Siddhartha Context
- 1. Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha
- 2. Life of Hermann Hesse Born in the Black Forest area of Germany in 1877 Family of Christian Missionaries – expected that he would become a priest Enrolled in a Protestant Seminary in 1891, but was expelled
- 3. Life of Hermann Hesse Visit to India in 1911 interested him in Eastern Religion/Philosophy Published Siddhartha in 1922 – classic novel about an Indian youth’s long spiritual quest for the meaning of life
- 4. Siddhartha The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals”.
- 5. Siddhartha Structure of novel follows three stages of life in traditional Indian philosophy: student ( brahmacarin ) householder ( grihastha ) recluse ( vanaprastha )
- 6. Siddhartha Part One of Novel (Chapters 1-4) follows Buddha’s Four Noble Truths : 1. Life means suffering. 2. The origin of suffering is attachment. 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. 4. The path to the cessation of suffering.
- 7. Siddhartha Part Two of Novel (chapters 5-12) follow Buddha’s Eightfold Path : Right View Right Intention Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration
- 8. Siddhartha Hesse’s novel is not the actual story of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) The Buddha appears in Hesse’s novel as the character Gotama .
- 9. Karma What is karma? Literally means "action” The idea of karma had existed in ancient Indian philosophy before the time of Siddhartha Gautama, and it became an important element of Buddhist philosophy. Positive actions lead to Positive states while unwholesome actions lead to unwholesome states, individually as well as collectively.
- 10. Rebirth Karma can span more than one lifetime Rebirth is the process of being born over and over again Walking the wheel of life (samsara) As long as there is desire, there is karma
- 11. Om (Aum) Sacred syllable in both Hinduism & Buddhism Believed to be the spoken essence of the universe
- 12. Hinduism vs. Buddhism Siddhartha begins the novel as a Brahmin (class of educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism) Some differences: Hinduism is not founded by any particular prophet Hindus believes in the Vedas (sacred scriptures) In Buddhism, Karma is not earned by following the dharma of your caste. Instead you can move toward entry into Nirvana by following the eightfold path.
- 13. How does this all relate to Herman Hesse? Most of his writing deals with the individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality Grew up immersed in theology, philosophy, and psychology Hesse’s novels saw a revival in popularity during the counterculture movement of the 1960’s, due to shared themes (quest for enlightenment, the individual’s search for self)
- 14. Sources http://www.gss.ucsb.edu/projects/hesse/life/jennifer.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_(novel) http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Indian_philosophy http://thebigview.com/buddhism/ http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_buddhism.asp