Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha: An Open Source Reader
PrevNext

Chapter 2. With the Samanas

Table of Contents
Ideas of Interest from "With the Samanas"
The Reading Selection from "With the Samanas"
Topics Worth Investigating

Two Figures, Library of Congress

From the reading…

"A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow."

Ideas of Interest from "With the Samanas"

  1. Siddhartha's goal is to conquer the self. Explain what this means.

  2. Hesse writes that Siddhartha "slipped out of his self into thousands of other forms." What do you think is the reason for Siddhartha's attempt to capture through meditation the archetypes of life itself?

  3. Explain Siddhartha's discovery that there are many ways to lose self. Why does he believe them to be all tricks?

  4. Why is Siddhartha unimpressed with the magic arts?

PrevHomeNext
Topics Worth InvestigatingUpThe Reading Selection from "With the Samanas"