Siddhartha's Journey
Throughout Siddhartha’s journey he encounters certain individuals that teach him significant lessons that remain with him despite his hesitation to learn from them, however, the river taught him the most profound lesson that impacted him the most.
Siddhartha first encountered this river during his transition from the meeting with Buddha to a new life with what he calls the “child people” (Hesse 101). Displeased with this new life he returns to the river to commit suicide, but fails as the river cries out OM, warning him of his mistake and that he will only be at peace when he achieves enlightenment. Eventually, he befriends a ferryman named Vasudeva, who has a deep connection with the river as he is able to listen to it. Vasudeva reveals to Siddhartha that, “The river taught me how to listen, from …show more content…
One such secret is the illusion of time, as the river reveals time as something that is nonexistent. Siddhartha goes on to state, “Nothing was, nothing will be; everything is, everything has essence, is present” (Hesse 85). This opens Siddhartha’s eyes, as he begins to appreciate the world and everything about it in the present. This is important as it allows him to learn the final and most important lesson from the river, that everything is unified, because he has a new appreciation for everything in its current state. He learns this lesson when Vasudeva Guides him to go to the river and tells him to listen. Siddhartha does so and, “...the great song of the thousand voices consisted of one single word, and the word was OM: perfection” (Hesse 106). At this moment Siddhartha was enlightened as this lesson of unity showed the connection of everything, and how it makes the world perfect. This lesson had the most profound impact on him as it was the final lesson that allowed him to become enlightened through this unified experience that showed him the true value of
Siddhartha first encountered this river during his transition from the meeting with Buddha to a new life with what he calls the “child people” (Hesse 101). Displeased with this new life he returns to the river to commit suicide, but fails as the river cries out OM, warning him of his mistake and that he will only be at peace when he achieves enlightenment. Eventually, he befriends a ferryman named Vasudeva, who has a deep connection with the river as he is able to listen to it. Vasudeva reveals to Siddhartha that, “The river taught me how to listen, from …show more content…
One such secret is the illusion of time, as the river reveals time as something that is nonexistent. Siddhartha goes on to state, “Nothing was, nothing will be; everything is, everything has essence, is present” (Hesse 85). This opens Siddhartha’s eyes, as he begins to appreciate the world and everything about it in the present. This is important as it allows him to learn the final and most important lesson from the river, that everything is unified, because he has a new appreciation for everything in its current state. He learns this lesson when Vasudeva Guides him to go to the river and tells him to listen. Siddhartha does so and, “...the great song of the thousand voices consisted of one single word, and the word was OM: perfection” (Hesse 106). At this moment Siddhartha was enlightened as this lesson of unity showed the connection of everything, and how it makes the world perfect. This lesson had the most profound impact on him as it was the final lesson that allowed him to become enlightened through this unified experience that showed him the true value of