Faytaren 1

Alodia Faytaren
Summer Assignment
Mr. Hedgepeth
AP English
Siddhartha Quotes
1) P1- In the shade of the house, in the sunshine on the river bank by the boats, in the shade of
the sallow wood and the fig tree, Siddhartha, the handsome Brahmins son, grew up with his
friend Govinda.
The introductory sentence of the novel struck me as interesting due to the many details
that it features separated by many commas. As I have learned last year from Honors English,
there is a word for everything so I searched for the right one. My scavenge has led me to the
word asyndeton which means connections of words without the use of conjunctions.
Atman- the spiritual life principle of the universe, especially when regarded as inherent in the
real self of the individual
2) P1- Siddhartha had already long taken part in the learned mens conversations, had engaged
in debate with Govinda and had practiced the art of contemplation and meditation with him.
Already he knew how to pronounce Om silently- this word of words, to say it inwardly with the
intake of breath, when breathing out with all his soul, his brow radiating the glow of pure spirit.
Already he knew how to recognize Atman within the depth of his being, indestructible, at one
with the universe.
This passage serves as the readers first characterization and detailed introduction of
Siddhartha. From the context, we can infer that at this point, Siddhartha is a young man with
wisdom beyond his years. He has learned the art of meditation and recognized Atman, which is
defined above. Not many people in a lifetime can be at the same level of spiritually as he,
especially at such young age.
3) P2- He wanted to follow Siddhartha, the beloved, the magnificent. And if he ever became a
god, if he ever entered the All- Radiant, then Govinda wanted to follow him as his friend, his
companion, his servant, his lance bearer, his shadow.
Usually, best friends regard with each other with equality. However, in Govindas case, it
seems as tho he praises Siddhartha (like all others) as opposed to regarding him as a mere
companion. It sounds as though he perceives himself as inferior Siddhartha, but then of course,
all that laid eyes on him observed his greatness.
Brahman- a member of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood
4) P3- Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent within him They had already
poured the sum total of their knowledge into his waiting vessel; and the vessel was not full, his
intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still But where was this
Self, this innermost? It was not flesh and bone, it was not thought or consciousness They knew

Faytaren 2
a tremendous number of things but was it worth while knowing all these things if they did not
know the one important thing, the only important thing?
Although Siddhartha is placed in such a high stool in the sight of others, he himself is not
content with the life he is living. He is unsatisfied with aspects of his life. He has listened to his
Brahmins and all they had to say yet something was missing. He is beginning to question life and
the answers he is searching for are not within grasp. Similarly to how one suddenly questions
their faith, he is questioning his beliefs because what he was searching for were not present in
flesh and bone.
Samanas- wandering ascetics from ancient India
5) P6- In the evening, after the hour of contemplation, Siddhartha said to Govinda: Tomorrow
morning, my friend, Siddhartha is going to join the Samanas. He is going to become a Samana.
This can be looked upon as Siddharthas rebellion stage commonly found in teens. He is
running away from home. However, instead of being motivated by puppy love, he is driven by
reaching a greater sense of spirituality which is quite admirable.
6) P10- His glance became icy when he encountered women; his lips curled with contempt
when he passed a town of well-dressed people and all were not worth a passing glance,
everything lied, stank of lies; they were all illusions of sense, happiness and beauty. All were
doomed to decay. The world tasted bitter. Life was pain.
In a short amount of time, Siddharthas view of the world has shifted dramatically. His
long days sans food have taken a toll on only on his outward appearance, but also on the health
of his heart and soul. Now, not only did he have doubts on the world, he has deep hatred. His
eyes have turned into a scope filled with hatred and negativity towards his surroundings and all
that inhabits it.
7) P 11- Siddhartha had one single goal to become empty, to become empty of his thirst ,
desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow to let the Self die. When all the Self was conquered and
dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of
Being that is no longer Self the great secret.
