hermann hesse's siddhartha  

Hinduism is possibly the oldest religion in the world. There are many books the Hindus lay claim to as doctrines of their faith. A few of the better-known texts are The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, The Brahmanas, and The Vedas. Some of the oldest texts date back as far as 1500 BCE. Due to multiple texts and the great variety of interpretations, many sects have developed within the religion, but they hold many beliefs in common.

The concept of “perfection” can be related to the idea of reincarnation, which according to Hinduism is a series of births and deaths. During these successive lives, you accumulate good karma by leading a good life and doing good for others. Being hurtful and selfish accumulates bad karma. Your karma determines your “placement” in the next life. Upon reincarnation, you will be higher or lower on the karmic ladder. The farther up the karmic ladder, the closer you are to perfection or Nirvana.

Hinduism has many gods, but adherents also believe in one supreme god who can take any form of energy or matter. One aspect of this supreme god is the universal soul (also known as Brahman), which enters mankind as atman.

One of the structures of Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system divides people into social classes. These castes are very strict and hereditary. People are born into a caste and remain there throughout their lives. There are five classes:

1. Brahmin—the priest class

2. Nobility—royalty

3. Merchants—those who engage in trade

4. Servants

5. Untouchables—those who deal with any type of human waste, disposal of carcasses, etc.

Buddhism does not recognize the caste system and is held in contempt by many “traditional” Hindu groups as a result.

• the student – this stage is characterized by the individual being engaged in learning.

• the householder – this stage is characterized by the individual being engaged in the domestic duties of maintaining a household.

• the retired person – this stage occurs when an individual is at or near the end of his life. He has already been a householder and a student.

• the ascetic – this is a stage wherein the individual dedicates all his energy to spiritual goals and rejects worldly pleasures.

• Dharma is the practice of virtue. What is virtuous depends most specifically on your caste and your stage in life.

• Artha is the goal of success and achieving success. This is also relative to caste. It is spiritually significant for you to be successful at your craft or trade.

• Kama is the pursuit of pleasure. Siddhartha pursues this goal with “Kamala.” Clearly, he is also working at the goal of Artha in his work with Kamaswami.

• Moksha is a rejection of all the life-affirming goals and a pursuit of release from life. 

Like the first three life stages, the first three life goals are life-affirming goals, and the last in both groups is life-negating. In other words, the first three (in both sets) celebrate life and confirm the participation in certain basic life duties as necessary to spiritual development. The last item in each set, the life-negating item, typically is a rejection of worldly pleasures and goals. All the goals and the stages are ideals in Hinduism. Individuals may pass through one or more stages or goals in their life’s journey, but may also miss several. Perfection is not dependant on passing through every stage or reaching every goal. Should an individual find himself in a certain stage, however, Hinduism prescribes how best to conduct yourself, based on the stage of life you are experiencing. For example, Dharma is practiced in every stage, but (as mentioned above) the specifics depend on which stage you are at and what caste you belong to.