Knowledge And Wisdom In Siddhartha

In Siddhartha, it is proven that knowledge and wisdom two separate entities. Through Siddhartha's quest to break the cycle of rebirth and to attain spiritual bliss, he learns that there is a difference between being well informed about something and to actually experience that same thing. The first is having knowledge, while the second is attaining wisdom. Siddhartha learns that while knowledge can be learned, wisdom can only be attained through experiences. At the start of the book, Siddhartha is a traditional Brahmin. He is very knowledgeable, but he lacks wisdom. Many Brahmins go on without having the thought of differentiating the two from each other. For example, Govinda does not differentiate until the end of the novel. What is …show more content…
While he may waver from the traditional life of the different forms, he always refers to his backgrounds. He draws upon the knowledge that he learned in order to apply it to his current circumstance. When Siddhartha is a boy and wants to join the Shramanas, he questions the values of his background. He asks, “The sacrifices and the invocations of the gods were splendid, but was this all there was? … But where was this self, this inmost essence within everyone, this ultimate principle” (6)? During this part of Siddhartha’s life, he already has the knowledge to understand that there is more to life than what is said in the vedas and upanishads; the people who said or wrote these had experienced more. These questions inspire Siddhartha to become a Shramana. After practicing this lifestyle for three years, he see Gotama, and affirms to the fact that knowledge and wisdom are separate by saying to him, “You have found liberation from death. This came to you as a result of your own seeking on your own path, through thought, through meditation, through realization, through enlightenment. It did not come to you in a teaching” (36)! At this point he realizes that he needs to follow his own path that will lead to