Siddhartha is best friends with Govinda and Govinda sees that Siddhartha will be very successful as a religious leader some day. So successful, that he believes that Siddhartha will even one day be a god, and Govinda plans to follow him on his path to becoming a deity. But Govinda sees that Siddhartha will be no ordinary Brahmin, which in itself is a critique of their society,
"Govinda knew that Siddhartha would become no ordinary Brahmin, no lazy sacrificial official, no grasping peddler of spells, no vain and empty orator, no evil, deceitful priest, and no good, stupid sheep in the herd of many. No - nor did he, Govinda, wish to become any of those, a Brahmin like the other ten thousand" (Hesse 4).What does this say about the religious leaders of their community? It seems like there are many individuals high up in the ranks of respect, who, in reality, don't deserve it. There must not be high standards to become a Brahmin.
Siddhartha's father is a Brahmin, but it seems like Siddhartha truly respects his him. Siddhartha's father must be one of the few who take their position seriously and really try to live up to the ideals of their religion.
Siddhartha seems to be advanced for his age in his culture. He takes his religious education very seriously and practices verbal battles, the art of contemplation, and meditation. He has already mastered the the soundless om. Everyone around him is either bursting with pride in his accomplishments or look up to him. But despite the emphasis that everyone put on becoming a Brahmin and mastering the various skills, Siddhartha does not find joy in them. He has already mastered them and they have not brought him any sense of accomplishment or fulfillment.
"Siddhartha had started nursing discontent within himself. He had started feeling that his father's love, and his mother's love, and also his friend Govinda's love would not make him happy forever and always, not please him, gratify him, satisfy him" (Hesse 5).Siddhartha begins to question the legitimacy and the depth of his community's religion. He begins to question the un-questionable. He doesn't want to just accept what people tell him. He wants to know definitively for himself, "Was there any other path worth seeking?" (Hesse 5-6).
Then Atman is introduced and Atman seems to be the one true God, the ultimate deity. You can only find Atman within yourself. You must be able to to tap into yourself to tap into his wisdom, "in deep sleep, a human being goes into his inntermost and dwells in Atman" (Hesse, 6).
In Siddhartha's confusion and frustration, he sits and meditates. He comes to the conclusion that he wants to join the samanas. The samanas are a group of religious people who live in the woods and deprive themselves of almost everything, all in the pursuit of gaining true enlightenment and ignoring the superfluous things in life to be able to tap into Atman.
When Siddhartha asks his father if he can join the samanas, his father initially says no, but Siddhartha shows his commitment and his stubbornness in his decision by refusing to move from where he is standing until his father gives him his blessing. He stands in the exact same spot all evening and his father sees that Siddhartha has out-grown their small community, that his mind is elsewhere, and he gives him his blessing to join the samanas.
In the morning, Govinda joins Siddhartha in his journey from the village into the woods to find the samanas.
I think that thus far, this story is easy for teenagers and people trying to find their place in the world to relate to. I also am trying to sift through the muck and murkiness of some religions. There is so much b.s. that its difficult to find the truth sometimes. I know that I'm not the only one. People try to find what is true for them and make their religion their own, but in the early stages it is difficult to know where to begin. Siddhartha has the benefit of giving up everything to leave and commit himself to his search for truth. The rest of us have to work, study, and still try to take time to continue their investigations. Its so appealing to just come home at the end of the day and watch tv instead of sitting down and reading texts or joining a study group. The quest for truth takes discipline.
To commit to my own quest for truth and understanding, and to help commit to my endeavors of remining in control of my homework load and not procrastinating, I am giving up tv for the whole month of October.
No tv whatsoever. Nada.
Jenji Kohan and his delightful tv shows on netflix are taking control of my days and my life has become the definition of binge watching because of him.
But no more!
I have today and tomorrow to finish season one of Orange is the New Black, and then its cold turkey and commitment to discipline in my studies.
The only exception for tv: watching "Eat, Pray, Love," to inspire me to give up everything, just like Siddhartha, in pursuit of self-understanding, peace, balance, and truth.
Come December, I want to do the same thing. Leave it all!
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