Siddhartha 1

Siddhartha is talented and goal-driven, yet too calculative. He excels in everything he does, but he is soon to give up because he thinks too much. He quickly grasps the teachings of a religion and surpasses many elders. Yet, once he recognizes the limitations of the religion, he quickly gives it up. As a Brahmin, everyone expected him "... to be a great learned man, a priest, a prince of among Brahmins" (Hesse 2); however, he is not satisfied with this life and leaves to be a Samana. Govinda, Siddhartha's dearest friend and follower, expects that Siddahartha "...will be a holy man" (Hesse13). Siddhartha is skeptical that he is getting closer to enlightenment. Life of a Samana requires him to rid of every temptations and thirst, but he cannot get rid of thirst and hunger for knowledge and enlightenment. He feels that "[He] learned a great deal from the Samanas," yet he thinks he's "going in circles" (Hesse 12, 14). After seeing the limitations of the life of Samanas, Siddhartha leaves to find Buddha. When he meets Buddha, the greatest teacher, he finds an error with Buddha's logic and does not stay. In the end, he becomes a merchant and a student of love.

Siddhartha

I see myself in Siddhartha. I too tried many things in high school to find my talent. In most of the things I tried, I showed great promise. I was told that if I took my time to practice chess, I could soon be ranked in the state, and in couple of years, I could compete nationally. Yet, I met other chess players who are far superior to me, so I gave up because I knew I couldn't catch up to them. I picked up tennis afterwards; my coach told me that within a year I could compete in the super star level if and only if I practice constantly. Though, I never found time to practice daily, and I soon gave that up as well. I showed greatest talent in violin. After one year, I was playing on par with people who played for three, four years. My teacher told me that if I practice every day, I would be in GDYO and all-state in couple of years. Yet, I met more talented players who had both talent and more experience, a.i. playing since they were three. I knew I couldn't reach the top, and I gave up.

Could I really have been a chess master?

Siddhartha and I are different in that he gave up for he saw limitations within the religions, and I for limitations of the Self; however, we are similar in the sense that we both were calculative and gave up before we even tried any more. Perhaps, I could have really been a nationally ranked chess player, a tennis player, or a violinist, but I gave up after realizing my own limitations. Likewise, Siddhartha could have been a Buddha, a saint, or a enlightened priest, but he gave up after seeing the limitations of the religions. Perhaps, Gotama is correct when he says, "Be on your guard against too much cleverness" (Hesse 28). Had Siddhartha been less calculative and blindly followed the teachings of one religion, he could have reached the pinnacle of each one. Unfortunately, he gives up too early because he is too clever.

Siddhartha regards Buddha as the "Perfect One" (Hesse 30)