There is great care in capitalizing these words which give them such a greater meaning
that I regard them with. Siddhartha truly believes that this is a greater force that he is not able to
reach due to all that he holds within his form of Self. He believes that if he is emptied, only then
will he be able to attain the key to the great unknown. I hope for his sake that he is not
disappointed with what he finds with a hollow tomb.
ascetic- characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from
all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons
8) P 12- Although Siddhartha fled from Self a thousand times, dwelt in nothing, dwelt in animal
and stone, the return was inevitable; the hour was inevitable when he would again find himself,

Faytaren 3
in sunshine or moonlight, in shadow or in rain, and was again Self and Siddhartha, again felt the
torment on the onerous life cycle.
I am quite confused about what Siddhartha is trying to achieve. He has poured himself
into a heron until it became a carcass and a jackal until it was dismembered by vultures. He is
doing whatever it takes to escape reality? If my interpretation of this text is accurate, then I find
him, again, comparable to a teenager suffering depression that would inject themselves into an
entirely alternate world so that they may be relieved of the burden they carry in their true form.
9) P 13- What is meditation? What is abandonment of the body? What is fasting? What is the
holding of breath? It is a flight from Self, it is a temporary escape from the torment of Self. It is a
temporary palliative against the pain and folly of life.
I was correct about his perspective of the reasoning behind his actions. He is simply
following the ways of the Samana to escape reality.
10) P 14- There still remains much to learn. We are not going in circles, we are going upwards.
The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.
When Siddharthas faith stumbles, Govinda presents him wisdom to uplift Siddharthas
broken and questioning soul. This assuaging quote from Govinda may be my favorite from the
novel. Although it may feel like their actions have not resulted in progression, upon further
examination, they are on the right path, though it is one with one spiral after the next, each
invoking more questions than the other before.
Nirvana- a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the
subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the
final goal of Buddhism.
11) P 15- I have always thirsted for knowledge, I have always been full of questions. Year after
year, I have questioned the Brahmins, year after year I have questioned the holy Vedas. Perhaps,
Govinda, it would have been equally good, equally clever and holy if I had questioned the
rhinoceros or the chimpanzee.
Siddhartha offers his explanation to Govinda with derision. He admits that he has always
been filled with curiosity and questions each belief that is put in front of him. He concludes that
it felt the same as questioning creatures that could not talk, for both offered the same amount of
answers: none at all.
12)P 16 The name of Gotama, the Buddha, continually reached the ears of the young men,
spoken of well and ill, in praise and in scorn.
As with everything in the world, Gotama was received with different opinions and
beliefs. There are lovers and hater, those who accept and those who deny, and there are those
who question all that is presented to them.
13)P 19 I have no desire to walk on water, said Siddhartha. Let the old Samanas satisfy
themselves with such arts.

Faytaren 4
After proving the skill that he has acquired from the Samanas, Siddhartha is still not
satisfied with himself. Reaching Nirvana and the sense of Self was so important to him than
great feats such as walking on water were mere capabilities in which he had no interest in
pursuing.
14) P 23- He looked attentively at Gotamas head, at his shoulders, at his feet, at his still,
downward-hanging hand, and it seemed to him that in every joint of every finger of his hand
there was knowledge; they spoke, breathed, radiated truth. This man, Buddha, was truly a holy
man to his fingertips. Never had Siddhartha esteemed a man so much, never had he loved a man
so much.
Though distinguished by nothing but his aura itself, the Buddha appears to be able to
answer every question that has filled Siddharthas mind throughout his whole life. Never before
have we seen this kind of admiration coming from the ever-spiritually superior Siddhartha. This
is a first encounter that I hope will not disappoint.
15) P 27- Let me warn you, you who are thirsty for knowledge, against the thicket of opinions
and the conflict of words. Opinions mean nothing; they may be beautiful or ugly, clever or
foolish, anyone can embrace or reject them. The teaching with which you have heard, however,
is not my opinion, and its goal is not to explain the world to those who are thirsty for knowledge.
