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Siddartha Essays

Siddartha Essays Siddartha Essay Siddartha Essay Essay Topic: Siddhartha Siddartha’s life-from birth to enlightenment to death is entwined with scriptures based on his teachings; together they form the essence of the Buddhist tradition. Siddhartha set out on his quest at a time of great spiritual ferment in India, when ascetic philosophers and wandering sages were debating fundamental questions that remained central to the Indian religious traditions through subsequent centuries. Four stages to Siddartha`s quest Siddhartha undertook a quest that was split into four main parts. These are understanding, escape from self, knowledge of self, and wisdom, (enlightenment). The first part, understanding, involved him living with his father who was a brahmin. Siddhartha realized that he made everybody else happy but that he himself was not.   He also got the feeling that he had already learned the best of what his teachers had to teach but it still was not enough.   He still was not satisfied. It was after meditating with Govinda that he realized what he had to do.   In an attempt to reach the arrows goal, he would leave his father to join the Samanas who he thought had the secrets to finding the self. With the Samanas, Siddhartha learned many ways to escape the self.   He would do this through meditation, abandonment of the body, fasting, and the holding of breath. He abandoned his body through these ways many times but would still always come back to being Self and Siddhartha. He would come back to feel the torment of that life cycle. Siddhartha soon found out that he was, in fact, going in circles. He saw that he was not gaining any knowledge from temporary escape but he would come back and find everything as it was before. This caused him not to believe in the Samanas practices and eventually resulted in Siddhartha leaving the Samanas to find spiritual enlightenment elsewhere. The third stage in Siddharthas quest was the knowledge of self. Siddhartha thought that if he were to just follow the teachings and not experience them for himself that he would deceive himself into believing that he was at peace when he actually was not. He decided to leave his friend and find his self through experience. It was afterwards when he had on his own the spiritual awakening. The fourth stage in Siddharthas quest was wisdom (enlightenment). Siddhartha came to the river wanting above all to gain experience himself. He did not know then the importance of the river. When he was there, there was a ferryman who said, Certainly, I have learned that from the river too; everything comes back.   All he wanted to do was put an end to his painful life but right when he was about to, he heard a sound that he had remembered from his childhood- Om. It was remembering of the indestructibleness of life that marked another new beginning for Siddhartha. He now knew that time was irrelevant and that the world of appearances is transitory. Now he was making a new pilgrimage, this time in rich mans clothes. He came back to the river that he had crossed long ago and met the same ferryman that had been kind to him. During his stay with the ferryman he realized that the river was a symbol of spiritual transition; timelessness, and a teacher of the unity of all things. He had g ained spiritual enlightenment. In the quest novel, there is a story of a young man who sets out in search of his true self.   Throughout the novel, Siddhartha continues to search for the true meaning of life.   He sacrifices everything, almost to the point of self-destruction, before finding what he is really looking for.   The element of conflict helps build the plot and leads to the turning point, Siddharthas discovery. While searching for Enlightenment, Siddhartha explores for the truth. At the dawn on his thirty fifth birthdays, he becomes fully enlightened. The journey is achieved by following the Siddhartha’s Four Nobel Truths; the universality of suffering, the origin of suffering, the overcoming of suffering and the way leading to the suppression of suffering. During his journey, Siddhartha overcomes these conflicts.   While some of them are negative, others prove to be for best.   As a result of his struggles, Siddhartha learns that happiness is not found through intellect, spirit, or commerce alone.   True happiness comes from inner peace and fulfillment.