Siddhartha Essays

There are few historical figures, religious or secular, as highly revered as Siddhartha Gautama and Jesus of Nazareth.  Both leaders established major religions that are exclusive of each other; one can not subscribe wholly to the tenets of either religion without consequently denying the validity of the other.   Nevertheless, it is evident that the […]

The notion of dissatisfaction is echoed in the lives of Raskolnikov and Siddhartha, the protagonists of ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘Siddhartha’. An impoverished student, Raskolnikov thought he was part of some elite Superman echelon. He thought he could revolutionize society but poverty constrained his goals. This led to discontent. Ultimately, he vented his frustrations by […]

In literature, authors use symbolism to relay messages to the reader throughout a story. Rivers can portray many themes in a unique manner. In The Divine Comedy and Siddhartha, the protagonists cross rivers towards their goal of Enlightenment. Dante crosses five rivers throughout his journey hell to paradise. Siddhartha crosses one river multiple times. Passage […]

The good life for Siddhartha is happiness. Siddhartha is able to live the good life by finding happiness as described by Richard Taylor in the chapter “Happiness”. In his chapter “Happiness” from An Introduction to Virtue Ethics, Richard Taylor discusses things that can confused with happiness and says that “happiness is a kind of fulfillment” […]

Harvey (25) perceives Buddhism as a religious doctrine, while many Buddhists regard it as more of a philosophy. According to Buddha and his disciples, Buddhism teaches that suffering in life stems from desire, hatred, and delusion. By eradicating these causes, individuals can attain enlightenment. The religion’s historical accounts encompass diverse narratives, but the most frequently […]