Its goal is quite different; its goal is salvation from suffering. That is what Gotama teaches,
nothing else.
When Siddhartha questions Gotamas teachings, he responds with a concept that has not
yet been presented in the book. He understands and respects Siddharthas curiosity but refutes it
by saying that all possess an opinion, may it be wrong or right, but what he teaches is a fact. It is
not a story that can be broken down and analyzed for meaning sentence by sentence, much like
we are required to do in class. It is set for those who seek comfort from suffering, not to answer
all of lifes questions.
16) P 27- Not for one moment did I doubt that you were the Buddha, that you have reached the
highest goal You have done so by your own seeking, in your own way, through thought,
through meditation, through knowledge, through enlightenment. You have learned nothing
through teachings, and so I think, O Illustrious One, that nobody finds salvation through
teachings.
Siddhartha shares more of his opinion here and I must agree with him. I believe that we
learn through experience, not from reading words printed on paper. Like my volleyball coach
once said, a coach will be more insightful if he himself has played the game.
imperturbable- unable to be upset or excited; calm
17) P 29- I have never seen a man look and smile, sit and walk like that, he thought. I, also,
would like to look and smile, sit and walk like that, so free, so worthy, so restrained, so candid,
so childlike and mysterious. A man only looks and walks like that when he has conquered his
Self. I also will conquer my Self.

Faytaren 5
Siddhartha now has a living example of the type of inner tranquility that he wishes to
attain someday. It is interesting to note that during his time with the Samanas, a time of which he
believed he was following the correct path, was when he was the exact opposite embodiment of
what he wished to be.
18) P 29- The Buddha has robbed me, thought Siddhartha. He has robbed me, yet he has given
me something of greater value. He has robbed me of my friend, who believed in me and who
now believes in him; he is my shadow and is now Gotamas shadow. But he has given me to
Siddhartha, myself.
This section of the novel leads me to two conclusions. First is that you gain some and you
lose some. His new discovery was learned at the cost of a loss of a friend. Secondly, people are
subject to change many times in their lives. In the beginning, Govinda intended to live his life in
Siddharthas steps, for in his eyes, Siddhartha was the best there could be. However, as time
passed and his opinion changed. People do not stay the same. What we desire now may not seem
appealing in our own eyes twenty years further.
19) P 30- He realized that he was no longer a youth; he was now a man. He realized that
something had left him, like the old skin that a snake sheds this was the desire to have teachers
and to listen to their teachings. He had left the last teacher he had met, even he, the greatest and
wisest teacher, the holiest, the Buddha. He had to leave him; he could not accept his teachings.
I like the metaphor that the author uses to describe the transformation that Siddhartha has
undergone. I think many people experience this point in their life where they have had enough of
being told what to do and what to believe. Many people wish to venture out on their own, free of
the guidance of others and seek happiness by their lonesome.
20) P 32- it was just the divine art and intention that there should be yellow and blue, there
sky and wood and here Siddhartha. Meaning and reality were not hidden somewhere behind
things, they were in them, all them.
Siddharthas theories of life are ever-shifting. They transition from the unfathomable and
now to the simple. Now, he believes that he has been searching all this time. He has
overcomplicated his quest and failed to realize that the answers were right in front of him.
21) P 37- The sun and moon had always shone; the rivers had always flowered and bees had
hummed, but in previous times all this had been nothing to Siddhartha but a fleeting and illusive
veil before his eyes, regarded with distrust, condemned to be disregarded and ostracized from
thoughts, because it was not reality, because reality lay on the other side of the visible.
This goes to show that our mindset controls factors that we may consider set in stone. To
change ones mindset is to change everything. If I wake up and look outside with the thought that
in front of me lays a beautiful day filled with infinite possibilities, my day will yield fruitful
accomplishments. But if I wake with a gloom in my soul and a drag in my step, my day will be
wasted. I must remember this for I cause most trouble for myself.

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22) P 40- he was Govinda no longer, but a woman and out of the womans gown emerged a
full breast, and Siddhartha lay there and drank; sweet and strong tasted the milk from this breast.
