Kamala Path To Enlightenment In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

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Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a fiction book that is also based on some facts. The book portrays the Buddha’s (also known as Siddhartha) path to enlightenment. Siddhartha is born as the son of a Brahmin into a happy life, everyone has high expectations and receives constant praise from his friend Govinda. He is living a life that anyone would long for, but secretly, he is unhappy and unsatisfied. He has been practicing the ways for the brahmin for years like his dad hasn’t found enlightenment. As time goes on a group of half-naked Samanas appear in the town trying to achieve enlightenment but by exterminating all self-need. Eager to become enlightened Siddhartha and Govinda leave with the Samanas With the Samanas Govinda and Siddhartha’s …show more content…
The ferryman is content and happy with his life and seems to be at peace with the world. At the city, Siddhartha meets a woman named Kamala, who he believes will teach him about the values of love. However, Kamala wants Siddhartha to become a piece material world and forces him to become a merchant. He lands a job with a merchant named Kamaswami. Siddhartha learns the ways of a merchant and Kamala becomes his lover and his teacher, soon with his knowledge, Siddhartha becomes a rich man and takes up gambling. His gambling addiction causes him to become angry and unsatisfied, to cope with these problems he gambles more, dinks and engages in more …show more content…
He goes back to the river and thinks about committing suicide and dozes off on the river bed. In his slumber, snakes come to attack Siddhartha, but a traveling Govinda, who is now a Buddhist monk protects him. When Siddhartha rises from his sleep, he instantly recognizes Govinda, but Govinda fails to recognize him. Govinda soon leaves, to continue his journey but Siddhartha stays in the river to contemplate and reflect on his life up to this point. As Siddhartha is reflecting the same content ferryman as before reunites with Siddhartha and invites him to learn the ways of the river. Siddhartha learns about the river and realizes that life is a cycle from birth to death to reincarnation. Soon after Siddhartha’s realization, news of the sickly Buddha, Gotama spreads and due to this Kamala come to the river. She sees Siddhartha and reveals that Siddhartha has an 11 son and gets bitten by a snake and dies. After a few days at the river, Siddhartha’s son runs away to return to his life in the city. When Siddhartha goes to the city to find his son realizes that his son cannot be found and returns to the river. The ferryman goes to the forest to enlighten himself and Siddhartha becomes enlightened looking at the river. The book ends with Govinda finding Siddhartha and wants to be enlightened, so Siddhartha tells him to kiss him on the forehead, listening to his friend Govinda

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