Please Finish the Novel
Due Dates:
A4 – Due Thursday, 12/16 (Before Class)
B1/B2 – Due Wednesday, 12/15 (Before Class)
Please respond to the prompts below. Each response should be between 3-5 sentences unless otherwise noted. Also, make sure to include a quote if required.
1. Argue why you agree, or don’t agree, with the quote below. Be specific in your response. One word that catches my attention is “again.” Does this imply that even after becoming “a Buddha” you can emerge as a sinner again?
"Listen, my friend! I am a sinner and you are a sinner, but someday the sinner will be Brahma again, will someday attain Nirvana, will someday become a Buddha” (Hesse)
2. Take a closer look at the river. How might it be symbolic? Use a quote as support.
3. Some believe that the river symbolically separates the mind and body. If this is true, what does this say about Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman?
4. To me, this book is all about personal exploration, self-education, and self-actualization. Having read it, what have you taken away? Please write two paragraphs, explaining two specific points.
1. I agree with the quote since it is true that people may change, sometimes very drastically. I am not so sure about the sinner part, but I believe the concept of everyone being a sinner derived from the religious aspects, which in that case, will make sense. I don't think that Buddha can be a sinner "again". To become a buddha means to reach salvation, the state at which everything is understood and the chain of reincarnation breaks. I doubt if anyone who has been enlightened will ever commit a sin again. If the person commits a sin again, it only proves that the person hasn't achieved the true enlightenment.
ReplyDelete2. The river is symbolic in how it represents the life itself and its continuing aspect. Govinda finds in Siddhartha, "a flowing river of faces, hundreds, thousands, thousands, all of them arising and dissolving, and yet all seeming to be there at the same time; they all constantly changed and renewed themselves, and yet were all Siddhartha" (Hesse 80). This flowing, changing, yet all united and continuing aspect of life exactly matches with the description of the river in previous chapters. Like a river, life too, flows from one end to the other end, but like there's no past in the flowing of the water, there's in fact no passing of time in life; water is here and there at the same time, constantly continuing, and life has different form here and there, yet all those forms constitute a life, and eternity.
3. If the river separates the mind and body, Siddhartha, the ferryman, may represent the connecting bridge of the mind and body, hence the one who eventually leads to the enlightenment. Siddhartha carries people from the one end of the river to the other end, thus bringing together the two separate things. As a ferryman, Siddhartha will go through this separation over and over and learn about this by listening to the river. This will eventually lead to the unification of the body and the mind by Siddhartha, and will enable him to reach nirvana.
1. I actually disagree with this quote. Hesse in the last bit of the chapters discusses of how even a sinner can one day gain enlightenment and that this process would repeated and would go on and on as a cycle. Therefore even Buddha who has once gained enlightenment may go back as a sinner and would go on with the same transformations. So in a sense Siddhartha claims that everybeing has a hidden Buddha in themselves and they are progressing and are in the step of finding enlightenment.
ReplyDelete2The river is really important for it symbolizes everything. What I mean by everything is that it symbolizes life as a whole. Like the river flows on and on life moves on and on. Going against the waves of the river is hard and meaningless. This is same as life. Going back is meaningless but the things that actually count is how you move on in life. “The river sang with a voice of suffering, longingly it sang longingly, it flowed towards its goal, lamentingly its voice sang” (Hesse 89). LIke Siddhartha has the goal of trying to find enlightment the river also flows towards its goal.
3.Siddhartha`s role as a ferryman is to carry people back and forth across the river. If the river symbolically separates the mind and body than Siddhartha is the one who “bridges” the two or connects the two. Siddhartha from learning from the river and listening to the river gains enlightenment in the end.
4.I too felt like the book was about personal exploration and self actualization. Siddhartha goes through many stages of life and it is true that all the people he meets and the things he learns are meaningful in life. But, the basic idea of the story was how Siddhartha finds enlightment within himself and discovers that everything in the world even the stone can be loved and can be worth a thing for it is “already and always everything” (Hesse 96).
Siddhartha at the beginning of the book seeks answers to his questions and goes through the life of the Brahman, the Samana`s, and the people and even meets Buddha but can never seek and find what he really wants. He then realizes that he must find something within him self and finally realizes and learns that wisdom cannot be taught and all the greed and sins and everything he experienced taught him the meaning of life. He comes to think of how love is important in life and that in every individual there is a hidden Buddha. “No, within the sinner is now and today already the future Buddha, his future is already all there, you have to worship in him, in you, in everyone the Buddha which is comming into being, the possible, the hidden Buddha” (Hesse 9). So in the end through self actualization and self education Siddhartha is able to gain enlightenment.
4. I actually enjoyed reading this book. I think I could understand it better now than back then, when I read this in Korean. What came as interesting to me was how Siddhartha refuses to accept the teaching of the others. This might have been the arrogant action of an immature youth, but eventually leads him to his own salvation. What I believe Hesse was trying to explain by self teaching was perhaps the attitude of being an attentive and good learner. If one wants to learn, he must not rely on the others, but try to seek learning himself. It does not mean to learn from any other outer sources, actually it means to learn from everything, but only do so with the individual and independent will and initiative.
ReplyDeleteAnother point I took from the book was how love is important. The love defined by Siddhartha is not really the ordinary definition of love. It is not a romantic type of love Siddhartha discusses about. The love Siddhartha values is the feeling derived from the enlightenment, the feeling of understanding and forgiving everything. It is possible for him to love, only because he has experienced all ups and downs of life, has been many different things at once, and hence penetrates through the true nature of everything. Siddhartha comprehends everything. That's why and how he can love.
1) I disagree with the quote. I believe that humans are all sinners, but I don’t believe that a human can become a Buddha, or god. The “again” that we find in the quote means that the process described is a continuous cycle, a never-ending fate. Although I don’t agree with the moral teachings described in this quote, I do believe that a sinner can become enlightened, or freed from ones sin; just not in the way described in this quote.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the river represents how Siddhartha will eventually view life. The river is continually flowing and when he listens to the river he “ceased to struggle with his destiny” and “ceased to suffer” (Hesse 73). This quote was taken from when the river’s foreshadow became true.
