The confrontation between Siddhartha and the elder Samana suggests
that enlightenment cannot come from teachers but must be realized
within, a fact Siddhartha will discover repeatedly on his quest.
Siddhartha leaves the Hinduism of his father because of its flaws,
just as he leaves the teachings of the Samanas because they do not
lead him to enlightenment. Siddhartha encounters resistance when
he tries to leave both his father and the Samanas, but in both cases
he leaves with their blessings, which suggests that these elders are
in error and that Siddhartha’s path is justified. Teachers may not be
able to give Siddhartha enlightenment, but they do, in their own ways,
set him on a path that will help him find enlightenment for himself.
Although Siddhartha looked to both instructors for knowledge of
enlightenment, both fail to give him what he needs, and Siddhartha
realizes that these paths will not lead him to the enlightenment
he seeks.
Despite the flaws Siddhartha finds with the Samanas’ teachings, his
interaction with them is essential to his quest for enlightenment, since
through them he realizes that enlightenment must not discount the
physical world. Siddhartha’s Brahmin upbringing led him to search
for an enlightenment based purely in spiritual knowledge, specifically
the idea of a universal force,Om. With the Samanas, Siddhartha
experiences his most purely spiritual existence to date, but his
failure to achieve enlightenment suggests to him that enlightenment
cannot be a purely spiritual. The material world consistently intrudes,
and Siddhartha must take it into account as he continues his search.
Though the Samanas’ path does not lead to the enlightenment Siddhartha
seeks, it does lead to an essential revelation that enables him
to eventually find enlightenment. Without the Samanas, Siddhartha
may have continued in his purely spiritual pursuits, perpetually
removing himself from the physical world and failing to reach his
goal. Though the Samanas don’t lead him to enlightenment, they help
him eliminate the purely spiritual path, thereby leading him closer
to finding a path to success.
The mesmerizing gaze Siddhartha gives the Samana elder
is never explained in the text, but the fact that Siddhartha apparently
has a certain power over the Samana suggests that he is already
spiritually superior. Not only did the Samanas not lead Siddhartha
to enlightenment, but Siddhartha is closer to it than they are,
even if neither he nor the Samanas realize it yet. Siddhartha’s
gaze renders the Samana speechless, which facilitates Siddhartha’s
departure. Just as he steadfastly waited in his father’s room when
he wanted to leave the Brahmins, he gazes steadily here to obtain
his goal. This gaze seems magical, but it also suggests something
very real and human: Siddhartha’s astonishing strength of will and
unwavering determination to reach enlightenment.
[T]here is one thing that this clear,
worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret
of what the Illustrious One himself experienced—he alone among hundreds
of thousands.
See Important Quotations Explained
Summary: Gotama
Siddhartha and Govinda journey to the camp of Gotama’s
followers, and the followers welcome them as spiritual pilgrims.
Gotama makes a deep impression on Siddhartha and Govinda. He seems
to radiate pure enlightenment. His teachings include Buddhism’s Eightfold
Path, the Fourfold Way, and other aspects of Buddhism, as well as
many practices similar to those of the Samanas. Siddhartha and Govinda
dedicate themselves to these teachings. Govinda quickly resolves
to give himself over completely to the lifestyle Gotama prescribes.
However, while Govinda is completely swayed by Gotama and decides
to join his followers permanently, Siddhartha has doubts and finds
he has trouble completely accepting some of Gotama’s teachings.
The next morning, when Siddhartha unexpectedly meets Gotama
in the grove, he boldly speaks to him about his doctrine, praising
his victory in finding the unbroken chain of being, of cause and effect.
For Siddhartha, however, the unity is imperfect. The message cannot
contain for Siddhartha, or for others, the secret of what Gotama
himself has experienced. Siddhartha also points out a contradiction
to Gotama: How can one embrace the unity of all things, as Gotama
asks, if they are also told to overcome the physical world?
Gotama responds that his goal is not to give a perfect
mathematical understanding of the universe, but to achieve freedom
from suffering. Siddhartha responds that while Gotama himself has achieved
Nirvana, he did it on his own, without a teacher. Siddhartha implicitly
questions the efficacy of the approach prescribed by Gotama to his
followers. Gotama admits that Siddhartha may technically have a
point but also notes that Siddhartha can put forward no spiritual
guidance superior to his own. Gotama asks if, according to Siddhartha’s
reasoning, his legions of followers would not be better off pursuing
a life of pleasure in the city. Siddhartha leaves his meeting with
Gotama unconvinced that Gotama’s way of life is right for him. Sadly,
he also leaves Govinda behind and begins a search for a way to find
the meaning of life that is not dependent on religious instruction.
Analysis: Gotama
Although Siddhartha has been looking for someone to show
him the path to enlightenment, his meeting with Gotama convinces
him that no formula for salvation or enlightenment can exist. Just
as the Hindus and Samanas that Siddhartha left behind preached a
specific route to enlightenment, Gotama similarly teaches a set
of rules. His rules, like those of the Hindus and Samanas, speak
of renunciation as a means of escaping suffering. However, Siddhartha
has already realized during his time with the Samanas that he cannot
reach enlightenment by rejecting the world of the Self and the world
of the body. He cannot believe in Nirvana if it means separation
from life’s suffering. By leaving Gotama, Siddhartha rejects the
prescribed formula for reaching enlightenment that this religion
offers. Siddhartha realizes that all religions offer specific formulas
for reaching enlightenment, just as all teachers offer knowledge
couched in terms of their own experiences, and so he cannot rely
on any individual religion or teacher in his search for enlightenment.
