Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha

Life of Hermann Hesse Born in the Black Forest

area of Germany in 1877 Family of Christian

Missionaries – expected that he would become a priest

Enrolled in a Protestant Seminary in 1891, but was expelled

Life of Hermann Hesse

Visit to India in 1911 interested him in Eastern Religion/Philosophy

Published Siddhartha in 1922 – classic novel about an Indian youth’s long spiritual quest for the meaning of life

Siddhartha The word Siddhartha is made

up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals”.

Siddhartha Structure of novel follows three stages of

life in traditional Indian philosophy: student (brahmacarin) householder (grihastha) recluse (vanaprastha)

Siddhartha Part One of Novel (Chapters 1-4)

follows Buddha’s Four Noble Truths:

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

Siddhartha Part Two of Novel (chapters 5-12) follow Buddha’s

Eightfold Path:1. Right View2. Right Intention3. Right Speech4. Right Action5. Right Livelihood6. Right Effort7. Right Mindfulness8. Right Concentration

Siddhartha Hesse’s novel is not the

actual story of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)

The Buddha appears in Hesse’s novel as the character Gotama.

Karma What is karma? Literally means "action” The idea of karma had existed in ancient Indian

philosophy before the time of Siddhartha Gautama, and it became an important element of Buddhist philosophy.

Positive actions lead to Positive states while unwholesome actions lead to unwholesome states, individually as well as collectively.

Rebirth Karma can span more than one

lifetime Rebirth is the process of being

born over and over again Walking the wheel of life

(samsara) As long as there is desire, there is

karma

Om (Aum) Sacred syllable in both Hinduism &

Buddhism Believed to be the spoken essence of the

universe

Hinduism vs. BuddhismSiddhartha begins the novel as a Brahmin (class of

educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism)

Some differences:

1. Hinduism is not founded by any particular prophet

2. Hindus believes in the Vedas (sacred scriptures)

3. In Buddhism, Karma is not earned by following the dharma of your caste. Instead you can move toward entry into Nirvana by following the eightfold path.

How does this all relate to Herman Hesse? Most of his writing deals with the

individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality

Grew up immersed in theology, philosophy, and psychology

Hesse’s novels saw a revival in popularity during the counterculture movement of the 1960’s, due to shared themes (quest for enlightenment, the individual’s search for self)

Sources http://www.gss.ucsb.edu/projects/hesse/life/jennifer.

html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_(novel) http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/

Indian_philosophy http://thebigview.com/buddhism/ http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/

h_buddhism.asp