Siddhartha's Spiritual Journey

From the river of life where Siddhartha learns the unity of all things, he takes himself back to the river he once crossed, and falls into a deep sleep that reawakens him to the world. Throughout the novel, Siddhartha travels to find spiritual meanings in his life as he deals with the Samanas, Gotama Buddha, the Kamala and the ferryman. From different events that happen to him physically and mentally, Siddhartha realizes what he is set out to do. After his father tells Siddhartha that he may join the Samanas if he wishes, Siddhartha searches for the three stages on his journey to enlightenment that are the stage of the mind, the stage of the flesh, and the stage of transcendence.

When Siddhartha discards all material possessions and tries further to flee his own body and control his other needs he becomes a Samana. He felt he had learned enough of spiritual discipline and again changed his path in life because "perhaps that this is what prevents you from finding peace"(146). The "patience is the most important (127)" was getting thin, Siddhartha plans to leave the Samanas because he felt he had learned enough of spiritual discipline and again changed his path in life. As "He killed his senses, he killed his memory, he slipped out of his Self in a thousand different forms (15)", he moves on to the next town to find the next path of enlightenment on his journey.

When Siddhartha walk around the next town, his eyes were "moved by the beauty of the courtesan Kamala as she enters her grove in a sedan. (51)" The stage of the flesh begins as Siddhartha asks Kamala "to be my friend and teacher, for I do not know anything of the art of which you are mistress. (53)" Siddhartha gives up a lot to be with Kamala, and learn her ways of love. When Kamala listened to his poem, she "gives him a kiss in exchange for a good poem, and the amount of knowledge in that kiss amazes Siddhartha(56)". When she learns that Siddhartha can read and write, she introduces him to the businessman, Kamaswami, who will help him to acquire the tokens necessary for entrance into her garden of pleasure. Crying from the death of Kamala, Siddhartha saw in his dream that the bird was dead, just as all that was good in had died during his time living the life of a rich person.

As Siddhartha realizes life has many meanings when he Siddhartha continued down the road until he met Vasudeva by the ferry again; the stage