Siddhartha

When our worldly body whither away, we will only have left what spiritual gratification we grasped in our youth to carry us through the gateway to death and immortality. In a sense, whatever the materialistic objects over which the human nature craves for will ultimately have no importance than mere temporary happiness. Due to the desire of wanting more satisfaction of our needs through these materials, humans are subjected to pain and suffering. Nevertheless, these same obsessions prevents a man from finding his true self, his soul, that knows the truth about a man's feelings and actions. "All we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him" ( Burtt, 52). Hermann Hesse's book Siddartha, displays the fundamental four noble truth found in the great religion of Buddhism, begun twenty five hundred years ago, that include the ultimate aim of the good person should be the elimination of their self-centered desire, which can be attained through the grasping the truth about reality and following the eight for path that leads to Nirvana. "At the age of 29, Siddhartha came to realize that he could not be happy living as had been. He had discovered suffering, and wanted more than anything to discover how one might overcome suffering" ( Boree).

Siddhartha meets Gotama, the Illustrations One, in his journey with the Sadhus. After Siddhartha follows the footsteps of Gotama, he realizes the truth about suffering and becomes at one with Gotama and his teachings. Only through experience he gains wisdom about the "four noble truth, which include that existence is unhappiness, unhappiness is caused by selfish craving, selfish craving can be destroyed by the following the eightfold path...."(Burtt, 28) that focus on wisdom, morality, and mediation.