PASSAGE FROM SIDDHARTH READING

He had started to suspect that his venerable father and his other teachers, that the wise Brahmans had already revealed to him the most and best of their wisdom, that they had already filled his expecting vessel with their richness, and the vessel was not full, the spirit was not content, the soul was not calm, the heart was not satisfied. The ablutions were good, but they were water, they did not wash off the sin, they did not heal the spirit's thirst, they did not relieve the fear in his heart. The sacrifices and the invocation of the gods were excellent—but was that all? Did the sacrifices give a happy fortune? And what about the gods? Was it really Prajapati who had created the world? Was it not the Atman, He, the only one, the singular one? Were the gods not creations, created like me and you, subject to time, mortal? Was it therefore good, was it right, was it meaningful and the highest occupation to make offerings to the gods? For whom else were offerings to be made, who else was to be worshipped but Him, the only one, the Atman? And where was Atman to be found, where did He reside, where did his eternal heart beat, where else but in one's own self, in its innermost part, in its indestructible part, which everyone had in himself? But where, where was this self, this innermost part, this ultimate part? It was not flesh and bone, it was neither thought nor consciousness, thus the wisest ones taught. So, where, where was it? To reach this place, the self, myself, the Atman, there was another way, which was worthwhile looking for? Alas, and nobody showed this way, nobody knew it, not the father, and not the teachers and wise men, not the holy sacrificial songs! They knew everything, the Brahmans and their holy books, they knew everything, they had taken care of everything and of more than everything, the creation of the world, the origin of speech, of food, of inhaling, of exhaling, the arrangement of the senses, the acts of the gods, they knew infinitely much—but was it valuable to know all of this, not knowing that one and only thing, the most important thing, the solely important thing?

 

Interpretation

The passage is explaining Siddhartha’s  initial quest for spiritual enlightenment .he actually believe to have acquire all the necessary knowledge from his father and other teachers, hence he needs to make a spiritual exploration of seeking knowledge and wisdom.

   Even though, most people in his community believes Siddhartha to be a successful Brahmin like his father. He performs all the rituals of religion, and he does what religion says should bring him happiness and peace. However, he feels something is really lacking and also believes His father and the other teachers have still not achieved adequate enlightenment. He believes his father has already passed on all the wisdom their community has to offer, but he seeks for something else ,hence the journey to seek meaning in this life.
Moreover, the passage explains how siddhartha has some traits of nihilistic behavior as he turns to rejects the existing values,and also continue to  qeustioned the doctrines that his father and the fellow teachers who control the community at that time,which he concluded that they had already offered all that they know and he needs to seek for more.

 

The reason why i choose this passage is the message of seeking knowledge in the passage, the eagerness within which Siddhartha needed to seek knowledge, this tells you how important knowledge seeking is ,he literally abundant his family just to go on knowledge and wisdom expeditions.

Pursuance of knowledge is worthy of search. Knowledge is something that all religious sects recommend. As the saying goes’ knowledge is power’.