3) By being by the river, Siddhartha finds a new and refreshed peace that allows him to feel like he’s learning about life all over again, like a child. Although he is aged and has experienced many years of life, by being by the river, he can separate his mind from his body; and in a mental state, become a child again.
4) In reading this novel I got the chance to view the world from another person’s perspective. It strengthened my ability to understand people’s different perspectives and religious practices on a deeper level. One aspect that helped me do this is how the book let’s me follow Siddhartha’s thought process as he figures out the meaning of his existence.
Also, this book reminded me of why I’m a Christian and encouraged me to strengthen my relationship with God, The questions about life that Siddhartha had through this book reminded me of why I became a Christian.
Daniel Snow B1
1. yes i agree. To become enlighten means that your out of the original, which means if you become a sinner again that means you haven't completely enlightened. The word "Again" it just simply happens to everyone, mistakes for example is made daily.
ReplyDelete2 and 3. A river is ever-changing and yet it is always in the same place, “this water ran and ran, incessantly it ran, and nevertheless always there” (Hesse 68). Nothing stays on. River is like us , have past and presents, have beginning and ending, have up and downs or right and left. And at the end of the river, just like us you go back to where you belong.
By the river Siddhartha finds his own peace within himself and sort of being enlightened, where he can concentrate on his mind and leave his body behind.
4. personal exploration, self-education, and self-actualization is virtue. Reading this book motivates me to have a faith in myself, "maybe i should of trust myself instead of listening to my friend" such things like that are called "mistakes" and by making those mistakes, you in a way also self-educated yourself , just like when siddhartha fell into luxury.
Exploring by yourself give you "the very own of yourself", i guess thats why people go hiking or extreme sports, they find their selfs within, surrounded by the grand nature and overcoming difficulties. Hardship toughs you up and gives you an opportunity to observer yourself better.
1. I agree with these words. Life is like a cycle. When a person becomes a sinner, he will be Brahman. Then he will participate Nirvana, and after that, he becomes a Buddha someday. However, after he becomes a Buddha, he could become a sinner again, and have to restart his enlightenment again.
ReplyDelete2. The river is very important. It made Siddhartha enlightened. Siddhartha listened to the river, “the great song of a thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was an om, the absolute” (Hesse 73). Every time when he listens to the river, he remembers the om, and he learns many things from the river.
3. The river is a place where Siddhartha learns something new, like a school. His job is to carry people from other side to the end. If he continues to do this more, he will learn new things by listening to the river. This will lead him to the enlightenment.
4. I also think that this book is all about personal exploration, self-education, and self-actualization. Siddhartha experiences many different stages and things. Even though this has nothing to do with my experiences, it made me a little bit different.
I have learned that doing challenging things is not a waste of time. During the summer vacation, I biked all the way to Kyoto from Tokyo. This is like a pilgrimage for Siddhartha. Being independent and staying away from your parents for a while will make you stronger and give you more time to learn about yourself.
1. I don’t actually believe in enlightenment so I agree with the quote. This book has the idea of enlightenment, Govinda believes that he can attain enlightenment, but after having hard times, Siddhartha realized that there following other people’s path won’t lead him to his Nirvana. Siddhartha finally found his own path and he believes that everyone is a sinner, even if they are Buddha, they are still human beings therefore Brahman will be a sinner again, but they will also attain their Nirvana again.
ReplyDelete2. River represents Siddhartha’s life, and the path, which reflected his father’s face, son’s face and all the other people he have met (Hesse 89). River is Siddhartha; the river can also be Vasudeva. The river in the novel is reflecting people, just people doesn’t recognize it. Siddhartha and Vasudeva found their own path by listening carefully to the river’s ‘voice’.
3. First, Siddhartha just wanted to cross the river, which means he only wanted his body to be moved across. Later on, he lost his mind and left his mind across the river and tried to search for his son. As a ferryman, I believe Siddhartha as Vasudeva did to him, helped the people in search of enlightenment both mentally and physically by giving people ride to the other side of the riverbank.
4. In the beginning, I actually did not enjoy reading this book because simply I thought that it was about Buddhism. I was wrong, it was about how each person needs to find yourself within yourself, and that love is important in life. Govinda chose to follow Buddha and even after several decades, he is still searching for his Nirvana, and when he asked about what Siddhartha is following, Govinda thought that Siddhartha was a bizarre person, and his teachings were foolish, but at the same time he recognized Siddhartha as a holy man (Hesse 98). I learned that your life is all about self-education and self-actualization, the teachers can teach us how to do things, but it’s your choice to whether do what others told you to do.
Another point is that love is important to us and also love can make people go to wrong path. If Siddhartha’s father didn’t love Siddhartha, he would have probably let him go on his way without hesitating. Also when Siddhartha met his son, he knew that his feeling toward his son was love and he tried to show his love toward his son, but it didn’t struck son’s heart, and eventually ran away. Siddhartha tried to chase his son without thinking about the consequences. Love can be something that makes you warm but then it can also be something that drives you mad.
Risa Nikel B2
1. Since I am a Christian, I don’t believe in Nirvana or the Buddha. This means that I disagree with this quote. Every one is a sinner and they cannot be “Buddha.” But in some way I agree with this quote. I think that people can change, and can make up for their sins.
ReplyDelete2. The river symbolizes the life, which Siddhartha will later on realizes. “The river pressed toward its goal, Siddhartha saw it hastening, that river composed of himself and his loved ones and all the people he had ever seen;” (Hesse 72). The river showed everything and it was like a perpetual cycle of birth and death.
3. From the river, Siddhartha learned lots of new things. The river symbolically separates Siddhartha’s mind and body. And since Siddhartha is a ferryman, he helps people go across the river. This meant that ferryman is like a bridge that connected his mind and body.
