The Call of Adventure

"Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent with him .He had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, satisfy, and suffice him." (3) 

Siddhartha realizes, in this moment, that his current life will not always satisfy him. He realizes that to become one with himself, he must go on a journey of self exploration and discovery to find out all that he is and can become. His call to adventure is his internal longing for something more. His thirsts for knowledge and experience (wisdom). This is what sparks the internal and physical journey of Siddhartha.

Refusal of the Call

“It is not seemly for Brahmins to utter forceful and angry words, but there is displeasure in my heart. I should not like to hear you make this request a second time.” (10)

Siddhartha’s father denies him from going on this journey to become a Samana, and says to him that he will be greatly discouraged if Siddhartha continues to even ask for his permission. His father doesn't believe in foul language and communication, however, he tries to the best of his ability to dissuade him from leaving, as calmly as he can. Thus creating conflict for Siddhartha in his decision making, blocking him from the call to adventure.

Supernatural Aid

“On the evening of that day, they overtook the Samanas and requested their company and allegiance.They were accepted.” (13) 

Siddhartha, and his friend Govinda, flee from their town to become part of the Samanas. Once apart of the Samanas, they are taught how to fast, wait, and think. The Samanas help them realize they are on a much larger, longer, and more sacred journey than they thought. These monks help get them on their way, serving as his supernatural aid.

Crossing the Threshold

“You have listened well to the teachings, O Brahmin’s son, and it is a credit to you that you have thought so deeply about them. You have found a flaw. Think well about it, again… Its goal is quite different; its goal is salvation from suffering. That is what Gotama teaches, nothing else.” (33)

When speaking to the Buddha [Gotama], Siddhartha realizes that you cannot be taught enlightenment, It something you earn by yourself, through experience and gained wisdom. No teacher can give you the light to see yourself as you truly can can. Teachers can only serve as an aide, in helping you in take right path. Siddhartha learns that he must do this all for himself by continuing the journey to enlightenment on his own. This realization, would be considered the crossing the threshold. Crossing over of the territory between the known and unknown.

Belly of the Whale

“The thinker, slowly going on his way, suddenly stood still, gripped by his thought, and another thought immediately arose from this one. It was: The reason why I do not know anything about myself, the reason why Siddhartha has remained alien and unknown to myself is due to one thing, to one single thing - I was afraid of myself, I was fleeing from myself.” (38) 

Siddhartha learns that he was, for the longest time, trapped within the fear of himself. Behind the wall of pride and self worth that hides the path to enlightenment and inner/outer connection. He knows, now, that he must start over if he really wants to become all that is and is capable of being. This containment that he suffers in internally serves as the belly of the whale in his journey.

The Road of Trials

"Govinda had become a monk and thousands of monks were his brothers, wore the same gown, shared his beliefs and spoke his language. But...where did [Siddhartha] belong? Whose life would he share? Whose language would he speak?"

Siddhartha finds out that he does not want to continue on the same path as Govinda, and that he would much rather go onto his journey to enlightenment and strength, on his own. He doesn't want the help of other followers, physical teachers or people alongside him. He realizes this may be difficult to be on his own, and him and Govinda have a falling-out as they part. This idea of being on his own, and parting with his childhood friend acts as a road of trials for Siddhartha as he searches for Nirvana.

The Meeting with the Goddess

“When the beautiful Kamala was approaching her grove late in the afternoon in her sedan chair, Siddhartha was at the entrance… May it be so, my teacher. May my glance always please you, may good fortune always come to me from you!” (52/61) 

Siddhartha meets a beautiful woman, Kamala, while making his way through a town’s square. He becomes intrigued by her, and does all in his power to gain her attention. He “forgets” all he has learned in life, and gives into temptation, lust, and desire. She teaches Siddhartha about love, passion, riches and luxury, and proper etiquette. His whole “enlightenment” shtick is momentarily forgotten, when spending time with her.

The Temptress

“I am like you. You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can - that is their secret.” (73)

Siddhartha learns all about love, real and fake, from Kamala. Her learns the truth about his feelings, and hers, and what they both want from each other. She teaches her to be observant and proud and ignorant and passionate. These things, however different from his original goal of self awareness, do, in fact, help him in his journey of growth and inner discovery. To be the master of yourself, you must first master the art of everything around you.