It tasted of woman and man, of sun and forest, of animal and flower, of every fruit, of every
pleasure.
With Siddharthas new lifestyle comes the thirst for that of which he has long deprived
himself of. This includes the touch and the love of a woman.
23) P 46- No, Samana, I am not afraid. Has a Samana or a Brahmin ever feared that someone
could come and strike him and rob him of his knowledge, of his piety, of his power for depth of
thought? No, because they belong to himself, and he can only give of them what he wishes, and
if he wishes That is exactly how it is with Kamala try to kiss them against Kamalas will,
and not one drop of sweetness will you obtain from them although they know well how to give
sweetness.
Kamala is a wise and empowered woman who is confident in her skill and way of life.
She provides such an interesting view to Siddhartha. One is not able to take anything from her
without her approval. If one were to steal a kiss from her fig lips, they would not attain what it is
they wish for, for only she can give what they desire.
24) P 49- The day before yesterday I was still an unkempt beggar; yesterday I already kissed
Kamala and soon I will be a merchant and have money and all those things which you value.
One can do anything that they set their mind to. In such a short period of time, Siddhartha
has achieved plenty and it is because of his motivated personality which is later described as a
rock falling through water.
25) P 50- Listen, Kamala, when you throw a stone into the water, it finds the quickest way to the
bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal he goes through the
affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring
himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything
to enter his mind which opposes the goal It is what fools call magic and what they think is
caused by demons; there are no demons. Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his
goal, if he can think, wait and fast.
I absolutely adore the comparison that Siddhartha makes of himself and a rock voyaging
to the bottom of the water. He says that his success is like gravity, it is unstoppable. Once his
mind is set to a goal, he will accomplish it by using what he has learned from the Samanas. To
maintain focus is key. It is not as if a rock pauses occasionally to admire the fishes he is
surpassing. In the same sense, Siddhartha will not be distracted by tiny flecks that are in his path.
26) P 52- I possess nothing, said Siddhartha, if that is what you mean. I am certainly without
possessions, but of my own free will so I am not in need.
When questioned of his belongings, Siddhartha admits that he possesses none, but he
makes it sound as if it is okay. The ability of doing whatever he wanted without having to answer
to anyone but himself was far better than having objects.

Faytaren 7
servile- having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others
27) P 57- He saw people living in a childish or animal-like way, which he both loved and
despised. He saw them toiling, saw them suffer and grow gray about things that to him did not
seem worth the price for money, small pleasures, and trivial honors. He saw them scold and
hurt each other; he saw them lament over pains at which the Samana laughs, and suffer at
deprivations which a Samana does not feel.
Having been brought up under a very different set of beliefs, Siddhartha looks at these
people and is amused by the amount of stress and worry that they burden themselves with, unlike
himself, who travels and enjoys life like the wind that breezes by. If he saw the teens of my
generation, he perhaps may die from laughter at the way they prioritized their social medias and
how many followers they had and what people thought of the pictures they posted. I wish I was a
Samana.
28) P 58- Most people, Kamala, are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and
falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path: no wind reaches
them, they have within themselves their guide and path. Among all the wise men, of whom I
knew many Gotama,.. thousands of young men hear his teachings every day and follow his
instructions every hour, but they are all falling leaves; they have not the wisdom and guide
within themselves.
Siddhartha (the author) is filled with such beautiful quotes, everything he says can be
analyzed and related to. I love this metaphor. I, sadly, am a falling leaf. I am easily affected by
the conditions around me and my path depends on the gust which blows me. I dont believe I
have ever met a star. That will be a goal for me from this day onwards. If I cannot be a star with a
destined path and the drive to follow it, then I will learn and enlighten myself with one who is.