4. As you said, I also think that the book was about personal exploration, self-education, and self-actualization. I actually enjoyed reading this book because it made me think deeply. People can learn things from their teachers, but actually, at the end, it is you that will decide every thing.
The other thing I learned from this book is that, every step is important. I think if Siddhartha had never loved anyone, he could have not reached the enlightenment. Even a small thing is a step, and can affect you in the future. Since I am Christian, it was really interesting to read these kind of books.
Je Rang Jeon B2
1) I agree with the quote. I think people can change due to one’s experience but in general, everyone is a sinner. It is not really possible to stay as “Buddha” because I believe all human beings can’t be perfect and are easy to fall back to the state he/she was in.
ReplyDelete2) River is very symbolic in this book because it signifies the meaning of life and path to enlightenment. The river’s flow: downward, upward, and continuity of the water expresses the divine essence of life. “He has regained consciousness by a river, under a coconut pal, the sacred word om on his lips; he had then fallen asleep, and now, awake again, he was looking at the world like a new person” (Hesse 48). River symbolizes his spiritual awakening. As Siddhartha have been taught from many teachers and doctrine, the river led him to reach to find his goal. The river was source of ‘reflection’, ‘inspiration’, and ‘determination’.
3) River separates one’s mind and body. Siddhartha’s mind easily gets taken away to make him go back to childlike time. He tends to focus with his mind not depending on his bodies to make action.
4) This book didn’t only mention the stages of life but also explained in depths about significance in everyday’s life. We shouldn’t be greedy and selfish because it will cause to destroy ourselves. However, we should always be appreciating to the environment that we’re living right now. Seeking satisfaction is fine, but has to be very cautious and realize if the person is doing brainless action to ruin his or her own reputation.
As we grow, one’s environment changes both externally and internally. Surroundings can definitely influence you. However, it is up to one’s decision. Other sayings could be taken as advise but not exactly follow what they’re saying. I learned that I should experience by myself and go through the process of happiness and sadness to built myself stronger.
Farah Okada B1
1. I do not agree with this statement of Siddhartha, because first of all, I do not believe that all of us are sinners. Of course no one in this world is perfect, including saints and sages, because in order to reach enlightenment, they must have gone through all different phases in life, experiencing them and learning from faults. It is indeed contradictory when the author used the word “again”, because once you reach enlightenment and supposedly figured out all the secrets of life and the earth, it is impossible to go back being a sinned person. It is just like what Siddhartha experienced earlier in his life. When he lived amongst the child-people, he was always somewhat different, because his previous life as a samara had forever changed him. However, having said that, I still believe that humans are capable of changing, just like how a criminal can change and contribute to the society.
ReplyDelete2. The river can be symbolic in many different ways. It can be reflect to Siddhartha’s life as it flows onward, and also could represent time and the world. Siddhartha and Vasudeva were able to realize so much and gain so much knowledge, through listening to the river. The river “composed of himself and his loved ones and all the people he had ever seen” (Hesse 72) always symbolizing something, teaching him a lesson and making him realize what he had never been able to.
3. Although, I’m not clear by those who say this, I believe that Siddhartha was able to separate his mind from his body when he awakened by the river after attempting to jump and drown in it. He was able to start over from a child mentally, despite already aging physically. Siddhartha as a ferryman, supported this even more because while delivering passengers across the river each day and going back and forth on the river, his mind was actually traveling onward and learning new things each day from it.
4. Since I used to attend a Buddhist school and was already sick to death of these stories of Buddha and their moral teachings, I never expected to actually learn from this book. Back in school, I was never taught the whole life of Siddhartha in such detail, telling how he transformed to the way he was, because the masters as well as many other students were already very familiar with these stories, from being Buddhists their whole lives. Therefore, this book was quite interesting for me to read, because it helped me understand why Siddhartha developed those ideas and theories that the masters used to teach us in school. Because the book was written in sequence, Siddhartha’s thoughts were easy to follow and understand. They even triggered me to think more about the world and reflect on my own life.
One important lesson I learned from this book was that, you must throw away your arrogance and the feeling of superiority amongst others, in order to learn. It is impossible to accept any teachings or opinions if you are full of pride. The crucial thing is to listen attentively to others and think. This was what made Vasudeva and Siddhartha so wise.
1. I believe that the phrase “again” implies that we are all brahma in the beginning, either in the beginning of life or at birth, then after life has been experienced we commit our sins which we must then make up for by following the path to enlightenment. I disagree that we are all started off as Brahmans and then commit sin then continue on our paths to become a Brahman once again. I believe that we do not begin our lives or life for that matter with any kind of pre-judgment as to who we are and how much worth each of us holds for I believe all of that is earned during one’s lifetime. Therefore, if not for the “again” in the quote, I would agree with its content.
ReplyDelete2. The river represented Siddhartha’s own expectations of himself in my opinion. He manages to stop and get a better understanding of the situation whenever he catches his own reflection in the river’s water. Siddhartha sees what he is doing through the river, he sees what he wants to achieve and what his father might have wanted him to achieve, “Siddhartha stood still, he bent over the water…he saw his face reflected...the face resembled another that he had once known and loved and also feared. It resembled the face of his father, the Brahman” (Hesse 71). The river is the flowing expectations that Siddhartha held for himself and that others held for him, he was a significant man, people expected him to do significant things. At one point the pressure of it all almost killed him when he almost drowned in the river of expectations that was gradually beginning to flow over his head, however, he managed to retreat and find his center again.
3. Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman is part of the key to him reaching his enlightenment, so if we were to say that the mind and the body were separate, the ferryman would be what connected the two. The ferryman would provide as a bridge between the two, but if Siddhartha were to fully cross this bridge, he would be jumping back and forth between his body and his mind, therefore I believe the place of enlightenment is simply on the bridge. Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman is what allows him to reach nirvana in this case, because only when he is a ferryman, is he on “the bridge” therefore in the waters of enlightenment.
