Siddhartha Part 1 Notes – Flashcards

The four noble truths are life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path to the cessation of suffering. Life means suffering, because even though life brings along several beautiful things, it is not perfect. There will always be obstacles and things that will challenge us physically, mentally, and emotionally. We must suffer, cry, and deal with death, but we also get the gift of being loved, finding happiness, and caring for others. We will all die one day, which is why we must find our happiness even in times of such pain.

The eight fold path is about how to end suffering. It has wisdom, which includes the right view and right intention. It has ethical conduct, which includes right speech, right action, and right livelihood. It also has mental development, which includes right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The right view is seeing and understanding things with perspective. It is something we achieve by having insight on something then ending with complete understanding of the topic. Right intention refers to how we control our actions and whether or not we think they are morally correct. Right speech is behavioral discipline. Right action is the expression of the body. Right livelihood is a way of earning your wealth or lifestyle. Right effort is the will to try something. Right mindfulness is the mental ability to see things the way they are and be reasonable. Right concentration is your focus on something. Following on from the Buddha's famous Four noble Truths, a) that life is suffering b) suffering results in desires c) to stop suffering, stop desiring, d) to stop desiring there is the eight fold path. This path consists of 1) right views, 2) right livelihood, 3) right speech, 4) right action, 5) right livelihood, 6) right effort, 7) right awareness, 8) right concentration.

The big S refers to the pain of life and what comes from all of this outside attractions. It could also mean becoming one with themselves. The lower s is just generally saying "yourself." Goal - to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow -to let the Self die

It is the central power of the universe in their religion. breath, principle of life, the individual soul; in the grammar of Sanskrit it is also used as the reflexive pronoun: oneself

It is the circle of life.

It is the wonders of the difficulties, challenges, and illusions of the world. a Sanskrit term meaning 'circuit of mundane existence', the existence within worldly illusion. What befalls Siddhartha when he leaves the Samanas and joins the world of Kamaswami and Kamala aptly describes, in this context, what Hesse intends to convey by using the term.

It is the physical beauties that take us away from reality. a Sanskrit term denoting illusion, the physical world of appearances that surrounds us, blinding us to the reality behind it. Maya is that power in Nature that creates this illusion. The work of spiritual aspirants is to seek and experience the unity behind apparent multiplicity.

It is the cleansing one's self.

It is a ritual that begins and ends a prayer. It focuses you in and brings peace to the mind when meditating or doing prayer. pronounced (Aum); whole texts have been written on this sound. Simply; it appears in the Upanishads as a mystic monosyllable, the object of this profound religious meditation. Later it came to represent the Hindu triad, Vishnu, Siva, Brahma. Om often begins and ends prayers, chants and meditations.

It is a branch of Hinduism. not to be confused with Brahman (see above). The priestly class, highest of the four division in ancient Hindu society; strictly speaking, one who knows and repeats Vedas, e.g. Siddhartha and his family.

It is the oldest of the sacred knowledge having to do with the Hindu religion. the oldest of the Vedas (see Veda).

It is the process of kneeling down and gaining knowledge and learning about the supreme spirit. According to some 'the sitting down at the feet of another to listen to his words', acquiring profound secretive knowledge in this manner. But native authorities claim that the term means 'setting at rest ignorance by revealing the knowledge of the supreme spirit'. In the Upanishads nothing is spoken of as a means to the attainment of the highest end of man (enlightenment) of the self and Brahman; texts such as Isha, Kena, Brihadaranyaka are well worth our study. The novel mentions others.

It is an effort to leave oneself and go to a weary state of mind. a variant of the Sanskrit 'sramana', to exert oneself, become weary, hence the meaning of performing 'acts of austerity', etc. Its opposite is 'ashram', a place to rest, retreat from the toils of this life and world.

• Sick, soul slipped into corpse • Gives his clothes • Becomes skinny & unclean - lets happiness and sorrow out

• Goal - to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow -to let the Self die • When self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self—the great secret

• Stood in sun' rays until he no longer felt pain and thirst • Self-denial & meditation • Suffers many pains - learns to manage his breath, turn into dust, experience troubled course of life • Enter dead body back into his own

His thirst always came back • Killing himself doing all of this • Cannot close goal of salvation

• "I could have learned more quickly and easily in every inn in a prostitute's quarter, amongst the carriers and dice players." • He learns all this while suffering, which he could possible learn better in the inner life easily • The people that do this escape themselves of reality quite easily, but Siddhartha must endure such pain - so that's why

