#Search
for #Enlightenment –
#Hermann
Hesse’s #Siddharth and #The Journey to the East.
#Hermann
Hesse (1877-1962) is one of the greatest German novelist,
poet and painter of New Age. His
novels have resonated with countless generations and inspires a
host of young readers. Born in the Swabian town of Calw in 1877, he ranks as one of the most widely read German-speaking
authors of the 20th century. Majority of his books have been
translated into more than 60 languages and approximately 150 million copies of
his works are in circulation around the globe.
He was
awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946 –
The
main theme of his work is the individual’s efforts to break out of the established
modes of civilization so as to find an essential spirit and identity. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hermann-Hesse)
He an author who focuses on the anguish of self-analysis
and is continuously searching for his own true identity. Consequently,
distinguished
as one of the finest and most influential writers, he fits into the set of
writers who were largely disillusioned by proceedings around them during the 20th
century. Most of his writings discuss a deep yearning for the departed era of romanticism
and express his spiritual turmoil, that is deeply rooted in the pathos of the
modern age as it is slowly losing its association with the inner-self. Nonetheless
regardless of this, he provided his readers the concept of an ideal world which
can be seen as the remainder of the Romantic School of thought. It seems that, he
concentrates on the three stages of development of human life, which begins
with childhood innocence, moving on to experience and later comes back to
innocence. But this chronology may not be relevant in the modern age,
especially with the world that is left confounded and distressed after the two
World Wars. He believes that the people born during or after the great wars are
not likely to gain the ‘pre-WWI innocence’ and therefore are ‘confronted with
the necessity to make free choices and judgments’ in their second stage of
life. Almost all of his novels dealt with this theme. As the world was still recuperating
from the wreckage of the Wars, his characters search for the meaning of life
which demand the rejection of the conventional paths to peace.
In
his biography, Hermann Hesse. Der Wanderer und sein Schatten (Hermann
Hesse. The Wanderer and his Shadow – Hanser, Munich, 2012), Gunnar Decker tells us about this legendary author with
a great sympathy but without romanticizing. He also views him from a critical
distance, without being arrogant. He says -
This
unmistakable figure in his straw hat, is anything but the simple, easy-going,
companionable fellow he may appear; no carefree vagabond wanderer he. This is a
notoriously irascible loner, one who can only endure other people – including
his own wives – from a respectable distance. Physical contact is as anathema to
him as unannounced visitors. Inner harmony eludes him, although he constantly
evokes it with Goethe. His life is one of constant swings; phases of intense
creativity alternating with periods of deep depression.
Gunnar
Decker thus introduces us to a man torn, a nomad who searched all his life for
inner harmony but was pursued by his own shadowy demon of self-destruction. Hesse's life and literary works are characterized by a
constant preoccupation with the questions of religion and faith. He was born into a Protestant-Pietist family
of missionaries, preachers and theologians against whose rigour and strictness
he soon rebelled. His parents also served as Protestant
missionaries to India. Nevertheless,
his father's and grandfather's missionary work in India intended that he was
exposed to Hinduism and Buddhism and later on he went on to explore Chinese
Taoism. He says-
Of
the Western philosophers, I have been influenced most by Plato, Spinoza,
Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche as well as the historian Jacob Burckhardt. But they
did not influence me as much as Indian and, later, Chinese philosophy.
(From Nobel
Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing
Company, Amsterdam, 1969)
Yet this path did not cause him to renounce Christianity.
On the contrary, he developed the notion of a synthesis between the religions
on the basis of a universal mysticism. He was, in fact, seeking to unity
peoples, he wanted to be a connecting bridge between East and West. His Siddhartha (1922) and The Journey to East, (1932) are the proof of his literary
testimony to the lifelong search for a God. Hesse believed in a religion
outside, between and above confessions, which is indestructible. Hitherto he
always took a very skeptical view of dogmas and teachings. He writes –
I believe one religion is as good
as the other, there is none in which one could not become a sage, and none in
which one could not just as easily engage in the inanest form of idolatry.
He has a wide appeal to the readers as his
works have a spiritual message for today’s generation. Gunnar Decker says –
He questioned autonomy and
religion. He searched for a religious doctrine that was not militant or
missionary, but open to other lifestyles, other idea.