4. Siddhartha travels a road that we today would be considered insane to some degree if we were to even consider dropping everything and taking a journey in the pure world, forgetting all our responsibilities, connections and everything we ever knew, not knowing what was to happen. But by reading this book, I think I’ve come to realize, that if we are to become satisfied with ourselves and our knowledge of our selves, then we must take a journey of self-realization ourselves. We need to experience the world, experience ourselves in order to be able to produce anything of value in this world. If we don’t then we are just wandering, impudent puppets in this world.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, Siddhartha is a tale of basically one man, all alone, beginning with virtually no emotional connections to anyone, continuing on the path of enlightenment, amongst people throughout, but not necessarily people he thought of as people. We see him as one man traveling, and all the people that he may travel with are just a part of his life’s path, not really a part of him himself. I was shown a new perspective though this; some people view life as a one-man-band, everything you do is a part of your own life, and people that you meet or form bonds with are only on the sidelines of your life rather than on the path itself. Only you travel your own path.
1. I agree with this quote. You can become a Buddha and become a sinner again, because the cycle of reincarnation happens to everyone if you are a human being. A person can be a Buddha but I don't think he can cheat death or the process of reincarnation. Everyone is a sinner at first and some become enlightened and become buddhas, but once dead they go through the cycle again and become sinners.
ReplyDelete2. The river symbolizes life. All life on earth follows a path called time, that is constantly moving forward and cannot be stopped. The river flows steadily like time always progressing and constant. Siddhartha's life is represented by the river, as he said, "I looked at my life, and it was also a river" (Hesse 72).
3. Siddhartha as a Ferryman, transports people (the body) across the river physically. Therefore he is the bridge between the mind and body since he brings the people to their hopes and desires (mind) on the other side of the river.
1. I agree with the quote. Everyone is first a sinner. In Buddhism, lying or even killing a bug is considered a sin, which makes everyone into a sinner. Humans are not perfect and they might commit sin, but they are also flexible in changing those thoughts if they think is wrong. Therefore, people still have a chance of becoming a Brahman and reach Nirvana even if they commit a sin. But I don’t think you can go back to a sinner after becoming a Buddha. Committing sin after becoming a Buddha just shows that they haven’t reached enlightenment yet, because those sin shows that they didn’t follow the eight-fold path. I don’t think Buddha would commit sin after their enlightenment.
ReplyDelete2. River represents people’s life. By looking at the river, Siddhartha learns that life also has a flow like the river. People’s life were reflected on the river, “The image of his father, his own image, the image of his son merged, Kamala’s image also appeared and was dispersed, and the image of Govinda” (Hesse 89). It was also reflected by the ‘voice’ too. River shows that life also has a continuous flow and like the water cycle, life goes on in a cycle too.
3. Vasudeva, being a ferryman who guides a person from one end to another, he was also the spiritual guide for many people who traveled around there. Siddhartha learned many things from Vasudeva and inherits its job of being the guide and helps people to move on to another physically and spiritually. So if the river separates the mind and body, Siddhartha is the bridge between those two who leads us to the enlightenment.
4. I also thought this book was mainly about self-education and self-actualization. Siddhartha went through many stages looking at the world in different perspectives and met different kinds of people. He tried to believe in different beliefs such as Gotama and Smaana but he later on realizes that he has to find his own way through self-actualization. Although people can teach you to do things, it is actually your own choice to do it or not. You cannot learn much by being taught by someone, you actually have to experience it in order to know what something means.
I also learned that you have to throw away your arrogance and be open-minded to learn new things. If you believe you are right and didn't listen to others, you will not learn anything. It is your own choice to follow it or not but we first have to have the flexibility to accept others thoughts and ideas.
1.I agree with this quote. He is implying that everyone is human and all make mistakes, even the Buddha, and through it all, you make the mistake to learn from it and attain enlightenment. Following others path’s through life will not help and this is what the idea represents, that you must find your own way, and then, maybe you may engulf the idea of nirvana.
ReplyDelete2. The river really is related to Siddhartha in many ways. One is that it reflects on his life and the forward movement he takes, and also it can represent him flowing peacefully but underneath it all, experiencing sudden troubles and learning and moving forward. I think this is a very simple quote that explains how Siddhartha feels towards the river "I looked at my life, and it was also a river" (Hesse 72).
3. It is known that Siddhartha tried to differentiate his mind and body when attempting to jump in the river and then drown. From this experience, he turned back into a child and was able to reawaken his youth, and with him being the ferryman, he is the transportation across the river, so he is the thought of as the bridge that connects the mind and body as does the crossing of the river does.
4. I think this book really is very specific on the greed and gluttony that surrounds us in our everyday life. Through Siddhartha’s experiences, there are many characters that are just living their life with no regret, but with much sin, such as greed and selfishness. I think this is a very important point of this book and the idea since through it, Siddhartha realizes that is not what he wants and keeps moving forwards to reach his satisfaction.
Another important personal exploration that Siddhartha endured was when he left his family, who were there for him and gave him all the platonic pleasures that a person would ever ask for. He moved out of that mindset of having everything given to him, and set out on his own journey, with his own reasons, and eventually it gave him many advantages. I believe these two points as to be very satisfying, and they have shown me not to just rely on others, but to be independent and live life rationally.
1. I believe that the quote is explaining that even a Brahma can sin, but he/she may come back to purity and wisdom and still attain Nirvana. I agree with this quote, because sinners, if they learn from their mistakes, have personal experience to support their opinions. For example, an “educated” person can become a drug-addict, manage to quit, and become the most convincing teacher of “say no to drugs.”
ReplyDelete2. The river represents present, past, and future, when it is born at “the source and at the mouth,” or any event during a person’s lifetime, “at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains” (Hesse 72”). Since time is continuous, so is the river, for it is “everywhere at once,” like how history is all connected and leads to the present and future. However, only the present form can be seen of it, just like how we are, is impossible to relive a past, because “there is only a present time…not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future” (Hesse 72).
