Jayson Wieczorek

Period 7
Siddhartha-Hermann Hesse
Intro
a.) Atman-means soul. Atman was called the Holy One which all would try to be in unity with
b.) Brahman-the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world
c.) Brahmin-an individual belonging to the Brahmin caste. Usually a priest
d.) Maya-pretending to exhibit or claiming to have a god quality that one lacks
e.) Samana-a traveling ascetic who believes that a life of deprivation and wandering is the path to selfactualization
The Son of the Brahman
1. Siddhartha felt that his family and friends love did not make him wholly happy. He felt as though his
mind wasnt full even though the Brahmins taught him everything they knew. He was missing a sense of
fulfillment and completion.
2. The verse means that without the Om, or sacred word, the soul cannot be directed toward Brahma.
There must be a driving force that moves you toward inner unity. Another meaning is that once an
arrow is fired, its path cannot be change. When Siddhartha chooses a path to enlightenment, Govinda
cannot change his decision.
With the Samanas
3. Siddhartha gets his fathers permission by standing in a room waiting for his fathers decision.
Siddharthas father saw his determination and let him go with the Samanas. His father also saw that
Siddharthas heart already left him and agreed to let Siddhartha go.
4. The Samanas are trying to achieve enlightenment through emptying the body of all worldly things.
They regularly fast and refrain from other things. They believe that with an empty body, a unified inner
self is almost certain to emerge. Siddhartha entered the heron and jackal to experience a new thirst.
5. Siddhartha means that the Samanas didnt give him anything that someone else could not have
taught him.
6. Siddhartha means that you cant learn anything from the world or from people around you, only
through Atman. He believes that there is no such thing as learn, there is only knowledge, and it is
everywhere.
7. Siddhartha says that he wants to leave the Samanas in order to seek out the Buddha.
8. Siddhartha has no desire to walk on water because he feels as though it is a trick and is not necessary.
Gotama
9. Siddhartha thinks they will learn nothing from Gotama because he already heard all of the Buddhas
teachings from second and third-hand accounts.

10. It is important for Govinda to choose to follow Gotama because it showed that he was capable of
making his own decisions. Govinda always did whatever Siddhartha did, but he now choose something
other than what he was doing.
11. Siddharthas conversation with Gotama is important because it tells the reader the reason that
Siddhartha chose not to follow the Buddha. I learned more about Siddharthas personality and his
beliefs through this conversation. Also there was a lot of possible foreshadowing about Siddhartha in
Gotamas words.
12. Gotama gave Siddhartha himself because he allowed Siddhartha to realize who he truly was and
wanted he truly wanted. Gotama also helped Siddhartha solidify his beliefs about enlightenment.
Awakening
13. The stages of Siddharthas transformation are:
1) Siddhartha felt as though he left his previous life behind him.
2) Siddhartha discovered what he was trying to learn.
3) Siddhartha recognized that he now needed to be his own teacher.
4) He felt total isolation because of his rebirth.
Kamala
14. Siddhartha distrusted the world of the senses because he thought that his senses were not pure and
they did work fully until he was reborn. He thought of reality differently before he was reborn. Before
his rebirth, he always questioned things but now he took them for what they were.
15. To be present means to experience the moment and be mentally there, not just physically there. It
means to belong to the moment.
16. Siddharthas inner voice said no because