After World War II, Hesse's books were very popular in
Germany as the country wanted a source of direction and self-reflection. It was
during the war that he wrote his last excessive work, The Glass Bead Game, which won him the 1946 Nobel Prize for
Literature. At the time, the Nobel committee said that the prize was for his
inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify
the classical humanitarian ideals and the high art of style.
Siddhartha
is one of the greatest and finest product of Hesse's so-called psychoanalytic
period. Begun in 1919, First Part is dedicated to Romain Rolland and the
book's composition spanned nearly three years. The second is dedicated to his
cousin Wilhelm Gundert and was written during 1919-20 while the rest was
completed eighteen months later. The entire work is loosely based on the life
of Gautama Buddha. However, it also bears a relationship to Hesse's own life. Like
Siddhartha, Hesse decided to choose another career than that which his father
suggested. In the novel, Siddhartha the main protagonist, leaves the strict
bonds of his Brahmin father to seek his own salvation. Hesse himself had left
the strict bonds of his Pietist-Lutheran father to become a writer. Simultaneously
we can also observe many similarities between Hesse's Siddhartha and the actual
Buddha. Siddhartha, like Buddha is an outstanding pupil and athlete. Siddharth leaves
his wife and unborn son for the life of an ascetic, as did Buddha. And just like
Buddha he practiced yoga and meditated by the side of a river. In both cases, it is beneath the tree by a
river that the vision of all previous existences emerged in a revelation. Consequently,
both men, by attaining Nirvana, were liberated from the vicious circle
of life and death and thereby attained salvation.
The
Christian influence on Siddhartha may not be immediately
obvious, but it is, nevertheless, unmistakable. To attain salvation, Siddhartha
must once again regain his innocence, becoming once again as a little child
before entering the Gates of Heaven. Herein lies the perfect resolution of the
novel. Throughout
the various stages of his journey, Siddhartha discovers something of value in
everyone he interacts with and each stage brings him closer to his ultimate
goal.
Siddhartha
learned something new on every step of his path, for the world was transformed,
and his heart was enchanted. (P-48)
Through
well-designed and deeply evocative writing, Hesse demonstrates, through
Siddhartha's journey, the fundamental value of each and every person on Earth.
Everyone has something special to contribute to the universe. Accordingly, Siddhartha's
final realization of his goal of finding enlightenment is simply amazing.
No
doubt, the truth for which Siddhartha and Govinda searching is a universal
understanding of life or Nirvana. Siddhartha and Govinda both have a
fundamental desire to understand their lives through spirituality, but they
differ in their willingness to do what they must do for their search for the truth.
During the search, Siddhartha becomes suspicious that one path may lead to dead
end and thus he quickly alters his course. He willingly abandons the path of
the Brahmin for the path of the Samanas, them abandons the Samanas
for Gotama, and then to makes a sweeping departure from spiritual
teachers and search and enters the material world with Kamala and Kamaswami. He
never halts his search and continues to follow different paths till he reaches Nirvana.
While
on the other hand Govinda, is much less flexible in his quest for spiritual
enlightenment. In his quest, he restricts himself to the spiritual and
religious world and persists in his need for teachers. While Siddhartha is
willing to break the religious conviction and also abandon all his training,
Govinda is willing to seek truth only as long as it appears within the narrow
confines of Hinduism or Buddhism and is transmitted by a respected teacher. As
a result, Govinda is unable to see the truth around him, subsequently he is
limited by his belief that truth will appear in the way he has been taught by
his teachers. This distinction between Siddhartha’s inexorable search and
Govinda’s inadequate search is the reason why Govinda can attain enlightenment
only through an act of grace on Siddhartha’s part, whereas Siddhartha is able
to find truth through his own powers.