3. Siddhartha, being a ferryman, symbolically guides people from mind to body, and body to mind. He lives in fairly perfect harmony with both, and stands as an example (not a teacher) for those in search of Nirvana in either world. However, he is also easily taken off balance, and is still a wanderer himself, as he goes back and forth from shore to shore, like his sudden love for his son, and his ability to come back.
4. From Siddhartha, I have learned the importance of patience, and that the only way to learn anything is by experiencing it. For example, when he realizes that his son is lost to Sansara, that there is nothing he can do, Siddhartha patiently sits and waits for an answer, and eventually is “awoken by a hand touching his shoulder,” Vasuvdeva’s hand (Hesse 84). Although it has taken him hours to come to the realization that all hope was not lost, persistence to sit tight and listen for a hint is what brings him to realize that his friend has come to guide him back towards the light of knowledge. This has happened to me many times before, especially when finding schools, when my patience and perseverance is the only thing that can find a new school.
Experience is the best teacher that brings upon wisdom. My mother’s favorite saying, translated, is something along the lines of, “if an opportunity to do something comes up, do it. If not, make your own opportunities. Physical things can be broken or taken away, but knowledge and experience are yours to keep, if you choose.” My mother has randomly taken Japanese dance classes, cooking classes, bible study classes, and many more, and everything has eventually added up or lead to something, and living by her teachings, the same applies for me. I had taken snowboarding lessons back when I was a small child just because the opportunity had presented itself, and now I can enjoy the snow instead of groaning and complaining about the cold and frozen sidewalks.
Seiya
ReplyDelete1. I agree with the quote. Everyone is a sinner and no one; even Buddha cannot be perfect. So even Buddha can “again” fall back to its state as a sinner. Humans can change more than anyone can imagine.
2. River symbolizes the continuity of life. When Govinda sees the vision in Siddhartha, “he saw all of these figures and faces in a thousand relationships with one another, […] each one only transformed, was always reborn”(Hesse 99). The vision that Govinda sees represents continuity of life. How everything flows like a river. How every image comes together as one flowing like a river. River goes on and it is always there. Life also goes on and it is always there.
3. If the river symbolically separates the mind and the body, than what connects the two is the ferryman. Siddhartha as a role as a ferryman, he bridges the two, the mind and the body. This unifies the mind and the body of Siddhartha. Which he reach enlightenment.
4. Siddhartha finds out that he cannot learn from anyone else’s teachings. But only from inner self. I think this is in some degree true. Even if someone tells you about the experience of a war, bungee jumps, or etc. Unless you actually experience that stuff, you can’t learn anything. Even if someone experiences the same thing, what you and the other person learn can be different. But even if we experience, if you don’t have the will to learn than you won’t learn anything.
Siddhartha goes through different stages of life. As a Brahman, Samana, Sansara, and ferryman. Experiencing new things and new places can always inspire you, if you think you are stuck with knowledge. I think that I should never be satisfied with my self. If you reach some point than there is always more and there is always different paths.
4. Siddhartha is on a journey to discover himself and his true identity so I think this book is mainly about self exploration. The certain phases he goes through in life, such as living the life of the son, Samana, Brahman, and a businessman and even a ferryman indicates that he was on a life long quest to find his nirvana and happinnes. Although this story focuses on Siddhartha trying to find enlightenment from learning through different peoples and environments, it is mainly about self discovery, learning from within himself.
ReplyDeleteFrom this story I learned that people can not teach you what to believe or transform you. You have to take action and teach yourself just like Siddhartha had taught himself although he relied on people to guide him. Motivation to do things comes from within and no one can force you to do things.
1. I agree, and disagree with what Siddhartha said to Govinda. I do believe and think that we people, humans are sinners, but I don’t think they can be, or become a God or Buddha. Also one more thing that makes me think and say “I don’t think so?” is, when he says that the sinner would be Brahman “again”. I don’t quite get what he meant by “again”.
ReplyDelete2. Basically, I think the river itself is something that is letting Siddhartha know and understand more the situation that he is on right now. The river is showing his real thoughts that Siddhartha has in his deep corner heart, but he cannot find it by himself.”The river flowed softly and quietly, it was the dry season, ... it laughed brightly and clearly ... and in this reflected face there was something, ... something he had forgotten, ... he found it” (Hesse 87). This is when he remembers about his father, and from that, he understands how his father could be felt about Siddhartha, just like he did about his son.
3. I think separating the mind and the body means the outlook and the real inner knowledge. So, Siddhartha used to think that there might not be anything else that he would learn about the life to become enlightenment or look for another goal to find. However, since he met this river, he had learned more and the most important thing about the life. Even though he is so old, and have no longer life time left, still he has the freshest and the best knowledge in his mind.
4. I agree with you, how you said this book was too personal exploration. But I did enjoy reading it, this book was a little too religious and personal exploration, but I liked how his stages through the whole book changed and mentioned about many life styles, the feelings, and the thing that he learned through them, whether if it is a bad or good life. I think this book was based on how hard and how long it would take a person to find his/her on ways of living a life until the last moment of their lives.
This book thought me how important is how to live and what you learn from that, and why you like or dislike this life that you are living, or have the interest of on what situation you are now. By deciding on whether you do want to continue with his or not, and what is the point that you decided, what did you learn that you felt this is the only way of life that you feel comfortable. It made me think of my dad, I remember he used to tell us how it was hard for him to reach here, in this peaceful life and how he started, and the experiences that he had, the things that he learned. I think this gave me thoughts of adults, how they think and how much they know about their lives.
1 I kind of agree and disagree about this quote, because for this you can said in the two different way so even you became the Buddha you are not need to be the real Buddha and you are not need to being others.
