ScottSSB

Scott's Scrapbook = = This is the place where I will write about the journey I follow to self-realization. My goal is to gain wisdom and takes steps towards enlightening myself. I will be following the journey of Siddhartha, the title character of Herman Hesse's //Siddhartha//, as a model for my own journey. The steps I have taken follow.

= = =With The Samanas= =The Assignment= To get a feeling for how the Samanas, Indian ascetics that are found in the novel //Siddhartha//, try to reach enlightenment, we gave up something we enjoy for a week. I chose to give up dessert, because it's technically not something I **need**. Technically.

=Getting Started= Giving up dessert has been easier than I imagined, since I don't eat it during the day, and it is not a large part of my daily routine. However, not eating dessert after dinner left me feeling unsatisfied at first, wanting to have a sugary snack. I guess you could say that I felt like the old man in "with the samanas"- "his will was paralyzed, his arms hung down limply; powerless..." (13). It was definitely a feeling of self-deprivation.

=Mid-Week= By the middle of the week, I was feeling better, although not fully recovered from the shift. I still craved a dessert occasionally. I can assume that this was similar to Siddhartha's experiences, although his were at a higher level. For example, Siddhartha felt exhausted after spending time with the ascetics- after eating so lavishly at his palace. "He ate only once a day, and the food was never cooked. He fasted for fifteen days. He fasted for twenty-eight days. The flesh wasted away from his thighs and cheeks.

=By The End= At the end of my week-long experience, I felt as if dessert was no longer necessary. Even after the week had ended, I continued to not eat any desserts, out of habit. Siddhartha may have felt the same way after his experiences with the ascetics, by Govinda stating, "'O Siddhartha, you learned more from the samanas than I knew. It is difficult, it is very difficult, to cast a spell on an old samana. Truly, if you had remained there, you would soon have learned how to walk on water'" (14).

=The Quote= What does Siddhartha's "Awakening" look like? Is this the same thing as reaching Enlightenment? In the text, Siddhartha becomes awakened to the world around him after leaving the Samanas and Gotama (the Buddha). He sees "the world for the first time. The world was beautiful strange and mysterious. Here was blue, here was yellow, here was green, sky and river, woods and mountains, all beautiful, all mysterious and enchanting, and in the midst of it, he, Siddhartha, the awakened one, on the way to himself. All this, all this yellow and blue, river and wood, passed for the first time across Siddhartha's eyes. It was no longer the magic of Mara, it was no more the veil of Maya, it was no longer meaningless and the chance diversities of the appearances of the world, despised by deep-thinking Brahmins, who scorned diversity, who sought unity. River was river, and if the One and Divine in Siddhartha secretly lived in blue and river, it was just the divine art and intention that there should be yellow and blue, there sky and wood -- and here Siddhartha. Meaning and reality were not hidden somewhere behind things, they were in them, in all of them" (39).

=Analysis=

I drew this picture like this because I believe that it fits the quote. There are mountains, a river, the sky, and woods- all highlighted in the quote. I drew the river in the middle of the picture because it symbolizes life, purity, and awakening. I also chose to include the colors that Hesse writes about in the passage: "Here was blue, here was green, here was yellow..." (39).

I believe this impacts the story by allowing Siddhartha to see many aspects of the natural world at one time (mountains, river, forest), with the river in the center of the scene. As stated earlier, the river symbolizes life, purity, and rebirth- all things included in the Buddhist religion. The river is also an important symbol in Buddhism, as it stands for the ever-flowing cycle of reincarnation.

=Kamala=

Hair: My hair is black and high-piled (pg. 28)
=About Me (looks):= I have beautiful red lips, and my mouth is rumored to be "like a newly opened fig" (30). I also have long, flowing hair, but little to no elegant clothes, shoes, or wealth. I possess dark brown eyes, and beautiful skin. =Hobbies/ Profession:= I enjoy writing poetry, and recieving gifts. I am a courtsan, or a courtier, and possess a very important role in society. I also love to kiss, and "I have no lack of clothes, shoes, armbands, and every beautiful thing" (32). I know sacrificial chants, and read scriptures.

