Siddhartha Review!

Alyson Laing

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• Siddhartha is a son of a Brahmin who isn’t happy with his life.

• He decides he is going to go on a journey of a life time after seeing a group of wandering ascetics called Samanas.

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• Before Siddhartha leaves, he asks his father for permission having to wait all night before his father answers him.

• Even though the father doesn’t want his only son to leave him, he finally agrees to let Siddhartha leave.

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• Govinda, Siddhartha’s best friend decides that he too wants to find the path to enlightenment, so he joins him on his adventure.

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• After Siddhartha and Govinda have lived with the Samanas for a while, Siddhartha is still not happy with his life.

• Siddhartha and Govinda have been hearing about the holy man, Gotama the Buddha who has reached enlightenment, so they decided that it was time to leave the Samanas and go see what the Buddha is all about.

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• Siddhartha tells the oldest Samana of their decision to leave. The leader is clearly displeased with their choice to leave, but Siddhartha doesn’t let him speak his mind because he silences him with a magical gaze that he learned from the Samanas while he was there.

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• Siddhartha and Govinda end up finding a group of people that are also following the teachings of the Buddha. They are introduced to the Eightfold Path and other things about Buddhism. Govinda is set to join the Buddha but Siddhartha still doesn’t feel that’s what he is suppose to do.

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• Siddhartha realizes that the Buddha isn’t able to tell him exactly how he reached enlightenment.

• He then decides this is not the right path for him and leaves his friend, Govinda behind and continues on his search.

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• While continuing his journey, Siddhartha comes across a ferryman. The ferryman agrees to take Siddhartha across even though he doesn’t have any money to pay for it.

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• After reaching the other side of the river, Siddhartha enters a city where he meets Kamala, a woman who teaches the art of love.

• Siddhartha wants her to teach him, but she won’t until he cleans up and brings her the money that she requires.

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• Kamala suggests that he should work for a merchant named Kamaswami. He goes and works with him and helps him to trade items. He learns about the business world and also learns what Kamala teaches him about love.

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• Siddhartha soon becomes a rich man and doesn’t have a care in the world. He ends up drinking and gambling.

• As time goes on, he keeps getting unhappier and unhappier.

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• One day when Siddhartha is at one of his lower points, he has a dream under a mango tree about Kamla’s songbird that died in it’s cage. He then realized that his is not what he is suppose to do, this is not how he is going to reach enlightenment.

• He decides to leave it all-His new life, Kamaswami and Kamala.

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• Kamala does not know for a couple days that he has left, but eventually finds out. As soon as she does, she lets the songbird out of its cage to be free.

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• As Siddhartha is wandering, he comes across a river. It is then he considers committing suicide. But instead he falls asleep tired from his journey. When he wakes up, he sees a monk sitting in front of him. He immediately recognizes that is it his old friend Govinda.

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• Even though Siddhartha recognized him, Govinda doesn’t recognize his old friend.

• After he finally realizes it is Siddhartha, he tells him how he looks like a rich man. Siddhartha tells him that he isn’t a Samana or a rich man, he is just Siddhartha.

• Soon after talking, Govinda leaves his friend to continue on his trip to reach enlightenment.

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• Siddhartha then comes across his old friend, the ferryman whose name is Vasudeva.

• They agree that Siddhartha will work with him and help transport people across the river while Vasudeva supplies him with a place to live.

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• As he works with Vasudeva, he learns about the river. He is soon able to hear the river’s voice and the word Om.

• As time goes on, he is able to hear it more clearly.

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• One day Kamala comes to the river hoping to see the Buddha before he dies. But before she can reach it, she is bit by a snake. Siddhartha and Vasudeva try to help her but the bite ends up killing her.

• Before she dies, she informs Siddhartha that he is a father to a 11 year old son.

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• Siddhartha tries to help his son with the loss of his mother, but he just pushes his father away.

• Siddhartha feels like his son is not ready to open up to him, but in truth he is spoiled and just does not like the life his father lives and wants to return home.

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• One morning after Siddhartha awakes, he is shocked to see that his son has run away and stolen all of his and Vasudeva’s money.

• Siddhartha’s first instinct is to go after him, Vasudeva tells him not to but Siddhartha doesn’t listen.

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• As Siddhartha reaches the city, he realizes that chasing his son will lead him no where. His son has chosen his life, and he was not part of it.

• He then returns to the river with Vasudeva. With the pain of losing his son, he continues to listen to the river.

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• One day, after Siddhartha has been studying the river for many years, he is listening to it, and slowly all the sounds of birth and death are interconnected in a cycle. It is then Siddhartha finally completes his journey and reaches enlightenment.

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• Soon after, Vasudeva informs him that he is leaving his life at the river and going into the forest so he can die in peace.

• Siddhartha is then left to be the ferryman.

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• Later Govinda returns, hoping to meet the man everyone has been talking about. The one who has reached enlightenment. Again, he doesn’t recognize his friend right away.

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• After he realizes that it is his friend, he asks him to teach him what he has learned. Even though Govinda is still a follower of The Buddha, he has not reached his enlightenment.

• Siddhartha explains that he cannot verbally teach it to him, he has to do it himself. He asks Govinda to kiss him on the forehead, and when he does, he is able to see what Siddhartha has seen and together they both achieve enlightenment.

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