ReplyDelete2 u think the river is keep moving it show Siddhartha’s life keep moving on and the quote “He has regained consciousness by a river, under a coconut pal, the sacred word om on his lips; he had then fallen asleep, and now, awake again, he was looking at the world like a new person” (Hesse 48). It show the river is Siddhartha and the end is really far to touch it.
3 in the river Siddhartha learn many thing in there and she change his body in there and his mind, and he get the new knowledge in there and is learn by himself.
4 after I read this book I think it teach us many new thing because it tell us how to learn the new stuff, you have to learn by you self, because even you steal from other people, you just know that for the few minunt and if you know it by you self you can remember forever.
And this book it show Siddhartha it change a lot, first he was the really rich person but he want to be the Buddha so he decide to change the whole thing on his body and he has many new knowledge and he learn so many thing from people.
Sandy Chen
Whether it a person’s moral standards or just something they like, everyone goes through different phases in their life. Siddhartha being a person and also a book specifically written about phases, goes through many; some considered by him and the reader higher or lower than others. With that I agree with the quote in that I believe that whatever sinful or non-sinful phase Siddhartha is in, he will eventually fall out of. That said, I do not believe that people can completely redeem themselves after continually committing sins specifically in Siddhartha because what is seen as being a sin isn’t completely defined.
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha always seems to find answers in the river. This is because the river, like Siddhartha, is always changing; changing according to however Siddhartha at the time wants or needs it to. With that the river is symbolic of everything as throughout the book, Siddhartha is/goes through everything “But when he heard them all, perceived the whole, the oneness, then the great song of the thousand voices…” (Hesse 90).
I believe that the river comes to people as they choose to take it. To some, the river stands as an obstacle; while to others, like Siddhartha, the river is a source of enlightenment. This is just as Siddhartha when he serves as a ferryman as to some, he is only there to help a person cross the river; while to others he helps them more internally. With that, the river does in some way separate the mind and body.
I think that what Hesse was trying to convey is that Siddhartha is not unlike normal people. That is not to say that how Siddhartha thinks and what he does in the book is anywhere near how most people think and what they experience; but to say that he is similar in that everyone’s thoughts and experiences are different. To give an example: Siddhartha and the Govinda who, although think and act similarly at times, end up choosing very different paths. That being so, Siddhartha is no exceptional “enlightened” being; he is merely a person, like anyone, doing, thinking, saying and being what he thinks is best for himself.
With that, what I take from this is a sort of justification for the things I, and other people think and do. Many things Siddhartha does throughout the book, to be specific: isolating himself from society, are things that I will never understand or choose for myself. That said, I’m sure that people feel the same way about many of the things I do as well as with anyone else. Now, I can question less why people and I do certain things with the knowledge that they are doing them because to them it makes sense and is best.
I disagree with the quote. In the Buddhist idea every body is a sinner and the task for those sinners is to reach enlightenment and break the cycle of rebirth. The quote may describe they cycle of rebirth, but what I think is that once a sinner become Buddha that inner is out of the cycle of rebirth. After enlightenment you are no longer involved in the real world, which makes me think that there is no way a Buddha can emerge as a sinner again.
ReplyDeleteI think river is Siddhartha’s life, mind, mirror, and his teacher. The river is almost like his incarnation in a form of nature and in actual fact Siddhartha might one to be united with nature.
“he was looking at the world like a new person” (Hesse 48). Nature inspires Siddhartha to have a new perspective that is always fresh and new. He loves the peace and imperfectness of nature.
As I mentioned in the previous blog post, I think river bed symbolizes the vessel which refer as human body in Buddhism and water as the soul inside the vessel. Also river separates the mind from the body with the flowing water. Siddhartha’s role is to be a student who will learn from the river and also like Vasudeva, Siddhartha needs to guide those childlike people to enlightenment with his knowledge.
I agree with the idea of personal exploration and self-education. This book really discusses about how he finds things are not working for him to satisfy him, but finally finds the river that becomes his greatest teacher in teaching how to love and accept everything the way it is. This both includes the part where he explores and educate him self. Being rich and loved by many people, staying with the samanas, or even experiencing real love and learning the values in childlike people’s life would never help Siddhartha in finding the meaning of life. Though his experience seems negative, Siddhartha is able to turn that into something positive. It helps Siddhartha in recognizing what is best for him in reaching nervana, which was to learn from the river.
In the beginning of the book, Siddhartha asks himself about personal identity. He starts his journey to look for the answer to find out why Siddhartha is born Siddhartha. Than as time passes, Siddhartha begins to notice that it is not about finding a teacher who can teach about his life. The teacher who can educate Siddhartha is Siddhartha himself. At the end he finds his peace in his life, beside the river.
1) I agree with the concept where a sinner can still be a Buddha. The reason why i said so because once a person is a sinner, they could learn from mistake, and try to avoid from being a sinner. And if the sinner stayed focus on avoiding on sinning, they could reach nirvana.
ReplyDelete2)By the river, it symbolize the religion, but more to his hearing. Before Siddhartha almost suicide himself, he had heard the OM. The ear could be blocked out from sounds, but Siddhartha had heard it. ""Om" touched Siddhartha's ear, his dormant spirit suddenly woke up and realized the foolishness of his actions"(Hesse 60).
3)As the river symbolized the mind and body, I think the ferryman role it represent the skin of Siddhartha. The ferryman job is like a cover where it is protected, from the mind and body.
4)From the reading I had learned two things where life has obstacle, and religion is important. The reading had taught me and Siddhartha in life there's an obstacles in our way, that we might have problem on facing it. The way to do it is learning from mistake. Siddhartha had lived in many phases in his life. Me, I had lived in some phases not as much as Siddhartha. But I am still learning.
I had also learned religion is important. Although Siddhartha is a Buddhist and I am a Muslim, there's something that are similar. As Siddhartha was at a point on to suicide, he refers back to his religion. I also had done it, in a situation where I am deeply in trouble, I had refer back to my religion.
