life of pleasure

[Jessy]

I strongly disagree with the following sentence from the above synopsis of 'Siddhartha': <br><br>Then a life of pleasure and titillation merely eroded away his spiritual gains until he was just like all the other "child people," dragged around by his desires.<br><br>Siddhartha intentionally & mindfully immersed himself in the world/samsara. It wasn't some mindless, orgiastic surrender to worldly pleasures. His relationship with Kamala, as he says, taught him things he never would have learned as a Samana or as a monk. This experimentation & experiencing phase of his life shouldn't be dismissed lightly. It taught him how to connect more deeply with what he saw as the life experience of other humans, whereas before he had felt cut off from such an understanding. And in the end, he did leave it, and he left with newer kinds & levels of understanding. I think it shows a gross misunderstanding to say that this phase of his life "merely eroded away his spiritual gains". I don't see how anyone who has read the book and really appreciated Siddhartha's journey could make such a simplistic, one-sided statement.

[Jonathan Crane]

Jessy,
Thank you for your observation that Siddartha's progression to, and beyond, Samsara did not constitute either a regression or an abandonment of a previous, spiritual level. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

It has been argued within the context of Vedic Literature that ascetism, or denial of life, does not in itself promote spiritual growth. As the period with the ascetics increased the young prince's understanding of the world, so did his time with Kamala; it also represents another approach to spiritual understanding. Both approaches to knowing, and ultimately transcending, the world had their limitations for him. His progress through many stages or levels of life all prepared him for wisdom; made real for him by his having lived it.

Thank you.

-Jonathan

[one_raven]

Siddhartha did not, however, knowingly and purposely fall into the depths of material and sensual depravity.
He did not want to become a gambler.
He did not want to become a drinker.
He did not want to abandon his spiritual drive.
He did not want to become lazy, corrupt, etc etc.

He did recognize, after the fact, that this was all not only good, but necessary, but it was not his intention to fall into it.
His only intention was to learn the plasures of teh flesh and teh art of love making from Kamala.