Neither Gotama nor any other guide can teach enlightenment because
wisdom must be learned through experience, and it cannot be communicated
through words. Gotama’s lectures communicate knowledge about enlightenment
and what causes suffering, but the listener cannot translate this
knowledge into actual enlightenment. The knowledge leads to greater
understanding, but words themselves cannot substitute for experience,
and their meaning depends on usage and interpretation. Though Gotama
speaks of enlightenment, his efforts can enable a follower only
to realize that the possibility of enlightenment exists—he cannot
provide enlightenment itself. The follower must experience the revelation
for himself or herself, which in a way renders a teacher useless:
the process of reaching enlightenment is internal. Siddhartha knows
this already, so he cannot become one of Gotama’s followers.
Govinda remains behind in order to follow Gotama, and although
Siddhartha is saddened by his departure, he also understands that
he must seek enlightenment alone. Because formulas for enlightenment
do not exist, and teachers cannot pass enlightenment on to their
students, Siddhartha must seek enlightenment by searching his own
soul alone. Gotama has followers, but he has already achieved enlightenment
and can endure distractions. Siddhartha, however, has not yet achieved
enlightenment and is distracted by Govinda’s presence. He will be
unable to achieve enlightenment as long as Govinda remains with
him, so he lets Govinda go. Only when Govinda leaves is Siddhartha
free to truly test himself in the manner necessary to bring about
enlightenment.
Summary: Awakening
When Siddhartha leaves the grove, he is done with teachers
and teaching. He wants to know himself, learn from himself, and
understand himself. He feels as though he is seeing the world, puzzling and
magical, for the first time. He realizes he is in the middle of
the world and that he is not enlightened, but that he can awaken
while learning more about himself. Siddhartha is suddenly
infused with a powerful certainty in his own powers of self-realization.
He feels he has truly become a man. He believes his path to Nirvana
will not come from following another person’s prescriptive lifestyle.
Instead, Siddhartha feels sure that his path to enlightenment will
come from within himself. Thus resolved, his new task will be to
discover how to find this enlightenment. His first impulse is to
return home to his father, but then he realizes that his home is
part of the past. He suddenly knows he is completely alone, and
a shudder runs through him.
Analysis: Awakening
In “Awakening,” Siddhartha fully understands that discovery
and enlightenment must come through the world of the here and now. Siddhartha
suddenly sees the world’s beauty and realizes that meaning is everywhere.
Here, in the midst of what exists within him and around him, Siddhartha
must discover who and what he is. He calls this discovery a rebirth,
one of several rebirths he will undergo during his quest. This rebirth
signifies the death of what he was and his ignorance of what he
will become. He knows he cannot return to his father because he
will not gain any more wisdom from the past. He is also aware that
he does not know where he’ll end up. In a way, this moment exists
independently of the rest of time: briefly, Siddhartha has no remembered
past and no discernible future. This moment in the present marks
more than a transition, however, because it offers Siddhartha a
glimpse of the sum of all individual instants in time. Although
Siddhartha barely realizes it, this supreme awareness brings him
close to the unity he seeks.
“Awakening” encapsulates the revelation Siddhartha has learned
from his experiences in the preceding chapters: Enlightenment cannot
be reached by relying on teachers or by ignoring the world. This
chapter marks the end of one phase of Siddhartha’s quest. The next
part of his quest must take him away from the spiritual world and
into the material world. Although Siddhartha had considered the
freedoms and limitations of the spiritual and material worlds in
earlier chapters, he contemplates them more fully here. Since these
thoughts end Part One, and since Siddhartha has an actual moment
of enlightenment in the middle of the chapter, we can assume that
these considerations prompt Siddhartha’s greater understanding of
self. “Awakening” gathers the import of the first few chapters,
crystallizes them within Siddhartha’s mind, and shows how they act
as catalyst for revelation, prompting Siddhartha to move forward
into the material world. He can no longer ignore the material world.
His imminent investigation of the material world, and the knowledge
he’ll gain from this investigation, will be just as important as
the knowledge he has gained thus far from his association with teachers
and religion.
The conclusion to “Awakening” suggests that Siddhartha’s upcoming
investigation into the material world is a continuation of a correct
path toward enlightenment. Siddhartha knows what he seeks and is
aware of when he moves toward it or remains static in one stage
of development. Although he feels a moment of despair about his
solitude, he continues with renewed vigor. The lessons he has learned
are clear in his mind, he sees the world in its beauty, and he is
energized to move forward. Although he does not have a clear sense
of how he’ll achieve his enlightenment, he is confident that he will
find his way through his own direction. The heightened moment of
lyricism in the middle of the chapter seemingly bolsters Siddhartha’s
confidence. Through this lyrical writing, Hesse conveys to the reader
that Siddhartha’s optimism is correct, and that the next steps will
bring him closer to his goal.