1. Once you reach the enlightenment, I think it’s impossible to become a sinner again, because the whole idea of attaining Nirvana is to break the life cycle to be born again in this world. What I think he meant by “be Brahma again” is that you can be Brahma and the sinner over and over again depending on how you behave, but if you attain Nirvana, you can’t be the sinner again, and that is when you become a Buddha.
ReplyDelete2. The river is symbolic because it represents the way to attain Nirvana, as Siddhartha realizes something by the river a lot of times. It can’t be coincidence that he keeps finding his way to reach the enlightenment when he sees the river or meets the ferryman who loves the river. “Siddhartha leaned against its trunk with his shoulder, embraced the trunk with one arm, and looked down into the green water, which ran and ran under him, looked down and found himself to be entirely filled with the wish to let go and to drown in these waters.” (Hesse 59)
3. If it is true that the river separates the mind and body, Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman is to make his body to follow the desire he has deep inside of his mind to be reach to the enlightenment. Since after he tasted the lust of gambling, rich clothing and prostitutes, it was true that his body was not as clean as before he was in the self-denial phase. “You’re wearing a rich man’s garments, you’re wearing the shoes of a distinguished gentleman, and your hair, with the fragrance of perfume, is not a pilgrim’s hair, not the hair of a Samana.” (Hesse 63) However, the river has such an immense power to separate the mind and body; therefore he can start a new life with his refreshed mind.
4. The point I have taken from this book is that when you are arrogant and try to look down at people, it is only you who become upset and depressed about everything. I can see that Siddhartha was a super genius, so he believed that there was nothing he could learn from others, but that doesn’t mean that he can feel superiority than others. That arrogant mind has driven him to the rock bottom, and he felt that he couldn’t be satisfied by anything. There is no wonder he was depressed all the time before he reached to the enlightenment and even makes readers to feel so down.
If there is one more thing I have learned from this book, then it is that if you try to achieve something, you will achieve it in the end no matter how stupid your way is to reach for it. If you see Siddhartha, you can see how far he went from attaining Nirvana when he became one of those childlike people. However, since the desire to reach to the enlightenment was so strong and dear, he could learn from his mistake and continued his life. I liked it. I know that sometimes I feel like I want to give up everything and hide away from it, but this book has made me feel better when I felt that way.
1. I agree that even though after you become Buddha you can emerge back to a sinner again because if you did become back to a sinner then it shows that you weren’t ready to become Buddha yet. Though I also think that you can’t go straight back to a sinner again too.
ReplyDelete2. The river symbolizes Siddhartha's journey of his life and also symbolizes his new beginning of an area in Siddhartha's life that he never visited before. This quote ”The river flowed softly and quietly, it was the dry season, ... it laughed brightly and clearly ... and in this reflected face there was something, ... something he had forgotten, ... he found it” (Hesse 87) I think that this is when he realizes that he forgot where he really began but when he sees it again it was whole new brighter place and place he forgot he had been there before.
3. What it says about Siddhartha’s role as a ferryman is that when he was a ferryman he forgot what he really wanted and what he was really working hard for though when he stumbled to the river and he looked at the river he realized what he was working hard for, he was looking for his enlightment.
4. I agree that this book was about personal exploration, self-education and self actualization because in this book it shows everything what Siddhartha was going through to reach his goal and passion. Though through this journey he was going through he got more than what he expected instead of just leaving and just go straight to get enlightment he got more. Siddhartha learned many things, made mistakes and also learned through this journey who he really was.
I think that in this story it shows that Siddhartha is as normal as everyone else he goes through what everyone else does. Though at time he learned that sometimes life was easy but most of time it is really hard. Just like everyone else Siddhartha goes through many stages in his life and feels many emotional feelings he never had before.
1: I do agree with this quote. I believe that even the most sinful person can change dramatically and become a buddha or any other state they might be wanting to reach. I dont think the quote implies that Buddhas can become sinners though. Since a 'Buddha' should theoretically be a person that has already let go of all worldly desires, there would be not reason to sin anyway.
ReplyDelete2: I think the river in this book symbolizes change and transformation. Whenever Siddhartha reaches the river, he changes inside. This happened first right before he entered the city, and then also after the city, when Siddhartha forgot everything and found 'Om'. Then, on top of that, Siddhartha learned a great load from the river to finally reach enlightenment. "And when Siddhartha was listening attentively to this river, this song of a thousand voices, when he neither listened to the suffering nor the laughter, when he did not tie his soul to any particular voice and submerged his self into it, but when he heard them all, perceived the whole, the oneness, then the great song of the thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was Om: the perfection" (Hesse 90).
3: I believe that Siddharta's job as a ferryman then would be to guide people in the right path, between body and mind. In reality, he is ferrying the people across the river. If this river does actually symbolically separate body and mind, then that would mean Siddhartha is already a master in the 'navigation' between the two, and his profession is to guide others in the right direction.
4,A: I think that one huge lesson that Siddhartha taught us, is that extreme is never the right way to go. Siddhartha became a Samana, then an incredibly wealthy, alcoholic merchant. We then read that none of these were the right way to go toward his goal. This is why, we should always keep a cool mind, and stay on the middle way.
4,B: I think another important lesson learnt from Siddharthas travels, is that anyone in any state can improve if they have a goal. Siddhartha's goal kept changing, but each time he did somehow succeed in accomplishing them. For example, from the position of a poor and hungry samana, Siddhartha's goal was to become wealthy to earn Kamala's respect. He reached this goal simply. Even nearer to the end of the book, when things were a little bit more confusing. Siddhartha's goal was to have no goals, and he succeeded in having no goals, therefore accomplishing his goal... sort of. This is something that we can learn from, especially those of us aiming for college. If we create goals, we can most certainly accomplish them.
-Kiran Dixit A4
1. Though I don't believe in reincarnation, I still believe that all the human kinds are sinners. However I don't think people who are enlightened won't be sinner again. Beause 'enlightened' means that person overcame all the sufferings and knows everything, therefore there's nothing that can disturb them. However if they became sinner again, I think that means he haasn't 'enlightened' perfetly yet. And that's why they became a sinner again.
