Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) and Ecclessiastes

     

Ecclesiastes

• The son of King David, in Jerusalem, Solomon became the last king of the united kingdom of Israel. He reined between c. 970 BC and c. 931 BC. 
• Ecclesiastes has taken its literary form from the Middle Eastern tradition of the fictional autobiography, in which a character, often a king, relates his experiences and draws lessons from them, often self-critical: Koheleth likewise identifies himself as a king, speaks of his search for wisdom, relates his conclusions, and recognizes his limitations.
• He first studied wisdom, but it’s all vanity
• Then he went for earthly pleasures, such as alcohol, money, power, sex, arts and entertainment
• He Observes humanity
• Time and chance happen to all and it is frustrating, elusive, everyone still dies in the end
• Then he turns to God and realizes it is all about God and our hope is in the world to come.

Siddhartha

• Published in 1922 in Germany by Herman Hesse about Siddhartha in India ~500sBC
• The son of a Brahmin (highest caste in Hidu, priest), Siddhartha enjoys a near-idyllic existence with his best friend, Govinda, but he is secretly dissatisfied. He performs all the rituals of religion, and he does what religion says should bring him happiness and peace. Nonetheless, he feels something is missing. His father and the other elders have still not achieved enlightenment, and he feels that staying with them will not settle the questions he has about the nature of his existence.
• The path of self-denial does not provide a permanent solution for him. He points out that the oldest Samanas have lived the life for many years but have yet to attain true spiritual enlightenment. Wondering ascetics, gave rise to Janism, Buddhism, Yoga, and cycle of birth and death.
• Buddha lived sometime between c. 563 BC 411 BC. Buddha’s name was also Siddhartha, this path kind of models his own search.
• He then learns from the pleasures of the body. The more he obtains in the material world, the less it satisfies him, and he is soon caught in a cycle of unhappiness that he tries to escape by engaging in even more gambling, drinking, and sex. 
• In Siddhartha, Siddhartha learns that enlightenment cannot be reached through teachers because it cannot be taught—enlightenment comes from within. However, the ferryman was a guide and the river was a conduit. Govinda had to kiss Siddhartha’s forehead to get it.
• The book is full of Polarities (e.g. spiritual vs. material and others). The river is life and the two banks the poles. Ferrymen help navigate between the two, so only they can teach, help others find enlightenment.
• Natural Law can only get you so far and in the end, people turn inward and there is not real hope. The Scripture points to God, in whom our true hope rests, as the Preacher discovered.