The Change

I just read the chapter By the River. this was a very interesting and different chapter. In this chapter a lot of things happen in very little time. One of the things I found shocking from this chapter was the suicide thoughts Siddhartha had.

In page 72 when he says “he wishes passionately for oblivion, to be at rest, to be dead.” I had a connection to people who are depressed and have had thoughts of suicide. I could relate this to this topic because I think this is what they feel. They are just tired of what there life is or of what it has become. They are tired of life and they just want a rest and they think the only way of getting it is by dying. In the next pages he is saying that he wants to die. He says he should let go and not live. He keeps like this until he “wakes up” and realizes that this thought he is having are absurd that he isn’t valuing life. I think that this thought he had showed us a very different side of Siddhartha. It showed his weak side.

In pg. 72 Siddhartha had an event to which I could relate very easily. “When he falls asleep in the coconut tree he wakes up and he is very disorientated and confused.” He doesn’t know where he is or how he got there. I could relate to this because I think it happens to all of us very often. Sometimes when we are staying at our friend’s house we wake up and we don’t know where are are, you feel super confused you don’t know where you are or how you got there, then you just take a minute to think and you remember everything.

When Siddhartha and Govinda see each other they show us how much Siddhartha has changed.  We can infer that the change has been very drastic because Govinda who has been his friend for a very long time doesn’t even recognize him.

I think this was a very shocking chapter because so many things happened. It started with him having ideas of suicide and finishes with him accepting life is a cycle and there’s nothing you can do about it. 

Ennui: feeling of discontent resulting from lack of interest.

solace: comfort in trouble, misfortune, or sorrow.

Besmirched: take away apart from the honor.



carousing: drink frequently.

Does Money Control?

In my previous blog I talked about how I thought Siddhartha was going to change because of money. I made the prediction that he was going to become like other people, he was going to depend on possessions and he was going to become stressed because of them. After reading this chapter I realized I was right. I could see this in pg 63 and in pg 64 when he said “property, possessions and riches had also finally trapped him. He was no longer kindhearted to beggars, he no longer had the desire to give gifts and loans to the poor.’’ Here we can see how Siddhartha has been trapped by possessions and now is just like everybody else he depends on materials things (now he is materialistic.) 

We can also see how he has changed, now he isn't so kind and concerned about others now he is only concerned about himself.  I think it’s been interesting to see how Siddhartha keeps changing throughout the book. I think it’s very cool how they show all the changes in his personality and beliefs while he is searching who he really is. I relate this to a lot of people who go through a lot of faces before they find who they really are and who they really want to be and I think Siddhartha is in that process.All this made me remember of Spiderman. It made me remember this because Spiderman also goes through a lot of changes in his life before he realizes who he wants to be.They both go through a lot of different paths and try a lot of things searching for the right one.Both of them had a lot of decision making that change which path they took. I wonder where Siddhartha is heading next, Is he going to stay with the merchant or will he find a new place to go?

Tepid: 

1. lack of force or enthusiasm.

2.Moderately warm

Squandering: to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully.

scornfully: full of scorn; derisive; contemptuous (Showing or expressing anything considered mean.)

Exalted: raised or elevated, as in rank or character.

New Wisdom

In pg 52 when Siddhartha said “I possess nothing, said Siddhartha if that is what you mean. I am certainly without possessions, but of my own free will, so I am not in need.”  It made me think a lot about possessions. I mean a lot of people are mostly stressed and they work and work and work so that they have possession or so that they don't  lose the ones they already have. A lot of people are not happy because of this, I mean how could they if they only live stressed. This just made me think what if you didn’t have possessions to lose or to be stressed about, why we need so many things? why can’t we just try to be simple and not always want more?  A prediction I had while reading this chapter was that Siddhartha was going to become just like the merchant and like other people he is going to start to depend on possessions.

vocab

servile- characteristic of proper to, or customary for slaves. (pg 53)

endeavored- make an effort (pg 53)

plunge- to bring suddenly (pg 54)

hastiness-moving or acting quickly(pg 55)

supple-characterized by responsiveness and adaptability in mental action (pg 59)

New Life

My video blog

New Me

I bet that a lot of people can relate to Siddhartha in this part of the book.  “He felt that he had also left his former life behind him” Here he is starting a new life. He has a clean slate, he has new ideas, he thinks differently. When he says this we know he will start living differently, he has left his old life behind he is starting a new one. I think this is where people can relate to him.  I personally can’t relate to him, I have never moved or gone to another school I haven’t real made any big drastic changes, I haven’t really started a new life.  But people who have moved or changed schools should know how it feels just to start over. “The reason why Siddhartha has remained alien and unknown to myself is due to one thing,  to one single thing-I was afraid of myself I was fleeing from myself.” I think this is a really good point. Sometime people are afraid of being there selves. They are afraid of being and doing what they want to, so they never really get to know themselves they only know the mask that is hiding them.