• Nothing, because knowledge has been everywhere • He believes that his knowledge has no worse enemy than man of knowledge, than learning • All around them is not real knowledge

• Buddha, Illustrious One, Skyamuni • Important person doing a lot of stuff • Conquered sorrows on world & brought cycle of rebirth

• Hypnotized him by looking into eyes & made him do whatever he wants • He has more powers than Samana

• Teaches eightfold path, fourfold way, & embrace unity of all things to achieve freedom from suffering

• Gold robe • Enlightenment • Not necessarily different from everybody else

• Accepted the teachings (life was pain and how to release from it towards salvation like the Buddha) • Siddhartha does not accept teachings and thinks he will now be a distraction to Govinda • Siddhartha feels that his teachings break at one point which will not give him salvation

• Going on his own way—to seek another and better doctrine, for there is none, but leave all doctrines and teachers and to reach his goal alone -or die • On his own - cannot rely on a teacher or religious person in his search

• He says for them to follow the teachings and reach their goal; not for him to judge another life • He must judge his own and then talks about his

• Robbed his friend • He was his shadow but is now Gotama's shadow, because he would always believe in him but now Gotama • He has given Siddhartha, himself

• Study himself so he can understand • He always wanted to get rid of the self and conquer it, but he couldn't - he could only fly away or leave • He is different and he does not know about it • He was afraid of himself - he was seeing others to worship and learn from - by doing that he lost himself on the way

• Realizes all he has to do now - a bit scared • He is all alone - been alone

• Alone like a star

• He has awakened

Siddhartha is unhappy with his life, because he cannot find peace with his religion. He is not satisfied and his heart is not still. He is like a "waiting vessel" because he has all thi sknowledge with all this possible power, but he does not know hwat to do with it.

Siddhartha thinks that the average Brahmin has a lot of intellect but does not really connect with all that knowledge, nor are they really truly happy with their lives.

Siddhartha is disillusioned witht he ritual of ablution, because he believes that it does not really work and it is pointless. It will not bring him happiness nor wash away his sins.

The Brahmin taught that the Self was the source of everything, including peace and happiness, and that everything else we try to seek is a mistake. It is the innermost deepest part of being human.

Conscious and unconscious life puzzles Siddhartha, because the unconscious is actually happy and finds his innermost and all the wisdom comes together. However, the conscious would be the Brahmins and they are not truly happy, which is ironically confusing for Siddhartha.

The Samanas were thin worn out men, neither dead nor young, who were strange, poor, and in poor conditions, as well as practically naked and hostile. They had a passion and a great service to others and their religious teachings. The author feels that they are strange people, but with great intentions and passionate beliefs.

Siddhartha is respectful towards his father, but he is very stubborn, because he does not want to take "no" for an answer. He is puzzled, because his father makes him wait outside all night, then he tells him yes at the end with the condition that he teaches him if he likes it, and if not, then they will offer sacrifices together.

Siddhartha convinced his father, by staying out all night with his arms crossed. He sowed him that he really wanted the opportunity to do it. He did not just go, because he knew that would disappoint his father, and eh has too much respect for him.

When he joins the Samanas, he only ate once a day, never cooked food, fasted fourteen days, fasted twenty-eight days, and became very unhealthy.

After seeing people from the Samana point of view, he concludes that everybody was born to die and that life is pain. He also believes that we must suffer then find a way back up each time.

Siddhartha's new goal is to become empty of thirst, desire, pleasure, and sorrow. He wants to let the Self die.

While he is with the Samanas, Siddhartha learned how to hypnotize, self-denial, how to endure pain, how to save his breath, and lessen his heartbeats.

After he practiced self-denial for some time, he experienced the disappointment that each time he conquered thirst it came back.

According to Siddhartha, knowledge quenches his thirst but is never enough and is basically power. Compared to learning, knowledge is equally unsatisfying, because learning is constantly a repetition of something he already knows.

Govinda is willing to take the time to learn and Siddhartha just wants the knowledge at once. Govinda just does as he goes, but Siddhartha wants more detail and something different.

They learn that Gotama Buddha is actually very intelligent, wise, respectful, and charitable.

The leader of the Samanas show that he cannot always exercise control, because he cannot control Siddhartha's decision of whether or not he wants to continue this religion or not.

Siddhartha sees no reason to be able to walk on water, because he does not have the need to stay, because his desires and goals have not been achieved.