But then, a sound. Before the taking the plunge that would end the emptiness, Siddhartha’s soul flashes with a sound: the sacred “om”. And when the word, the completion, touches Siddhartha’s ears, he recognizes, for the first time, his true consciousness. Backing away from the precipice towards the foot of the coconut tree, Siddhartha utters om to himself, utters knowing the full meaning of Brahmin and the indestructibility of life. He knows and falls into a deep sleep.
Part II. The Road to Enlightenment
The Village
Because of the high expectations of those around him and the isolation he faced due to his abilities, Siddhartha was essentially left alone to ponder the ultimate goal of all Brahmins: breaking the circle of reincarnation and achieving Enlightenment. These thoughts consumed him; he worked hard to let go of his ego, his sense of self, in order to become part of the greater universe. But he struggled to lose his selfness and, in order to focus more on this, he decided to become a samana. Although Siddhartha did not realize this at the time, one of the main reasons he could not lose his ego was because of the high expectations of his village. By being constantly praised and put on a pedestal, Siddhartha came to view himself as higher and separate from those around him. He saw himself as better than the rest of his fellow Brahmins, which inflated his ego. Unaware of this, Siddhartha journeyed with Govinda to join the samanas. |
Siddhartha was born and raised in a Brahmin village, as the son of the head Brahmin. Because Brahmins are the religious priest caste in Hinduism, Siddhartha’s life revolved around sacred practices, including meditation, recitation, and contemplation, in which he excelled. In fact, the entirety of the Village looked upon him as prince among Brahmins.
“They all loved Siddhartha. He brought joy to them all, he delighted them all.” Everyone had high expectations for him, but the one who looked up to Siddhartha the most was his friend Govinda, who believed that Siddhartha would one day become a radiant being. It could be said that Govinda was less of a friend and more of a disciple or follower of Siddhartha. Govinda |
The Forest
After Siddhartha realizes that staying in the Brahmin Village is not what he needs to do in order to achieve his goal, he travels to be a Samana with his friend Govinda. They temporarily inhabit a large and isolated forest. In the forest, Siddhartha continues to do his normal practices, including fasting and meditating, but on a much deeper and extreme level. He forgets everything else that he had ever thought about in his life, and secludes himself from the world.
He shares with him that he believes he must leave and go his own way, because he cannot be taught, which he Buddha had reaffirmed. He says,
“That is why I am resuming my wandering - not to seek a better teaching, a better understanding, for I know that there is none; but to leave all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal alone or die.”
“That is why I am resuming my wandering - not to seek a better teaching, a better understanding, for I know that there is none; but to leave all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal alone or die.”
The Town
Since the samanas’ method of rejecting the world did not bring about enlightenment, Siddhartha decided that one must fully experience the world in order to lose the ego. After crossing a river and meeting a ferryman who reaffirmed this belief, Siddhartha arrived at a town where he promptly met with the highest class prostitute in the area, Kamala. In order to achieve his goal, Siddhartha wanted to learn from her, learn the ways of love and lust. Kamala, intrigued by the young man, advised him to obtain some wealth before he came here again. And he did. He used his only three possessions which Siddhartha stated as
"I can think. I can wait. I can fast." to befriend the merchant Kamaswami. Kamaswami introduced Siddhartha to the world of money and greed. A prominent businessman, Kamaswami gained trust in Siddhartha’s ability to be removed and detached. He paved the way for Siddhartha to gain his own wealth and influence, which he did in great abundance. |
Kamaswami |
Kamala |
For the longest time, Siddhartha held himself above the “child people” of the town. He relied on his abilities of “thinking, waiting, and fasting” to remain superior to those around him. No, unlike the petty humans in the town, who were stuck in their cycles of samsara, their menial tasks, Siddhartha was doing this to achieve the highest goal of enlightenment. But as he spent more time in the town, as he lived with Kamaswami and indulged in the perks of wealth, Siddhartha lost sight of his goal. He too becomes one of the “child people”. No longer was his life about anything more than just the day to day. Siddhartha grew older in that town, forgot the fiery persistence of his youth, and became stuck in samsara. But this does not go entirely unnoticed by Siddhartha. Years later, as his zeal for wealth and greed died out, Siddhartha realized that he lost his purpose, he lost the voice in his head that guided him towards his past. Distressed and distraught, he left the town without telling anyone and traveled to the river.
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The River
In search of answers and meaning, Siddhartha traveled to the river that he crossed in order to get to the town. Feeling that he failed his life and purpose, that he has erred so far from his path that he would not ever reach enlightenment, Siddhartha, standing on a ledge beneath a coconut tree, closed his eyes and “leaned toward death.”
“But now, from the remote regions of his soul, from past times of his worn-out life, a sound came flashing. It was a word, a syllable, which he lulled unthinkingly to himself, the old initial word and final word of all Brahmin prayers...”