=Looking For (speech, effect on others):= I want a man with "clothes, handsome clothes, and shoes, good-looking shoes, and a lot of money in his purse" (30). I also want a man who can write beautiful poetry, and a good lover. However, I do not want a man who is poor and wears dirty, ragged clothes.

=Samsara=

My Daily Life
1. Wake up 2. Get up 3. Ride the bus to school 4. Go to my first class 5. Go to my second class 6. Eat lunch 7. Go to my third class 8. Go to my fourth class 9. Get picked up 10. Eat dinner 11. Do Homework 12. Watch TV 13. Go to bed

The Comic!


=Analysis=

My life is pretty normal- I wake up at the same time every day, always go to school on weekdays, and always do homework and watch TV after school. However, school can be challenging, always having to study for the latest exam or keep up with homework. After thinking about by daily life, I have noticed that my routines are very repetitive, just as Siddhartha's are- "That glorious, exalted awakening which he had once experienced in his youth, in the days after Gotama's preaching, after the parting from Govinda, that alert expectation... had passed" (76). I also feel that people's lives aren't going as fast as mine, and that I must experience a change in my daily life in order to feel new.

=The River= media type="custom" key="24583032""Big River," by Johnny Cash

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky. And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River. Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die. I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota). And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl. Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport, And I followed you, Big River, when you called. Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river). A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone. I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block. She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone. Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on. Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans. Go on, I've had enough; dump my blues down in the gulf. She loves you, Big River, more than me. Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky. And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River. Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.   =Analysis= Quote: " 'Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?' " (106).

This song details the relationship between Johnny Cash and a woman that he (accidentally) met in Minnesota, and how she eventually grew tired of his company. It also shows that Cash did not want this woman to leave him, and she was his "dream." Cash also states that he is "gonna sit right here until I die," meaning that he will devote the rest of his time to "mourning" about the woman. However, Siddhartha states that, with rivers, "there is no such thing as time" (106).

"Don't cross the river," by America media type="custom" key="24583386"

There's a little girl out lyin' on her own She's got a broken heart She's not the kind to take you down for long She knows and plays it smart

(Ah--) And if she's comin' she's showed no mark She's heard no whistle blowin' from the dark She feels like leavin' and she don't know why Without no bridges she's trapped, so I sigh

Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side All your life <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">You were on your own

<span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">If you want you can ride my train <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">And soon forget the reason that you're leaving <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">You'll lose yourself and then sometime <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Maybe even save yourself some grievin'

<span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Oh, oh, oh, oh

<span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide <span style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide ...

=**Analysis**= Quote: "It has told me a great deal, it has filled me with many great thoughts of unity" (114).

This song provides advice for life- don't take big risks if you don't think you can handle the consequences. This important life lesson is encrypted in the repeated lyrics "Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide..." and is stating that, maybe, the metaphorical "river" has played a big part in the songwriter's life. In Siddhartha's life, the river is also very important, and when he stands next to the river, he states that the river "has told me a great deal, it has filled me with many great thoughts of unity" (114).

media type="custom" key="24583606""Blue River," by Elvis Presley

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Blue river

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">It can't be found on any map that I know

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">But it's a place where lonely lovers all go

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">To cry their tears <span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Blue river

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">It winds along a path of heartache and pain

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Of broken dreams from lovin' someone in vain

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">That way that I loved you, and baby I still do <span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I held you so tight, you were out of my sight

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I'm feelin' so low but I gotta go <span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Blue river

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Because you never really cared about me

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">From now on baby that's where I'm gonna be

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Cryin' over you, by the river of blue <span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I held you so tight, you were out of my sight

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I'm feelin' so low but I gotta go <span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Blue river

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Because you never really cared about me

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">From now on baby that's where I'm gonna be

<span style="font-family: proxnov-reg,arial,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Cryin' over you, by the river of blue.

=**Analysis**=

Quote: "He was full of ennui, full of misery, full of death; there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, that could give him pleasure and solace" (87).

This song is also about a woman, and how she symbolizes a "blue river," a place where all "lonely lovers go." These lyrics indicate that Elvis Presley may have been going through depression at the time, calling his song "blue" river, as well as his failed relationship. In "Siddhartha," Siddhartha is also depressed when he realizes he has been trapped in Samsara, and he was "full of ennui, full of misery, full of death; there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, that could give him pleasure and solace" (87).

= =