Asceticism- the manner of life, practices, or principles of an ascetic.

ascetic: Person that dedicates his life to contemplating ideas. Or a person who decides to live a simple life. 

I am Not Staying

When Siddhartha says “but there is one thing that this clear, worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced” I think this happens a lot people just give you instructions and steps of how to do something they never tell you how they got there how it felt or how the road was.  I think often people don’t tell you their experience because you have to create your own. They can only help you and try to guide you but you have to make your own decisions and path.

“But he has given to me Siddhartha, myself.”  I think that when Siddhartha says this he is trying to say that Buddha help him find himself.  This chapter left me with a lot of doubts. I wonder, where is Siddhartha going? He is not going to look for another master, teacher or anyone he left that clear when he said “I am going my way not to seek another and better doctrine, for I know there is none” but, if he is not looking for more teacher and only wants to achieve his goal alone with not even his friend where will he go will he just isolate himself? Or what?

A bode- a place in which a person resides; residence; dwelling; habitation; home

Monk- a man who is a member of a monastic order: (person who is related to monasteries)

 

Sojourn-temporary stay

Siddhartha No Longer Samana

(pg 11) “Siddhartha had one single goal-to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow- to let the Self die.”  I think that this goal to become empty is really interesting. In my opinion what he wants is to stop feeling. I connect this to someone that wants to become a robot, I mean robots don’t feel but, they are still alive (you could say.) I don’t really understand fully this goal. I think that it would be cool not to feel certain things but at the same time he is always saying that he wants more knowledge and wisdom but if he does get more knowledge and wisdom he won’t be empty. Maybe this is why he wants to be empty maybe he wants to stop wanting to want more knowledge every time.

In pg 13 Siddhartha compares meditating with drinking. “It is a flight from the self, it is a temporary escape from the torment of Self. It is a temporary palliative against the pain and folly of life. The driver of e=oxen makes this same flight, takes this temporary drug when he drinks a few bowls of rice wine” I agree with this statement, well I do think that they are alike. I think this is true because people especially now days drink so that they can get away, and get some time in peace just like meditating and they are both just temporary solutions.

I agree with Govinda when he says “We have learned much, Siddhartha. There still remains much to learn. We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” (pg 14) I agree with him in this because I do think life is a spiral. I agree because I do think we go upwards we don’t just stay in the same place, also I don’t think it’s a circle because even if similar things happen in life you learn from your mistakes and from your past.

I think it’s really brave how Siddhartha decides not to follow the Samanas anymore and instead goes to find Buddha. I like that he took the risk of going to find Buddha because he wasn’t getting what he needed with the Samanas.

Heron: any of numerous long-legged, long-necked, usually long-billed birds of the family Ardeidae.

Empty: containing nothing; 

I think this was an important word because it described Siddhartha’s goal.

Buddha: Also called Butsu, Gautama, Gautama Buddha. ( Prince Siddhāttha  or Siddhartha  ) 566?–c480 b.c,Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism.

Is it what I want?

I just started to read the book Siddhartha, by Hermann Hessen. The main character in this book is Siddhartha, a boy who is very intelligent, wise and, most importantly makes everybody happy. You would think he is perfect, but there is only one problem, even though he makes everyone happy he isn't happy himself. Siddhartha says that he thinks something is missing. He thinks that his knowledge and wisdom is not complete.

 I can’t really relate to Siddhartha, well I can’t imagine myself making everyone happy but myself. I don’t want to be selfish, but I do think that to make people happy you have to be happy first. Something else in which I can’t relate to Siddhartha is in the treatment of his parents. It looks like his parents have his future planned out. In pg 6 there is a question from Govinda to Siddartha “will your father permit it?” from this question I could infer that his parents already have a plan. Also, they don’t support him in every decision. I can’t relate to him in this matter either because my parents are the total opposite, they support me in every decision or idea even if it’s the craziest thing they have heard.  Even though I can’t relate to Siddhartha in these matters, I could relate to him when he talks about his friend Govinda. Govinda looks like a really good friend to Siddhartha; he supports him, helps him and, follows him. I can relate to him in this matter because I also have that really good friend that supports you in any decision and helps you. 

I don't think its selfish that he has changed his mind and has decided to find his own happiness, i think that its what people deserve and I would do the same.