ReplyDelete2. River in this book is very significant. I think river represents reflection of not only Siddhartha's but all the human's life. Siddhartha thought about his past as he listens to what the river tries to say. And he could reach enlightment eventually. "In this hour, SIddhartha stopped fighting his fate, stopped suffering" (Hesse 90).
3. Ferryman's job is to carry people to other side of river. In this book, river is represented as the 'crossroad'. River symbolically seperates the mind and body. And for Siddhartha, his job was to connect mind and body as a ferryman. He was like a 'bridge' between the mind and body.
4. I also think that this book was all about personal exploration and self-education. This book is talking about one(Siddhartha)'s life and process of obtainning enlightment. He was a Brahman, Samana, wealthy businessman, and ferryman. Though all the process he went through was different, his goal was very clear, to be enlightened.
It took long time for Siddartha to get enlightment, but he acheived eventually. That was one thing I learned as I was reading through this book. If I set a clear goal, no matter how long it takes, I can achieve eventually. The process might be hard, but If I really want the goal to be achieved, I probably can achieve someday like Siddhartha.
1. I agree with this quote about the fact that a sinner can make their way to become Buddha (reaching enlightenment). However, I think it is possible for Buddha to become a sinner once again, for even Buddha is still human. However, since I am not Buddhist, being Buddha/being enlightened seems to me as the same as a christian in practice, thus unless one watches their step, it's possible that they can return to one's selfish desires.
ReplyDelete2. I think the river symbolizes the cycle of life, the cycle that Siddhartha wishes to leave. Whenever he looks upon it, he realizes that life 'flows' on, continuing no matter what may happen. "It laughed (laughs) clearly" at him, for it is trying to remind Siddhartha of what must be done to reach Nirvana, and of what a small stone he has stumbled upon (Hesse 87). By seeing his face which resembles that of his father, Siddhartha realizes how he is still stuck in the cycle, and how he must free himself by letting go of his son, as did his father for him.
3. This theory could be applied. If the river represented the division between the mind and the body, Siddhartha's role as a ferryman is to aid others crossing over, as he himself attempts to do the same. The mind is perhaps the land he is on, and the body is the side he must reach, for it is his desires he must leave behind, and become empty.
4. I agree that this book is about one who explores and recognizes one self, and thus 'grows' from it. One message I received from finishing this was that, no matter how long it takes, if one truly strives to achieve one's goal, it is possible. Siddhartha had faith and always tried to find a solution, and was persistant, thus was able to reach enlightenment.
Another message I received was that, there are some things that one must give up in order to reach a goal. However, these 'sacrifices' help gain the greater glory, thus will aid one in reaching their satisfaction. Siddhartha gave up his son, Govinda, his glamorous lifestyle and all his desires, and ended up reaching enlightenment - his ultimate goal.
1) In my perspective I see this as the truth and I agree to this statement. For a reason why I am saying that this is right is because we all make mistakes. Big or small, we all end up making the wrong choices, you never know till you take the risk of taking the chance. I am sure Buddha does not symbol for all a perfect person. Buddha Is closest to human, yet the one who has achieved enlighten .
ReplyDelete2) The river as said in the other blog post, means the life flow. Life will never stop for you, nor would flow in the way you would want it to. It’s not only that but you must know that the flow would be rough at times, and smooth at times. The river will give lives to other by supplying minerals, and take away live of those who fall in it. The river resembles the life in whole, the separation of body and soul.
3) The river in Siddhartha words means the separation between soul and body, as he has become a ferryman; he himself is the bridge of the river. To learn and to achieve enlighten, he must listen to the ones around him. The river is the most knowledgeable source he could learn from.
4) I think I just had a flash back from my past life, and the life now. And how much I am fortunate to even come to Japan and learn here. I have been to the pit of misfortune, and the highest of fortune. But to only top that off, I kind of understand the teachings of Siddhartha. I also think it’s a beautiful thing to sacrifice yourself for something you believe in truly.
Many would only believe in the thing people say, but not to take action to what the words really mean. Siddhartha has sacrificed his life to find the truth. He has ups and downs. But it feel like he was once everyone, and once no body, and this was the reason why I think he has done good. To show how understand your beliefs
1. I don’t really agree with this quote because everyone has no possibility to become Buddha that someone who sinned. This is because Buddha is a person who reached enlightenment so he should be good. Sinner might be able to be Buddha because bad person can be changed to be good.
ReplyDelete2. The river represents all life in earth. “the great song of a thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was an om, the absolute” (Hesse 73). I think this quotes shows that life moves gently and smoothly. Also life is never ended.
3. In the river, Siddhartha learned a lot of things mentally and physically and now he has a lot of experience that he should have.
4. I have learned a lot of thing in this book. This book tells us what is the important thing in our life. If there were no experiences it would be hard for us to success something and arguing also good to have in our life because in argument, you have to tell why you want it and you also have to listen what the other person is thinking about.
Also this book tells us religious and personal life style. There is a time that all of his life changed about a lot of life style. Because of this he realized what is good life for him or not.
1. I agree, because someone will always be a sinner if you live in this world, but you can change how you think, so it is kind of a cycle to them. I think it is a cycle for me, even though I don't believe in these religion.
ReplyDelete2. I think river symbolizes Siddhartha's life and the opinion to remind his goal to Nirvana. "In this hour, SIddhartha stopped fighting his fate, stopped suffering" (Hesse 90). This quote shows that after coming to the river, he woke up from the evil mind.
3. Even though he is old, his mind is young. because he learned everything from beginning with new mind. That was the teaching of Vasudeva. because his mind is refreshed but he is old so that is why we can say that river is separated.
4. I think it was boring to me, because I am not interested to those religious topic, but I think I learnt from this book about refreshing our minds.