In
life we are all looking for meaning, we are all looking for something to give
us a purpose and, in essence, a reason to actually be alive. Through the
quest we proclaim to find our own peace. Siddhartha while followed the
teachings of others fells that, it granted him little or no happiness. His meeting
with Buddha makes him realises that the only way he can achieve Buddha’s degree
of serenity and tranquillity is to find it himself. Consequently, he takes his
own path, although an indirect one, and finally awakens his mind into a sense
of enlightenment. Nevertheless, in order to do so, he must first realise
the true state of emptiness. And, of course, to understand emptiness one must
first experience momentary fullness. Accordingly, he walks into the world of
the everyday man. He indulges in their desire and pleasure, he also gains belongings
and also takes a love, forms attachments and gets a household of servants and also
accumulates wealth -
Siddharth
had learned to trade, to use his power over others, to enjoy himself with
women, he had learned to wear beautiful clothes, to give order to servants …….
these people were all the time in love with themselves…….
(p 27)
Through
experiencing all such things, he learns that they are shallow and temporary, it
became clear to him that lust was akin to death. It will never create
the feeling of lasting happiness within his soul, so he walks out once more
with the full realisation that peace can only come from one place and that is
from within –
I
have had to experience so much stupidity, so many vices, so much error, so much
nausea, disillusionment and sorrow, just in order to become a child again and
begin anew. I had to experience despair, I had to sink to the greatest mental
depths, to thoughts of suicide, in order to experience grace.
He
experiences oneness with his own thoughts, with everyone else and anything that
resides in nature and thus becomes enlightened. Suffering exists, suffering
will always exist, and it is how we deal with this suffering that defines us
and it is how we pick ourselves up later on not letting it ruin our lives, and
those around us, that makes us stronger. In this Hesse capture something
extremely difficult to put into words, which is something the novel frequently
recognises.
Happiness is not equitable with materialism, and to make us realise that
seeking something too ardently may mean we miss it altogether. He realises that all our
pursuits are temporary and doomed to fail. Materialism does not ultimately
equate to happiness nonetheless. Besides it can be a stage of learning and
growth. No doubt inner peace and joy is with us always but we are not
consistently aware of it. Sometimes a spiritual awakening allows this light of
joy to temporarily shine through and we become aware of the enlightenment that
was, and is, always there. Seeking the meaning of life is not the answer,
living life, the life of peace and compassion is. Siddhartha follows the
vibrations of his soul, the sound of the river, and it takes him exactly where
he needs to go. In this book the writer cuts through all the rhetoric, the
arguments and debates, and gets to the very heart of the matter itself.
The
perception of Om, which signifies the oneness and unity of all things,
marks the main moments of awakening for Siddhartha. Siddhartha’s ability to
finally grasp Om is his entrance into enlightenment, but along the way
he encounters the idea a number of times, each time sparking a change within
him. He first encounters Om was as he trained in rituals as a Brahmin.
He realizes that though he has been taught what Om should mean, none of
those around him have fully reached a full understanding of it in their own
lives. People who chant the word and understand the concept intellectually
surround him, but their lives do not reflect the enlightenment that comes from
fully embracing the energy, dynamism and vibration of Om. He hears Om
again when he stands near the river considering suicide. Realizing that life
itself is imperishable, he must learn to just BE not try to force his life
along specific paths. Essentially, he is trying to merge with Om, which
he recognizes as being all around him, rather than continuously search for a
philosophy that accesses it on an intellectual basis. Here it seems that the
river suggests this battle visually as the opposing banks represent the
polarities, and the river itself represents the ideal union of them. Siddhartha
finds enlightenment only when he understands Om, the unity of polarities
-
And
in the moment when the sound of Om touched Siddhartha’s ear, his dormant spirit
suddenly woke up and realised the foolishness of his actions….when the Om
entered his consciousness : He became
aware of himself in his misery and his error……Om! as he spoke to himself ….he knew about Brahman, knew
about the indestructibility of life, knew about all that is divine, which he
had forgotten.( p 84)
Complete
entry and submergence into Om, into the nameless, the perfect makes him achieve
the transcendence where he can accept that all is false and true at the same
time, that all is living and dead at the same moment, and that all
possibilities are united in the spirit of the universe.
His
meeting with the ferryman Vasudeva is equally interesting. He finds in Vasudeva
a great listener. He learns many this from his and the most important of all was,
the art of listening and the secret of the river –
….the
river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall ,
at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountain, everywhere at once,
and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not
the shadow of the future?
