Chapters 1-4, No Spoilers Please

[Sunltcloud]

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SAP4 wrote:
i'll make this short and painless as possible. Did he always want to write something like Siddhartha or was it a spurr of the moment kind of book, that he started writing and had that sort of burning passion to finish? Or was it something else?


When Hesse wrote Siddhartha he was in his early forties. He had three sons, a schizophrenic wife, a separation from wife and children, a nervous breakdown, and he began psychotherapy. He had already published several books and I assume that he had been thinking about writing Sidhhartha for some time. He even had to interrupt his writing because he couldn't find a proper ending, an ending he was satisfied with.

I feel it was something he had to do for himself, much like an athlete who has all sorts of family problems, gets sick,is broke, and has only his sport to cling to. I'm sure the athlete can become almost obsessed with winning, just to prove to himself that he counts. That's how I look at Siddhartha, not so much as something Hesse got paid for but a book that told him that his brain was working, that he understood his own thoughts, that he was on the right track.

[SAP2]

1. What is Siddhartha looking for?
2. What town did chapter three start in?
3. Siddhartha realizes what in chapter four?
4. Does Siddhartha want to follow Buddha?
5. Gotoma collected what on his way to town?

[SAP1]

SAP1 has a few questions for you

1. WHat is om?

2. WHo is Govinda?

3. WHat does Siddhartha want to be?

4. WHo follows Siddhartha?

[SAP6]

Thanks ELee we must have forgotten about that incident. It was only mentioned once so it did not stand out to us.

[SAP4]

Well that wasn't something i actually expected, then again most writers have something hmm how should i say this, that thing that drives them to do something, it explains and enlightens me about why he wrote and what his motive was.

[SAP6]

That was very insightfull thanks for the reply.

[SAP19]

1. Why did Siddarthur want to be a Samaran?
2. What is the relationship between Govinda and Siddarthur?
3. Why didn's Siddarthur's father want him to go?
4. What caused the "relationship" Govinda and Siddarthur?

[ConnieAnnKirk]

SAP Groups--Good questions! And thank you to other club members for already chiming in with some responses. Groups--Remember to click "Quote Post" (the gray box at the top right of the reply message field) when you reply to a message. That way, we all know what you're referring to/replying to, so it makes sense. Thanks!

~ConnieK

Message Edited by ConnieK on 01-11-2008 08:42 PM

[tgem]

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ELee wrote:
  

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tgem wrote:
  Govinda was first devoted to Siddhartha,but when Siddhartha decided not to stay with Gotama, Govinda made the choice to part with Siddhartha.

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I didn't read this as Govinda making a decision to part with Siddhartha. I think Govinda was so enraptured by the prospect of hearing teaching words from a Buddha and so moved by the subsequent preaching of Gautama that his ecstasy moved him to a (slightly out of character) commitment to follow the Sublime One. I had the impression that he was sure that Siddhartha would be similarly moved and would join too. I believe that the realization that Siddhartha was actually going to leave him was devastating to Govinda. Though the separation of the two was an important step towards maturity for Govinda, I couldn't help feeling that Siddhartha almost tricked him into making the commitment that would separate them.

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ELee: Yes, I understand what you're pointing out. tgem

[SAP19]

well i have read chapter 1-4 and what i have read so far and until now is that sidharta is that he is very intesting in being a semana and is a certain part of his culture or something similar. and i though that it was very cool to read about something like this so i liked it pretty much and i was surprised of how bad he wanted to be a semana.

[blkeyesuzi]

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SAP6 wrote:
Here are a few questions that our group has formulated for chapters one through four.

1. Do you think that the relationship between Siddhartha and Govinda was homosexual?
2. Why was Siddartha's mother not mentioned in the first part?
3. Why do the samanas disown knowledge?
4. Why did Govinda Leave Siddartha?
5. Why does Siddartha decide to go through so much pain and suffering to reach enlightenment?

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Here are my thoughts:

1. The relationship between Siddhartha and Govinda is not homosexual. They are close friends who have grown up together. Gotama holds Siddartha in high regard and the two of them share a common bond in their search for enlightenment. They are certainly bonded by a love for each other, but it is not sexual in nature.

2. Siddartha's mother is mentioned almost immediately. In chapter I, Siddartha's father tells Siddartha to give his mother a kiss before he leaves.

3. The Samanas don't disown knowledge, they have teachers. Siddartha joined them to learn from them. They taught self-denial, suffering, and ways of losing the Self. Through his journey with the Samanas and meeting with Budha, Siddartha begins to believe that knowledge is not the way to Nirvana.

4. Govinda leaves Siddartha to follow Budha, The Illustrious One, to follow his own path. For the first time, Govinda has made a choice independent of Siddartha, thus he is on his own path to enlightenment.

5. Siddartha doesn't decide on pain and suffering, he chooses a path that will teach him to overcome pain and suffering. Within Budhism, to live is to suffer and one must follow several paths to overcome life's suffering as taught by Budha. He chooses this path based on his previous teachings, he feels the only way to enlightenment is to follow this path. In the end, he finds himself still thirsty and questions even this path, saying to Govinda that he could have learned these things from a whore and suspended his thoughts just as a drunk sleeping would have.

[blkeyesuzi]

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SAP19 wrote:
well i have read chapter 1-4 and what i have read so far and until now is that sidharta is that he is very intesting in being a semana and is a certain part of his culture or something similar. and i though that it was very cool to read about something like this so i liked it pretty much and i was surprised of how bad he wanted to be a semana.

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SAP19,

I'm glad you like it so far. To put it in perspective, think of something you have wanted to do or be really, really badly. Can you imagine having the opportunity to go and do that very thing? Seddartha wants this so badly that he goes out and gets it. What a wonderful and scary adventure. Siddartha has lots of things on his mind and it's really interesting how he sorts them out. How does Siddartha compare to you or others in our modern society?



Suzi




"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see. " --John Burroughs