Essay On Siddhartha

Siddhartha has made many travels in the pursuit of reaching Nirvana, to have many questions answered, and to rid himself of his ego. He started out with being a member of the Brahmins as a child for he was the son of a Brahmin. He learned many hymns and verses and knew the ways of the Brahmins better than most others his age. However, he felt that “the wise Brahmins had already imparted to him the bulk and the best of their knowledge” (Hesse 5). Thus, it can be supported that teachings have a limit. Siddhartha knew that he did not gain all of what he wished to know, so he asked is father for permission to join the Samanas. Once permission was granted, he learned the ways of the Samanas and in doing so gained the skills of meditation, fasting, and unselfing. He …show more content…
Govinda, his friend, had heard of a Buddha and convinced Siddhartha to join him in listening to the Buddha’s teaching. In speaking with Govinda, Siddhartha stated “I have little faith in words that come to us from teachers” and then added “in my heart of hearts I believe that we have already tasted the finest fruit of this Teaching” (Hesse 21). There is always a flaw in the teachings of others for everyone has different values and beliefs. At this point, Siddhartha makes it pretty clear that he does not believe that he can be taught wisdom. Approaching the end of Part One of the book, Siddhartha firmly stated “I will learn from me, from myself, I will be my own pupil: I will get to know myself, the secret that is Siddhartha” (Hesse 36). With all of this being said, I do not believe wisdom can be taught. Wisdom is gained through the experiences. Teachers can tell of their own experiences and their own methods to reaching their desired state, however that will not pass the experience on to the students. Siddhartha demonstrates perfectly that he has gained knowledge through many teachings, yet true wisdom is still