Siddhartha 2

When we left off, Siddhartha had fully indulged himself in the pleasures and luxury of the material world. But suddenly, Siddhartha is consumed by feelings of guilt, anger, and despair. As an attempt to end all of these feelings, he even contemplates suicide. Finally, he falls asleep beside a tree. As Siddhartha wakes up, he feels rejuvenated and transformed. Just like Siddhartha’s multiple transformations, we also experienced this “rebirth” in our class. Siddhartha contemplates, “Perhaps he had really died; perhaps he had drowned and was reborn in a new body?” (85). By now, we have seen that Siddhartha endure a number of these “rebirths”. Each one is like a stage of reincarnation. Although he is the same soul, he sees things differently and experiences new worlds. Siddhartha also explains that he looks back at his life in stages: As a boy, as a youth, and as a young man. I found this interesting because Swan also made this statement on Tuesday. Whether we individually accept or believe in reincarnation, it is true that we go through life in stages and sometimes, our experiences make us feel transformed. Siddhartha finally concludes that there isn’t just ONE path we must follow, but rather, “This path is foolish; it moves in loops, and perhaps it is going around in a circle” (91). Earlier on, Siddhartha believed the only way to reach enlightenment is through abandoning all pleasure, compassion, desire, and feelings. After falling in love, leaving his friend Govinda, and falling into depression, he realizes that life is complicated and that he must embrace these inevitable emotions. The author speaks in metaphors about a bird being released from Siddhartha. This bird, maybe the heron, is Siddhartha’s spirit animal. Rather than following a path on his pilgrimage, Siddhartha realizes that life itself is the pilgrimage. Siddhartha explains that, “The realization and knowledge of what wisdom actually is slowly blossomed and ripened within Siddhartha; he now knew what the goal of his long search was” (122). I think Siddhartha finally understands the meaning of compassion. When seeing Kamala on her deathbed, he is filled with emotions of love and grief—something Siddhartha did not feel for a long time. When he learns about Siddhartha Jr., Siddhartha becomes accepting and decides to raise his son.

Infinite Knot: Buddhist symbol for rebirth
http://www.etsy.com/listing/30943646/infinite-knot-buddhist-symbol-necklace

           

            During his life journey, Siddhartha realizes that he found the most enlightenment by meeting people and learning to feel compassion and suffering. In the beginning, Siddhartha thought the only way to achieve knowledge was through isolation and seclusion. However, the most valuable lessons are achieved through individual experiential learning. 

Siddhartha experienced compassion from his experience:
the death of Kamala, and finding his son
http://im.rediff.com/movies/2011/jan/11slide5.jpg