Chapter 11. Om

Table of Contents
Ideas of Interest from "Om"
The Reading Selection from "Om"
Topics Worth Investigating

Meditative Buddha, Library of Congress

Ideas of Interest from "Om"

  1. What was the one thing that Siddhartha, the thinker, had, that the childlike people lacked? Characterize in some detail what this realization is.

  2. In what way are the childlike people superior to Siddhartha? Does this difference make a difference on the path toward enlightenment?

  3. According to Siddhartha's realization, what is the nature of wisdom?

  4. Siddhartha promised his father that he would return home, yet he has not done so. Siddhartha also said that he would not disobey his father. Does Siddhartha break his word to his father?

  5. How does Siddhartha's listening to the river and his seeing of the river as an object outside of time (i.e., the cycle of the river) yield enlightenment?

  6. When Siddhartha recognized Vasudeva's enlightenment, he knew he must take leave of him. When Siddhartha becomes enlightened, Vasudeva knows he must leave Siddhartha. What is the necessity of taking leave of one another?