Atonement with the Father

"And Govinda saw that this mask-like smile, this smile of unity over the flowing forms, this smile of simultaneousness over the thousands of births and deaths--this smile of Siddhartha--was exactly the same as the calm, delicate, impenetrable, perhaps gracious, perhaps mocking, wise, thousand-fol smile of Gotama, the Buddha, as he perceived it with awe a hundred times. It was in such a manner, Govinda knew that the Perfect One smiled" (151)

Although his father was shielding him from his journey, there is no actual atonement with his father. Instead, Govinda recognizes that Siddhartha has actually been enlightened. Meaning, yes, he does reach Nirvana. He calls Siddhartha "the Perfect one" because, when you reach Nirvana, you have perfected your understanding of everything. Govinda recognizes his smile as something as holy, and wholesome as Nirvana. Because of this recognition, as such a him being higher being, this is considered the atonement with the father. Again, the "father" being Govinda. This atonement with the father is the reason there is an Apotheosis, and is why it is so strong.

Apotheosis

"Govinda bowed low. Incontrollable tears trickled down his old face. He was overwhelmed by a feeling of great love, of the most humble veneration. He bowed low, right down to the ground, in front of the man sitting there, motionless, whose smile reminded him of everything that he had ever loved in his life, of everything that had ever been of value and holy in his life."

. This is considered an apotheosis because Siddhartha has moved beyond the pairs of opposites. Govinda went from being his friend, to not, and now is completely respected by him. Not only does he respect him, but views him as godlike. This can be inferred from the fact that religion is what Govinda found to be "of value and holy", and is what Siddhartha's smile reminds him of. The "feeling of great love" is also something that is found within spirituality, and is how the emotion of Govinda is described. Finally, bowing is a form of respect that is given to Siddhartha, it serves as an ultimate honoring from Govinda. Which in results, supports this to be a very true apotheosis.

The Ultimate Boon

"...every sin already carries grace within it, all small children are potential old men, all sucklings have death within them, all dying people--eternal life. It is not possible for one person to see how far another is on the way; the Buddha exists in the robber and dice player; the robber exists in the Brahmin. During deep meditation it is possible to dispel time, to see simultaneously all the past present and future, and everything that exists is good--death as well as life, sin as well as holiness, wisdom as well as folly. Everything is necessary..." (144)

Siddhartha's original goal was to reach Nirvana, and is what he manages to do. He realize even though he was once a gambler, and a material man, it didn't make him any less equal to everything else. His deeper understanding of unity among everything in the world is enlightenment. He knows now that yes, someone could have sat there and told him all this, but that wouldn't be enlightenment. One cannot reach Nirvana through teachings, but through experience, the same way wisdom is obtained. The relationships between everything could of easily been taught to him, but that is not what he needed. Siddhartha needed his own experience to realize this. His experience is the prior incident when listening to the river. This is what helped him reach this ultimate boon, it helped him understand the wholesomeness between everything in the world.

Refusal of the Return

"This whole world of the Kamaswami people had only been a game to him, a dance, a comedy which on watches. Only Kamala was dear to him--had been of value to him--but was she still? Did he still need her--did she still need him? Were they not playing a game without an end? Was it necessary to live for it? No. This game was called Samsara, a game for children, a game which was perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times--but was it worth playing continually?" (84)

In order for there to be a return, there must be some sort of refusal before and some state they were in that prevented them from progressing. In Siddhartha's case, before he reached enlightenment through the river his life as a rich, selfish gambler is what was blocking him from reaching enlightenment or Nirvana. The years he spent in the state is where he had a refusal of the return. He spent much time suffering with internal conflict, and not sure which world he'd rather be apart of. The thrilling, materialistic world that sickened him, or the new world of Nirvana that he would have to suffer to potentially reach. This quote helps establish the refusal of the return by revealing both sides of Siddhartha's options. The struggle between what world he wants to take on is what is holding him back from advancing on his journey to enlightenment. He knows that the world his is living in is all just a game. What he doesn't know is if it's "worth playing continually." Siddhartha has to ask himself is the life he living really how he wants to continue to live.

The Magic Flight

"A friendly ferryman took me across. I will go to him. My path once led from his hut to  anew life which now old and dead. May my present path, my new life, start from there!...How he loved this river, how it enchanted him, how grateful he was to it!...Yes, he wanted to learn from [the river], he wanted to listen to it." (101)

When Siddhartha is taken across the river, he begins to understand the importance of it. The physical trip across the water, is his own magic flight. It not only contributes to his rescue from without, but his freedom to live. The line "Yes, he wanted to learn from [the river], he wanted to listen to it." (101) is foreshadowing this, and will be later discussed. Though he is not actually taking a trip home per say, this magic flight will still send him on his way to Nirvana, which is what he is trying to achieve. The fact the water is beginning to make him happy, and peaceful it also makes his journey easier. Not only does this make the trip easier on him, but is what will actually end his journey. Which again, will be discussed in later steps of Siddhartha's hero cycle. 