(p
104)
And
here he meets Kamala again and also his son. Kamala asks him –
You
have achieved it? you have found peace?
(p 110)
Kamala
dies a peaceful death their son now with Siddharth. He wants his son to
understand him, to accept his love or perhaps to reciprocate, but he fails in
his attempt. In due course, he realises that his blind love for his son was a
passion, something very human – it was Sansara. And then one day the boy
runs away, he follows him but without success.
The wound still burning in his heart he sees Brahman in each passion
that humans experience. As he is going by the river to search his son, he sees
his face in the river, his face reminds him of his father’s face, the Brahman.
And he remembers his own farewell to his father. Now after so many years the
same is happening to him. The river telling the story and suffering of his
father, of his son and of himself. These images along with images of Govinda,
Kamala and others merging with each other and into each other. Yet again he can
listen to the sound of Om floating in the air over all the voices of the
river. He finds the his self had
flown into the oneness. Vasudeva is a person who has already reached
enlightenment and is content to take people across the river. In Hindu Culture
Vasudeva is the name given to Vishnu. Vishnu is the supreme Brahman, he is the one who dwells
in all beings and in whom all beings dwell.
यत्तत्सत्त्वगुणं स्वच्छं शान्तं भगवतः पदम् ।
यदाहुर्वासुदेवाख्यं चित्तं तन्महदात्मकम् ॥21॥
yat
tat sattva-guṇaḿ svacchaḿ
śāntaḿ
bhagavataḥ padam
yad
āhur vāsudevākhyaḿ
cittaḿ
tan mahad-ātmakam
(The
mode of goodness, which is the clear, sober status of understanding the
Personality of Godhead and which is generally called vasudeva, or
consciousness, becomes manifest in the mahat-tattva.SB 3.26.21)
As
Siddharth, the protagonist attains the supreme bliss, we see Vasudev merging
with the infinite, his steps full of peace, his head full of luster, his body
full of light.
At
the end of the novel, the more he listens to the river, the more he becomes aware
of the complexity of Om and how it involves not only the physical and
spiritual world but also time itself. This sound of Om signals the true beginning of his life -- the
beginning of suffering, denunciation, peace and finally wisdom.
When he finally comprehends the word in its entirety and understands that all
things exist at the same moment, all possibilities are real and valid, and time
itself is empty, he finally achieves enlightenment.
The
other short novel of Hermann Hesse The Journey to the East was published
in 1943, it was as such written as a preliminary study to his final
masterpiece The Glass Bead Game, shortly after this he was awarded
the Nobel Prize in Literature (1946). The story of the novel is narrated
by H.H and it is the tale of a philosophical sect called the League which
including writers, musicians and artists, who travel through
space and time, meeting illustrious personages both imaginary and real - including
Plato, Mozart, Paul Klee, Baudelaire, in search of the ultimate truth
during the aftershock of the World War. The novel explores themes of
service, leadership, the contemplative life. The difficult tasks historians
face while interpreting the novel is its setting - set against the backdrop of
a mystic journey whose destination becomes increasingly unclear. It is believed
that H.H. stands for Hermann Hesse and that H.H.’s venture is a metaphor both
for Hesse’s life and for his writing, including the novel in which H.H.
appears. No doubt the novel is about Hermann Hesse’s deep personal experiences
and inward journey. It’s a mysterious
novel, with its deceptively simple narrative structure and it lends to multiple
interpretations.
The
narrator of the story H.H. member of the mysterious League, describes himself
as a violinist and a storyteller. The novel begins with H.H. announcing his
intention to recreate in writing a fabulous Journey to the East which he
undertook as a member of the League. The aims of the League no doubt is ambiguous,
besides H.H. is bound by a vow of silence, that is to say he cannot disclose
the League’s purpose. Nevertheless, he is determined to give an accurate
historical account of the Journey. Subsequently describing his initiation into
the League and the formation of the group with which he would travel, H.H.
quickly grows uncertain of himself and his writing. As he tries to remember
what befell the group, he describes the story he has to tell as
incomprehensible and gibberish. It is more difficult to remember what happened
than he had anticipated, despite his constant assertions that the Journey was
the most precious and unforgettable time of his life.
