Ideas of Interest from "Kamala"

1. What is Siddhartha referring to by the phrase, "the random self of the senses"? Is the self different in different circumstances?

2. Explain the passage, "But never, had he really found this self, because he had wanted to capture it in the net of thought." Why cannot my "self" be thought?

3. What is the significance of Siddhartha's dream when he slept by the river. Does your interpretation of Siddhartha's dream reflect the recent change in Siddhartha's world view?

4. Siddhartha seems to think the ferryman is one of the childlike people. Nevertheless, can you find evidence in this chapter that the ferryman seems to have mystical powers?

5. In the encounter with the young woman by the stream, why did not Siddhartha stay with her? Why, later, does he overlook this encounter when he says to Kamala, "…and the first one I met, even before I had entered the city, was you"?

6. Interpret the significance of the keys to Siddhartha's abilities and success in terms of his stated litany, "I can think, I can wait, I can fast."

7. Explain Siddhartha's characterization of the nature of magic in terms of the doctrine of noneffort.