Rescue From Without

"Siddhartha was transitory, all forms were transitory, but today he was young, he was a child--the new Siddhartha--and he was very happy. These thoughts passed through his mind. Smiling, he listened to his stomach, listened thankfully to a humming bee. Happily he looked in the flowing river. Never had a river attracted him as much as this one. Never had he found the voice and appearance of flowing water so beautiful. It seemed to him as if the river had something special to tell him, something which he did not know, something which still awaited him...The new Siddhartha felt a deep love for flowing water and decided that would not leave it again so quickly." (100)

Siddhartha begins to respect the river here, and in result, begins helping himself. After a second time with the river, he starts to feel the spiritual connection with it, and is making him happy. This is the "voice from the past", that will later help him with his freedom to live.  The line, "It seemed to him as if the river had something special to tell him, something which he did not know, something which still awaited him," is super important and is more foreshadowing for what the river will later do for him. The fact the river is helping him now, is what makes this a rescue from without. Siddhartha, who wanted to die because of the materialism that once overtook him, is now finding happiness in something as simple as water.   

Crossing the Return Threshold

"Vasudeva said: 'Take [your son] into the town; take him to his mother's house. There will still be servants there;...if they are no longer there, take him to a teacher, not just for the sake of education, but so that he can meet other boys and girls and be in the world to which he belongs. Have you never thought about it?' 'You can see into my heart,' said Siddhartha sadly. 'I have often thought about it. But how will he, who is so hard-hearted go in this world? Will he not consider himself superior, will he no lose himself in pleasure and power, will he not repeat all his father's mistakes, will he not perhaps be quiet lost in Samsara?' The ferryman smiled again. He touched Siddhartha's arm gent;y and said "...Do you then really think that you have committed your follies in order to spare your son? Can you then protect your son from Samsara? How? Through instruction, through prayers, through exhortation? My dear friend, have you forgotten that...story about Siddhartha, the Brahmin's son, which you once told me here?Who protected Siddhartha the Samana from Samsara...? Which father, which teacher, could prevent him from living his own life, from soiling himself with life...from finding his own path...if you were to die ten times for him, you would not alter his destiny in the slightest'" (120-121)

Siddhartha's "reverse culture shock", or the rough patch of his return, occurs when he understands he cannot change his sons fate. He sees himself in his young son, and is what is so frustrating to him. Siddhartha would like to shield and protect his son from all the things that once plagued him. However, while speaking with Vasudeva, he understands no matter what he does for his son, he could never change his son's destiny. The ferryman makes very good points to Siddhartha. You must go through all the trial and error in the world, to find your true self, and meaning. If his father tries to block that part of his son's life, it takes away potential wisdom. This is true, because wisdom comes from only experience. His father could hold him back, and tell him that there are terrible and toxic things in the material world. This would not teach him anything though, he would need to learn from his experiences. The fact it is so hard for Siddhartha to decide what he is going to do with his son, is the reason this is "crossing the return threshold" for him.

Master of Two Worlds

"Siddhartha listened. He was now listening intently, completely absorbed, quite empty, taking in everything. He felt that he had now completely learned the art of listening. He had often heard all this before, all these numerous voices in the river, but today they sounded different. He could no longer distinguish the different voices--the merry voice from the weeping voice, the childish voice from the manly voice. They all belonged to each other...They were all interwoven and interlocked, entwine in a thousand of ways." (135)

Siddhartha is able to "master two worlds" by finding deeper meaning in his is spirituality. Since he has the ability to be a strong Buddhist, he is indirectly mastering the material world. Siddhartha rises above the life of a normal, material person, making him ultimate in not only the physical world, but in his own spiritual world. I chose the quote where he finds unity though listening to the river because this is how he masters the idea of what it is to be a Buddhist. When at the river, Siddhartha can finally understand that everyone, and everything is equal, and is one. The moment he feels this wholesomeness, is the moment he reaches complete Nirvana. This enlightenment is ultimate peace within the world. He now has overcome the material life, and has mastered his spirituality.

Freedom to Live

"But now I think: The stone is stone; it is also animal, God and Buddha. I do not respect and love it because it was one thing and will become something else, but because it has already long been everything and always everything. I love it just because it is a stone, because today and now it appears to me a stone. I see value and meaning in each one of its fine markings and cavities, in yellow, in gray, in the hardness...each one is different and worships Om in its own way; each one is Brahman." (145)

In order to live freely, you have to have some sense as to why you are living. The reason so many people establish a religion within there life, is to have a reason to live on, to succeed. This quote reveals when Siddhartha begins to see meaning in every little thing. He understands each object, and how everything so different about it is what makes it more alike. Giving meaning to every little things opens up his ability to live free. Since Siddhartha was searching so hard to find this meaning, when he finds it, it is the beginning of his freedom to live. This quote conveys this idea because it shows self reflection and change, this is revealed when he says, "But now I think."