Although
it is called the Journey to the East, the group’s destination is
unknown.
We
not only wandered through space, but also through time. We moved towards the
east, but we also travelled into the Middle Ages and the Golden Ages …. (p
50, The Journey to the East)
As
they travel, there is initially a sense that the group is moving eastward, but
then again H.H. is soon claiming that the Journey takes them through time and
space, as well as geography. The group meets figures from Hesse’s novels and
also characters from other works of fiction, such as Don Quixote, childhood
friends, and people who have died. H.H. states that each member of the group
has a different goal, but the pursuit of each goal will lead to the success of
the group’s ultimate goal: the East. The book can be read as a meditation on
the creative process, or more specifically, the act of writing a novel or
reconstructing a history contingent on memory as a metaphor for a journey.
The
group’s first difficulty proves to be its last. A servant named Leo vanishes and
as soon as he is gone, each member of the group places more and more importance
on Leo. It seems that his disappearance makes the group realise that his presence
is essential for the quest. The group members begin to blame each other for his
disappearance, and H.H. starts to doubt the purpose of his quest. Ultimately the
group disperses and H.H. returns to normal life. But as anguish and uncertainty
overtake him and unforeseen hitches and complications meet his attempts to refabricate
the Journey in writing, he convinces himself that his life has no purpose, and
that the League is disbanded, if in fact, it ever existed. Late in the book, a
chance encounter with Leo leads to H.H. being summoned before the High Throne
in order to be judged. Near the end of the book, H.H. is stunned to learn that
Leo whom all thought to be a servant is actually the President of the League.
He recalls what Leo once said to him: ‘He who wishes to live long must serve’.
Leo also calls this precept the ‘Law of service’, and says that ‘he who wishes
to rule does not live long’. This statement leads H.H. to wonder why anyone
would ever want to rule, if ruling, or becoming a master, is a negation of
immortality. As Leo vanished the whole unity is perplexed and shattered. The
writer says that just as Roman collapsed after Caesar’s death the league broke
up on the unhappy day of Morbio. Now he must read about himself in the League
archives and learn the truth about himself. When he does this, he realizes that
he must disappear in order for Leo to grow. As the novel concludes, H.H. is
looking for a place to lie down and sleep.
I
now saw the double figure representing Leo and myself, not only becoming
clearer and each image more alike, but I also saw something moving, slowly,
extremely slowly, in the same way that a snake moves which has fallen asleep.
Something was taking place there, something like a very slow, smooth but
continuous flowing or melting; indeed, something melted or poured across from
my image to that of Leo’s. I perceived that my image was in the process
of adding to and flowing into Leo’s, nourishing and strengthening it. It
seemed that, in time, all the substance from one image would flow into the other
and only one would remain: Leo. He must grow, I must disappear.
As
I stood there and looked and tried to understand what I saw, I recalled a short
conversation that I had once had with Leo during the festive days at Bremgarten.
We had talked about the creations of poetry being more vivid and real than the
poets themselves. The candles burned low and went out. I was overcome by
an infinite weariness and desire to sleep, and I turned away to find a place
where I could lie down and sleep. (p 108)
And
consequently, the ultimate truth is finally revealed to H.H, he
understands that he must yield, submit, even die unto that unifying,
continuously flowing substance, personified by the humble servant and
President Leo. It is only through amenity, faith, humility and the
transcendence of individual ego can there ever be an awakening of the
“home and youth of the soul”, thus releasing H.H. from the depths of utter
anguish and despair. This realisation leads him back towards the East,
towards the Light, towards Home.
The
East can be seen as a geographical location or as a variety of metaphors for a
lofty goal –
Our
goal was not only the East, or rather the East was not only a country and
something geographical, but it was the home and youth of the soul, it was
everywhere and nowhere, it was the union of all times
(p 50).
