he will not look back and return to his house or return to the Illuminated One and Govinda, he will move on by himself.

New Important Vocabulary:
Scorned ("...who scorned diversity, who sought unity." Pg 32)
-To contempt with despise.


Secluded (" Even the most secluded hermit..." Pg 33)
-Withdrawn from social activity.

Keep This Path?

As I read this part of the book I had a question on my mind. It was: Will Siddhartha relate to the teachings of the Buddha, or will he stop learning from him and following him and look for something else?

As I kept reading, I discovered that he got tired of Buddha and his teachings and wants to go away in search for something else: He is leaving Govinda behind. When he is talking to the Illuminated one he gets surprised of his reaction towards him leaving. Instead of being mad at him, Buddha says that its his choice to leave or stay, he wouldn't persuade him into anything, " I hope you are not mistaken with your reasoning," said the Illustrious One slowly. " May you reach your goal!" (Pg 28).

Now I have a prediction for the rest of the story. Since Siddhartha realizes that the philosophy of the Buddhas teachings is not pressure someone into something, but instead let them decide freely on their future, he may come back. I think this will happen because Siddhartha is trying to escape from the cycles in life. But with the Illuminated one he sees that he is in charge of his own life and with these teachings he may look at his life in a different perspective.

New important vocabulary:
Abode ("Near the town was Gotama´s favorite abode.." pg 20)
-A place to stay or live, a home.


Demeanor ("...two Samanas recognized him only by his complete peacefulness of demeanor,..." pg 22)
-Conduct, Behavior.


Conviction ("...will Govinda ever take a step without me, from his own conviction?"pg 24)
-A fixed or firm belief.


Equanimity ("The Buddhas eyes were lowered, his unfathomable face expressed complete equanimity." pg 28)
-Being mentally or emotionally stable.

Understanding The Word

Vocabulary that was important to define:

Ascetic (Pg 11 " And the ascetic stood under his shoulders and legs and no longer froze,..")
-Is a person who completely dedicates his or her life to follow a religion or an idea by living a simple life without pleasures or material satisfaction.
   
Heron ( Pg 12 " ... used heron language, died a heron´s death.")
-A long legged and necked bird.



Endeavors (Pg 12 "...made the same endeavors.")
-To make an effort or try something.


Onerous (Pg 12 "... again felt into the torment of the onerous life cycle.")
-Oppressive or having obligations.

Nirvana (Pg 14 " He is sixty years old and has not attained Nirvana.")
-Being in a place or state that is free of pain and worry.


Indebted ( Pg 19 " This fruit, for which we are already indebted to Gotama...")
-Obligated to do a favor for someone in return of their kindness or other favor.

Finding Your True Self

I just started to read this book called Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. While reading, I connected the situation in the story with my life. I've never been what you call a "people pleaser", I am always willing to help others, but I am not going to let someone take advantage of me. I think I am the opposite of the character of the story, Siddhartha. In the story we can see that since he was little he followed what people wanted him to be. He was raised according to the verses of the holy book, he was expected to grow into being a intelligent man and to become a priest. That would make his parents proud.  His parents taught him a way of living and he never questioned it until now. It seems to me, that his parents may be living a dream of their own through their son. Personally, this has never happened to me, my parents always support my decisions and don't pressure me into anything. Sometimes people can be a little selfish, but I do believe that it is best to put yourself first and then help others. If you don't do this, then you will help others achieve their happiness, but you will remain unhappy, or bitter for the rest of your life.

Like Siddhartha realized, it is never too late to do what you want to do. He wanted to become a Samana and even though it was not what his parents wanted for him, he didn't take no for an answer, like we see here, " With your permission, Father, I have come to tell you that I wish to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics. I wish to become a Samana. I trust my father will not object."(Pg 7) He ended up getting what he wanted.