Transcript Siddhartha
Siddhartha Hermann Hesse Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (18771962) is loosely based on the spiritual journey taken by Siddhartha Gotoma and deals with the complications, anxieties, and ultimate rewards of shaping one’s beliefs. •Siddhartha has sometimes been called a work of reverse missionary and colonial activity, bringing to the West the lessons of a typically Eastern story of spiritual searching and fulfillment. •Being the story of one man’s religious journey, readers should leave the novel aware of their own beliefs and where it is they are going in their own paths. Brahmanism (Ancient Hinduism) •Ancient Hinduism, or Brahmanism, is based on the Vedas, an ancient group of prayers and hymns brought to India by the Indo-Aryans around 1500BC. •Hinduism is characterized by a strict caste system based on heredity. People are born into a caste and remain in that caste throughout their lives. There are five castes •Brahmins: priests who guard the traditions and rites of Hinduism •Kshatriyas: the nobility or ruling class, military •Vaishyas: those who engage in commerce, such as farmers and merchants •Shudras: servant class established to meet the needs of the higher castes •The Untouchables: the lowest caste; homeless, criminals, sick •The Upanishads is a collection of philosophical texts that explains the Vedas and Hinduism. •These texts give insight into the following Hindu beliefs: There is a universal soul called Brahman that constitutes the eternal, or the essence of everything. Sanskrit for “greater bliss.” Hindus spend their lives trying to become one with Brahman. This goal will be accomplished when one’s Atman, or individual soul, remerges with the universal spirit. Sanskrit for “oneself.” Through prayer, sacrifice, and pilgrimage one can tap more closely into atman and come closer to Brahman, or the absolute. Until one becomes part of the universal essence, he or she will experience a cycle of rebirth, or reincarnation, based on the life he or she has lived. This cycle is called samsara. The caste one is born into is based upon the karma, or actions & works, undertaken in a previous life. Jainism •Jainism is an ascetic faith that encourages fasting, meditation, and extreme abstinence. •According to Jains, one's highest goal should be moksha, the liberation from samsara. •To break ones earthly cycle, a soul has to be without attachment or self-indulgence. •This can be achieved only by ascetics who vow to uphold: non-violence, honesty, chastity, wealth, and attachment. Buddhism •For many adherents, the caste system and constant struggle inherent in Hinduism made Buddhism more appealing. •Buddhism first appeared in the 5th century BC when a wealthy Brahmin’s son, Siddhartha Gotoma, left his family in search for a way to end human suffering, in part reinforced by the strict tenants of Hinduism. •Gotoma was a sheltered prince and one day left the safety of his palace compound to see the world. What he found was sickness, death, and poverty. •In an effort to find enlightenment and understand the world around him, he left the palace and found many teachers to help him understand and approach this world of inequality. •Through meditation, Gotoma learned that the path to Nirvana, the state of being free from the cycle of endless rebirth, could be found if one was to break ties with earthly love and desire. •Once Gotoma had achieved nirvana through his own prayer and meditation, he decided to spread his philosophy. His followers called him Buddha, or the enlightened one. •Buddha believed that if you lived your life a certain way, based on certain codes, nirvana could be achieved. •That code emerges from what Buddha called the Four Noble Truths: 1. Existence is suffering 2. Suffering is a result of desire 3. Suffering ends when desire ends 4. The way to end desire is to follow the Eightfold Path (guidelines for belief, conduct, occupation, effort, etc.) Yellow: color of Earth/falling leaves, renunciation Lotus: flower that begins its life in the mud Ear lobes: elongated because of heavy earrings that were given up (wealth) Mudra: hand gestures, (banning negativity) Halo: inner peace, enlightenment. •Born in Germany, Hesse grew up as the son of Lutheran missionaries who spent time in India. •Hesse’s childhood was spent immersed in Eastern cultures and that affected his work. He was raised in a strictly religious household and could not participate in various social activites (including dancing and sports). •Hesse broke away from his parents at a young age after they expressed a desire for him to become a minister. Instead, he began his career as a scholar and writer by working in bookshops. •In 1916, Hesse’s wife was placed in a mental institution and his son became very sick. As a result of these pressures, Hesse was admitted to a sanitarium and underwent therapy. •A combination of his childhood and later adult experiences prompted him to write this novel about the shaping of beliefs and finding happiness. •Originally published in 1922, the novel didn’t become popular in the United States until the 1960’s. •Scholars have since studied this philosophical narrative of spiritual exploration as an allegory for Hesse’s experiences. •An allegory is a genre in which the text can be interpreted through a lens that reveals a hidden meaning– layers of symbolism found within a text. •Siddhartha is often seen as an allegory of Buddhism, reflecting its many tenets and beliefs. •During the Vietnam War, the novel was embraced by young readers who found in his protagonist a reflection of their own search for meaning in a troubled world. •Hesse's focus on Eastern culture, as well as his persistent theme of the individual striving for integrity in opposition to mass culture, appealed to a generation in upheaval and in search of renewed values. That journey is still prevalent in youth today. “Om is the bow, the arrow is the soul, Brahman is the arrow’s goal At which one aims unflinchingly” Atman/Self/Soul Brahman Om/Meditation/Perfection Same goal, different “bow”, different “oms”. What could Hesse be pointing out to us?