29) P 61- Many of these he had retained; others were submerged and covered with dust. Just as
the potters wheel, once set in motion, still turns for a long time and then turns only very slowly
and stops, so did the wheel of the ascetic, the wheel of thinking, the wheel of discrimination still
revolve for a long time in Siddharthas soul; it still revolved, but slowly and hesitatingly, and it
had nearly come to a standstill.
The author uses such beautiful comparisons for every phase of life that Siddhartha
partakes in. In this case, he uses a pottery wheel as it comes to a halt. I agree in what he says for
even though we may change our ways and leave part of a life behind, it still manifests in our
mind and will take years and decades to disappear all together if at all.
30) P 62- He envied them the one thing that he lacked and they had: the sense of importance
with which they lived their lives, the depth of their pleasures and sorrows , the anxious but sweet
happiness of their continual power to love. These people were always in love with themselves,
with their children, with honor or money, with plans or hope.
Although he continued to look down at the regular people through eyes of superiority, he
started to acquire a feeling of envy of their ability to love. It is true that it can be said these
people are living in ignorance because they neglect the higher powers of the world, but

Faytaren 8
Siddhartha discovers that for them, ignorance is bliss. It allows them to find joy in smaller things
and lead an ultimately happier life.
31) P 66- It seemed to him that he had spent his life in a worthless and senseless manner; he
retained nothing vital, nothing in any way precious or worthwhile. He stood alone, like a
shipwrecked man on shore.
I pray to dear God that I will never wake up with such a sense of burden in my heart that
Siddhartha has now. Through the course of this book, we have watched Siddhartha go through a
slow decay from a strong set of beliefs to nothing at all.
ennui- a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or
excitement.
32) P 71- There was no more purpose; there was nothing more than a deep, painful longing to
shake off this whole confused dream, to spit out this stale wine, to make an end of this bitter,
painful life.
It sounds as though Siddhartha is going through a midlife crisis. He is questioning every
decision he has made and finds regret in most of them. I feel as though many teenagers also go
through this phase of insanity at one point in their lives as they try to discover what they want to
achieve in the duration of their short lives.
33) P 72- Siddhartha was deeply horrified. So that was what he had come to; he was so lost, so
confused, so devoid of all reason, that he had sought death. This wish, this childish wish had
grown so strong within him: to find peace by destroying his body.
This quote shows the great disdain that he had for committing suicide. It is something
that is perceived differently in each culture, some greatly frowning upon it.
34) P 76- Remember, my dear Govinda, the world of appearance is transitory, the style of our
clothes and hair is extremely transitory. Our hair and our bodies are themselves transitory. You
have observed correctly. I am wearing the clothes of a rich man. I am wearing them because I
have been a rich man, and I am wearing my hair like men of the world and fashion because I
have been one of them.
In his very sensible and philosophical way of stating, Siddhartha is basically saying do
not judge a book by its cover. In outward appearance, of course he looks like a rich man living
lavishly because he was. Our appearance does not change as our mind changes. Therefore, the
recent transformation of his mind has not yet been mirrored by the transformation of his clothes,
body, and hair.
35) P 77- He had exchanged them for the most wretched things, for the transitory, for the
pleasures of the senses, for high living and riches. He had gone along a strange path. And now, it
seemed that he had indeed become an ordinary person.
It is ironic to think that Siddhartha, before meeting Kamala, had very little. He had the
virtues of fasting, waiting, and thinking and that was all. Then he underwent a phase where he

Faytaren 9
seemingly had everything but ultimately wound up with nothing at all. Not even the three virtues
that he prided himself in having in the start of it all.
expiation- the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement
36) P 79- I commend you, Siddhartha, that after so many years of folly, you have again had a
good idea, that you have accomplished something, that you have again heard the bird in your
breast sing and followed it.
Forgiveness of the self is a very important ability to master. Of course, none of us are
perfect and mistakes are of the inevitable. We will mess up. However, as many times as we do,
we must also learn to forgive ourselves from the foolishness we have succumbed to, as
Siddhartha is doing here. We must not wallow and self-loathe but instead commend ourselves for
realizing and eventually correcting our mistakes.
