Siddhartha: The Teachers of Siddhartha

The most essential teachers in life don’t have a college degree. They didn‘t obtain a sense of life and morals by years of schooling. These people had lived, and have experience to back their words of wisdom. Even one particular person’s personal life experiences can teach him a lot about life! Just like most parents, Siddhartha’s father raised him in a really sheltered environment. In the novel Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, the primary character, had lots of instructors. He wasn‘t taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he was introduced to a way of life. The most influential mentors in Siddhartha’s life have been Kamala “the courtesan”, Vasudeva “the ferryman”, and Siddhartha’s father “the Brahmin”.

Just before Siddhartha met Kamala all he knew of was “thinking, waiting, and fasting.”(46) He was a simple “Samana from the forest.”(45) Kamala transform all of that, she converted Siddhartha from a Samana into a higher-powered businessman! Apart from directing Siddhartha to “Samsara”(60), Kamala taught him one of the most essential points somebody can be taught, how to adore and be loved in return. With that, she also put him by way of one of the hardest points in life, a “personal” relationship with the opposite sex. Even though Siddhartha could “not actually love”(59) Kamala, he nevertheless influenced her to change her viewpoint on life. It was crucial for Siddhartha to enter “Samsara” mainly because he would have been longing to had he not taken the opportunity when it arose.

“May my present path, my new life, start from there!”(82) Siddhartha was speaking of the river. The river gave Siddhartha a tranquil feeling. There he met Vasudeva, “the ferry man”(82). Vasudeva helped Siddhartha to listen to the river, he discovered “that the river has really several voices”(88), and that “the voices of all living creatures are in its voice”(88). The river frequently laughed at Siddhartha. This laughter taught him humility. Vasudeva wasn’t scared to give his noble friend suggestions from time to time, he helped Siddhartha deal with his disobedient son. Vasudeva was a quite serene man, he showed Siddhartha how to let his life flow like the river.

“There was something in this reflection that reminded him of anything he had forgotten and when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled that of yet another particular person, whom he had after, recognized and adore and even feared. It resembled the face of his father, the Brahmin”(107). Siddhartha’s father was the only 1 who could help…

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