Beliefs: Given or Discovered?

[Tanvir]

Siddhartha "remembered how once, as a youth, he had compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetics" in order attain Enlightenment (Hesse 131-132). Siddhartha, of his own free will, decided to leave home in order to go on his own journey to become enlightened. When Siddhartha's son ends up living with him for a while, Siddhartha tries to push some of his beliefs onto his son so maybe one day he too can reach Enlightenment. Despite trying, Siddhartha's son does not want to conform to his father's ideas and beliefs; he is stuck on the materialistic things that bring him comfort. This brings me to think about whether you have to venture out on your own in order to fully develop your beliefs or if you can do it within the construct of your upbringing?

[Mary]

In the my opinion one can only formulate their own beliefs outside their parents influence. For example, Siddhartha after leaving his parents home never thought of living without a certain type of philosophy until he was completely alone in awakening. If Siddhartha had ever truly been himself, he would not have felt like his loneliness was a rebirth and have been able to," beginning walking swiftly and impatiently, no longer homeward, no longer to his father, no longer looking back"(23). I think leaving that ideals he had been taught his entire life was important to his character arc and how reaches enlightenment in the end.

[Charles]

In family settings where children have their destiny plotted out by parents, I think that creates a desire to abandon those expectations, reject that lifestyle, and explore for another. Inwardly, a child will find what they want from life-- happiness, salvation, freedom, etc.-- from what they find lacking in their present or their destiny. Translated, that does entail embarking on a personal venture to develop their own beliefs that they find fit, rather than remain with their family for the rest of their life. This same idea is evident in Siddhartha; his original expectation to become a Brahman, as a “handsome son of the Brahman” himself, would not work for Siddhartha, regardless of whether he was exposed to the Samanas who introduced formal Buddhism to him. Before Siddhartha had pursued a path to nirvana even, he lived “no pleasure to himself, [...], [and] dreams came to him, and uneasy thoughts, flowing to him from the water of the river, sparkling from the night stars,” (Hesse 2). These thoughts urged Siddhartha to question his faith, and to explore Buddhism instead. So, I agree with Mary and Tanvir, in that children (in cases where their parents plot out their lives) must listen to their inner spirit and venture outside of their constraints, to then know their true beliefs. And perhaps, they may return to the beliefs that their parents raised them to have. But, as someone once said: you cannot see the field within the field.

[Jaspreet]

An individuals perspective changes when they experience new interactions. Siddhartha would have never, "[ ... ] spent the night in his house with dancing girls and wine [ ... ] he had drunk a great deal of wine [ ... ]" (65). Kamaswami introduced him to a new life of merchants and now Siddhartha lives that way. Though he feels disgust in himself for the way that he has changed, Siddhartha has chosen a different path based on the people in his life.