37) P 86- I have taken thousands of people across and to all of them my river has been nothing
but a hindrance on their journey. They have travelled for money and business, to weddings and
on pilgrimages; the river has been in their way and the ferryman was there to take them quickly
across the obstacle. However, amongst the thousands there have been a few, four or five, to
whom the river was not an obstacle. They have heard its voice
In life, the concept of the river that the ferryman speaks of can be applied anywhere. It is
part of a journey that many people wish to be able to skip entirely. It is inconvenient and a waste
of time. To others, however, it is much more than that. Much like the saying happiness is found
along the way, the river is a part of the journey that has a special meaning and experience in
itself.
38) P 88- Was then not all sorrow in time, all self-torment and fear in time? Were not all
difficulties and evil in the world conquered as soon as one conquered time, as soon as one
dispelled time?
This idea is quite confusing to me but it radiates great significance so I will come back to
it and analyze it a different time. Does it mean that if one forgets the clock and the measure of
time that we humans have devised to keep track of it then it is just one seamless stretch of life
and any troubles that may come is easily surpassed after that time has passed? Idk.
precocious- advanced for one's age
39) P 93- It had been her intention to make pilgrimage to Gotama, to see the face of the
Illustrious One, to obtain some of his peace, and instead she had only found Siddhartha, and it
was good, just as good as if she had seen the other.
Life is funny sometimes. We set off on a journey to accomplish a goal and life, with its
sudden twists and turns, lead us in a completely different direction, though not a bad one.
Kamala did not seek to see Gotama, she seemed peace. And there was her peace, in Siddharthas
arms, the father of her son.

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40) P 97- You are not strict with him, you do not punish him, you do not command him
because you know that gentleness is stronger than severity, that water is stronger than rock, that
love is stronger than force.
This is an idea that surely many many parents would laugh at, those who treat their
children with a crude discipline and a cold heart. They who have never considered good-natured
nurturing over battery. Many children would react better to the latter, in my opinion.
41) P 98- Do you then really think that you have committed your follies in order to spare your
son them? How? Through instruction, through prayers, through exhortation? Could his
fathers piety, his teachers exhortations, his own knowledge, his own seeking, protect him?
Which father, which teacher, could prevent him from living his own life from soiling himself
with life, from loading himself with sin, from swallowing the bitter drink himself, from finding
his own path? Do you think, my dear friend, that anybody is spared from this path? But if you
were to die ten times for him, you would not alter his destiny in the slightest.
Vasudeva has just unloaded a great load of wisdom, few of the many that he holds in his
heart. This quote suggests that each and every one of us has a destiny to fulfill and regardless of
our actions, they will all lead to the same place. Assuming that is true, no one is able to stop us.
We must make the same mistakes regardless of the many people who have made them before us
and learned from them. Siddharthas journey from his adolescence to now means nothing to little
Siddhartha for those are lessons that he must learn himself.
42) P 105- So many people possess this very great happiness why not I? Even wicked people,
thieves and robbers have children, love them and are loved by them, except me. So childishly
and illogically did he now reason; so much had he become like the ordinary people.
Siddhartha now is very much ordinary. He reasons like me, a teenage girl. Like the rest of
the world. Its never wise to compare yourself to others. It just may be the root of all unhappiness.
Even when you are happy and content, you may look at someone that has more and this feeling
of happiness and content quickly goes away.
43) P 106- Within Siddhartha there slowly grew and ripened the knowledge of what wisdom
really was and the goal of his long seeking. It was nothing but a preparation of the soul, a
capacity, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life.
This thought matured in him slowly, and it was reflected in Vasudevas old childlike face:
harmony, knowledge of the eternal perfection of the world, and unity.
Through the many moments of pain and suffering that Siddhartha has endured in his life,
a moment of clarity has arisen. He is now closer to what he is looking for. Here, by this river, not
from the temples and teachers with their doctrines, here, he is closest to achieving his goal.