It was the “om”, the perfect wholeness of the universe. Siddhartha suddenly realized the folly of his attempted suicide and, overwhelmed with thoughts about his life and purpose, meditated under the tree. When Siddhartha woke up, he was faced with someone from his long ago past: Govinda. Newly reborn, Siddhartha saw Govinda as troubled under his guise as a Buddhist monk. Although Govinda himself did not realize it, Siddhartha knew that there was no way in which Govinda could achieve enlightenment if he continued to follow others’ teachings and not discover it for himself. The now enlightened Siddhartha sent Govinda along and traveled further along the river.
Siddhartha heard the river’s voice, the voice of all those who had passed along it: old women, young boys, wealthy landowners, the poorest beggars. He heard those voices and understood that everyone, from the most sinful man to the Buddha himself, were the same. They were all one, all part of this world. He continued to travel along the river until he once again meets the ferryman, Vasadeva, who also heard the river’s voice and continued to hear it. Siddhartha decided to live with the ferryman, live next to the river that connects all things, and help guide others across. And although he journey was not complete yet, for the first time, Siddhartha felt at peace.
“But now, from the remote regions of his soul, from past times of his worn-out life, a sound came flashing. It was a word, a syllable, which he lulled unthinkingly to himself, the old initial word and final word of all Brahmin prayers...”
It was the “om”, the perfect wholeness of the universe. Siddhartha suddenly realized the folly of his attempted suicide and, overwhelmed with thoughts about his life and purpose, meditated under the tree. When Siddhartha woke up, he was faced with someone from his long ago past: Govinda. Newly reborn, Siddhartha saw Govinda as troubled under his guise as a Buddhist monk. Although Govinda himself did not realize it, Siddhartha knew that there was no way in which Govinda could achieve enlightenment if he continued to follow others’ teachings and not discover it for himself. The now enlightened Siddhartha sent Govinda along and traveled further along the river.
Siddhartha heard the river’s voice, the voice of all those who had passed along it: old women, young boys, wealthy landowners, the poorest beggars. He heard those voices and understood that everyone, from the most sinful man to the Buddha himself, were the same. They were all one, all part of this world. He continued to travel along the river until he once again meets the ferryman, Vasadeva, who also heard the river’s voice and continued to hear it. Siddhartha decided to live with the ferryman, live next to the river that connects all things, and help guide others across. And although he journey was not complete yet, for the first time, Siddhartha felt at peace.
Part III. Siddhartha Wakes Up
Beneath the coconut tree, a newborn, dressed in the clothes of a rich older man, opens his eyes. The river, the trees, they all look different now. No, Siddhartha is different. For the first time he is seeing the world as it truly is.
Across from him sits a man who once knew the old Siddhartha, followed him like a shadow. There sits Govinda, barely identifiable in his age and monk clothing. He, too, now wakes from a sleep. He does not recognize Siddhartha, but Siddhartha recognizes him. He knows the thoughts and attitudes of Govinda for he too once held them: the idea that Enlightenment is separation, that those who are Enlightened are beyond everyone else. Siddhartha sees that in Govinda, and calls out to him. Startled and confused, Govinda turns and realizes that the older, disheveled man whose sleep he was guarding is his former best friend, the one he worshipped.
Siddhartha can read the disbelief in Govinda’s eyes. He knows that the monk is puzzled by him and more than a bit uncomfortable. So the smiling Siddhartha bids him farewell, understanding that their paths may cross yet again. But truly, Siddhartha understands much more than that. He looks at the ceaseless river and hears the voices of all: priests, monks, mothers, children, merchants, all those that he used to look down upon. He hears the voices and knows that he is one of them, that he is all of them, that they are the voice of “om”, that they are “om” themselves. Siddhartha stares at the river, the cycle that goes on forever, and decides to spend the rest of his life here.
Across from him sits a man who once knew the old Siddhartha, followed him like a shadow. There sits Govinda, barely identifiable in his age and monk clothing. He, too, now wakes from a sleep. He does not recognize Siddhartha, but Siddhartha recognizes him. He knows the thoughts and attitudes of Govinda for he too once held them: the idea that Enlightenment is separation, that those who are Enlightened are beyond everyone else. Siddhartha sees that in Govinda, and calls out to him. Startled and confused, Govinda turns and realizes that the older, disheveled man whose sleep he was guarding is his former best friend, the one he worshipped.
Siddhartha can read the disbelief in Govinda’s eyes. He knows that the monk is puzzled by him and more than a bit uncomfortable. So the smiling Siddhartha bids him farewell, understanding that their paths may cross yet again. But truly, Siddhartha understands much more than that. He looks at the ceaseless river and hears the voices of all: priests, monks, mothers, children, merchants, all those that he used to look down upon. He hears the voices and knows that he is one of them, that he is all of them, that they are the voice of “om”, that they are “om” themselves. Siddhartha stares at the river, the cycle that goes on forever, and decides to spend the rest of his life here.