The Journey is Oneself in Siddhartha

'' I want to learn from myself, want to be my student, want to get to know myself, the secret of Siddhartha.''

Siddhartha is a novel written by the German author Hermann Hesse published in 1922. It narrates the story of a boy named Siddhartha who abandons his family and goes on a quest for enlightenment in the woods. Although a novel, this book is founded on a spiritual basis as the protagonist's journey is all about the meaning of life. Therefore, this work is both a great read and an inspirational piece.

Siddhartha was the son of a Brahmin (an Hindu priest) and lived his boyhood in perfect discipline to his family's teachings. He read the sacred texts, meditated, contemplated, understood the secrets. Yet, there was a thirst in him that could not be quenched with words; he had a desire to feel the words, to dive in the teaching and embrace them in himself. Explicitly, he wanted to experience Atman (= ''In Hinduism, the soul, or selfhood; the spark in man emanating from divinity.'') *.

Wasn't Atman in him; didn't the ancient spring flow in his heart? The ancient spring must be found in one's own self; one must own it! Everything else was just a search, a detour; it was to go astray.

Accordingly the boy decided to leave his parents' house and follow the Samanas (ascetics) into the woods. With them he mastered the art of self- dissolution, he managed to empty himself and become something else;

''he was an animal, he was a carrion, he was a stone, wood, and water''.

However, each time he fled from himself he always came back to him and this suffering never ended. No matter the practice, he still was Siddhartha and he still carried the same thirst to experience enlightenment.

''Man can learn nothing! The things that we call 'learning' is, in truth, nonexistent! It is inherent, oh my friend, in a knowledge that is everywhere, that is Atman; it is in me and in you and in every essence.''

Once again. Siddhartha chose to leave the Samanas' teachings and meet the Buddha who lived in a nearby town. One day, he met the enlightened one and shared with him his thoughts about teaching and enlightenment. Specifically, he said,

'' There is one thing which these lucid and honorable teachings do not contain: they do not contain the mystery of what the exalted one alone among hundreds of thousands has experienced for himself. This is what I have thought and realized when I heard the teachings. This is why I am continuing my travels- not to seek other better teachings, for I know there aren't any, but to depart from all teachings and all teachers and either to reach my goal on my own or to die. ''

With these words, Siddhartha continued his solo travels until he finally let himself dissolve into the material and superficial side of life. He became rich, experienced a carnal relationship and abandoned his soul. Yet, there was a tiny spark within him that resounded the echo of his former year's zest. As he was about to drawn himself into a river, in the darkest of times, the loving sound of Om lulled him back to life. Rising from the ashes of his comatose self he became enlightened. Coming full circle, towards the end of his life, Siddhartha finally became enlightened, he became the Buddha. Importantly, he became the Buddha because he chose his life, he experienced all its sides, was both soft and hard, bad and kind, stupid and wise. Everything that he lived brought him to that special, holy moment of awakening. This goes to show that nothing in life is ever wasted if filtered with the higher forces of one's psyche. The journey is truly oneself.

Resounding Cavafy's words in Ithaka:

''Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you’re destined for.

But don’t hurry the journey at all.''

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''I am only interested in being able to love the world; not despise it. I don't want to hate it and have it hate me; I want to be able to look upon it and myself and upon all beings with love, admiration, and great respect. '' Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse

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* Illustration from Pinterest.

* http://www.whatdoesthatmean.com/dictionary/A/atman.html

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