44) P 107- Had not his father also suffered the same pain that he was now suffering for his son?
Had not his father died long ago, alone, without having seen his son again? Did he not expect the
same fate? Was it not a comedy, a strange and stupid thing, this repetition, this course of events
in a fateful circle?

Faytaren 11
Here, Siddhartha encounters another irony of life. He describes himself to be wounded, a
pain that constantly smarts due to the departure of his son. But then, he realizes that he did the
same to his father, even for the same reasons. Little Siddhartha left home to seek answers that he
hoped to find elsewhere, just like his father did. He is in the cycle of life.
45) P 110- The water changed to vapor and rose, became rain and came down again, became
spring, brook and river, changed anew, flowed anew. But the yearning voice had altered. It still
echoed sorrowfully, searchingly, but other voices accompanied it, voices of pleasure and sorrow,
good and evil voices, laughing and lamenting voices, thousands of voices.
Siddhartha had often mentioned in some way the river speaking to him. Now, he was a
good enough listener to decipher the messages that its entity says to him. In the voices of the
river come all emotions of life, each felt through our passage. Each emotion blends together to
coexist in harmony and no one feeling can be left out, for all are necessary in the path of life.
46) P 113- When someone is seeking, said Siddhartha, it happens quite easily that he only sees
the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because
he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with
his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no
goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, for in striving towards your goal, you do
not see many things that are under your nose.
Siddhartha sees his previous self in Gotama and tries to open his eyes so that he, too, may
achieve the peace that Siddhartha finds after stopping the mindset of seeking. What he said is
indeed true. Sometimes, we focus so much on one thing that we disregard everything else in our
way that is not that one thing. It can be compared to many situations in life. Like shopping, for
example. Girls, women, many a time, have gone to the mall in search for specific pieces of an
outfit, perhaps a patterned skirt with a white flowing tip. In the search for these specific items,
their eyes are blind to the infinite combinations of good items that their hands have rummaged
through in search for their original desire that they may never find.
47) P 115- Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate
always sounds foolish.
I completely agree. Wisdom is not able to passed down merely by uttering words into the
air. Wise lips are not able to transfer such wisdom to anyone that listens. Wisdom is gained from
experience, from mistakes, and from lessons that we learn within ourselves. Although it is true
that listening to those who are wise may gain enlightenment in one way, shape, or form, they
themselves will not be automatically filled with wisdom also.
48) P 115- Time is not real, Govinda. I have realized this repeatedly. And if time is not real, then
the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss,
between good and evil, is also an illusion.
This is a concept that is still hard for me to wrap my brain around. Us humans have
devised a system of counts and numbers that measure the time for us, but if disregarded, all flow
into one continuos stream of experiences.

Faytaren 12
49) P 116- The world, Govinda, is not imperfect or slowly evolving along a path to perfection.
No, it is perfect at every moment; every sin already carries grace within it, all small children are
potential old men, all sucklings have death within them, all dying peopleeternal life.
When Siddhartha says this, it is as though he is rushing life, but what he says is true. We
are who we are at every point in our life, regardless of the form that we may manifest. And
although we may sin, if we are destined to be mighty and wise, we will eventually be that. He
says that Buddha exists in the dice player and robber and that is true. As supported by the next
quote.
50) P 116- Everything is necessary, everything needs only my agreement, my assent, my loving
understanding; then all is well with me and nothing can harm me. I learned through my body and
soul that it was necessary for me to sin, that I needed lust, that I had to strive for property and
experience nausea and depths of despair in order to learn not to resist them, in order to learn to
love the world, some imaginary vision of perfection, but to leave it as it is, to love it and be glad
to belong to it.
The enlightened smile that Siddhartha projects on his face is because of this realization
that he has accepted. He doesnt regret any of the decisions that he has made in the past because
they are all part of what made him to the enlightened ferry man that he is today. In order to get
past the challenges in his mind, he had to inject himself into what he disagreed with. And now
that he has lived that life, he can continue in his path of fulfillment.