Its
status as an actual location is difficult to sustain. Facing eastward and
beginning to walk is not a guarantee of eventually reaching concepts such as
the ‘youth of the soul’ or arriving ‘everywhere and nowhere’. Peter Roberts in
his research paper says that -
There
has been much debate over the meaning of the ‘East’ in The Journey to the East,
but rather less attention has been paid to the other key word in the title. One
of the keys to understanding this enigmatic novel, I think, lies in the word
‘journey’. The fact that it is a journey and not, for example, an arrival, is
itself of significance – especially from an educational point of view. For the
idea of a journey suggests the possibility of learning – and in this case, of
lifelong learning. For Hesse, this journey never ends. We never quite reach the
point at which we can declare, comfortably and permanently, ‘I am now home;
there is nothing more for me to do’. Hesse himself, even while living in
self-imposed relative seclusion, never believed he reached this point and
remained a restless being until his death. This was not contrary to his mature
conception of spiritual fulfilment and self-understanding but, as The Glass
Bead Game shows, utterly consistent with it. It will, Hesse believed, always be
necessary to keep reflecting and learning, and doubts, questions and critique
are fundamentally important in this educational process.
(Published
in: Paideusis: International Journal in Philosophy of Education, vol.17, no.1,
2008, pp. 45-58. The Dream of a Journey to the East: Mystery, Ritual and
Education in Hermann Hesse’s Penultimate Novel)
Timothy
Leary, a well-known American psychologist and author calls him a poet of
the interior journey. He says –
Hesse
reminds us, stay close to the internal core. The mystic formulas, the league,
the staggeringly rich intellectual potentials and deadening traps if the
internal flame is not kept burning. The flame is always there, within and
without, surrounding us, keeping us alive. Our only task is to keep turned in.
(http://www.gss.ucsb.edu/projects/hesse/papers/documents/Leary-The-Politics.pdf
)
As one of the greatest exponents of
the individual’s search for authenticity, spirituality and self-knowledge,
Hermann Hesse utilizes his surreal, parallel-world exposition to
explore the relationship between illusion and reality, dream and
memory and, in particular, the definite and indefinite as expressed through the
power of words. He is a popular with today’s
generation as the youth of today identifies with his alienated protagonists.
Thus,
in both the above novels we see a spiritual quest. It narrates the process of profound inner awakening, shifting
from one state of consciousness to another. Spiritual
journeys are undertaken by both the protagonist who are searching for meaning
and purpose in their lives through self-discover. They are facing a crossroads,
wanting to reconnect with the natural environment through understanding,
inter-connectivity with the earth and global consciousness on a deeper level. This
quest cannot be bought or gifted, it can only be experienced and discovered by
the individual. When one steps out of one’s comfort zone, away from the
pressures of modern living, and consciously explore other lands, cultures and
beliefs systems, the spiritual growth is guaranteed. Focusing on the journey
rather than the destination, the journey ultimately leads to the destination. Traveling
consciously, with intention, respect, an open mind the protagonist rediscover
themselves. The journey is not just external, but it is an internal and eternal
journey through time and space in search of ultimate truth. Here enlightenment is not detachment
from material, fleshed lives, it is acceptance and refinement of the humanity
that ultimately liberates the spirit. Both the books are beautifully written ethical
allegories, telling us that the ultimate truth is that everything is an
illusion. An illusion that needs to be subsisted and experienced in order to
find out the absolute truth. Which is nothing but an awakened consciousness unrestricted
by all beliefs, limits, boundaries and miseries. The absolute Ecstasy of
nothingness in Oneness. The final message is beautifully captured in these
lines -
On
A Journey
Don't
be downcast, soon the night will come,
When
we can see the cool moon laughing in secret
Over
the faint countryside,
And
we rest, hand in hand.
Don't
be downcast, the time will soon come
When
we can have rest. Our small crosses will stand
On
the bright edge of the road together,
And
rain fall, and snow fall,
And
the winds come and go.
(Translated
by James Wright Hermann Hesse)
(
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-a-journey/)
Reference
–
1.Bernhard Zeller, “Hermann Hesse in Selbstzeugnissen and Bilddokumenten,”
Rowohlt Verlag bei Hamburg, new and extended edition, 1975.
2.Hermann
Hesse, Siddhartha an Indian tale, Fingerprint classics,2012
3.Hermann
Hesse, The Journey to the East,Granada Publications, 1984
Website: www.ierj.in
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 6 | Issue : 1 | Jan 2020
