Siddhartha
...a, that you have reached the highest goal which so many thousands of Brahmins and Brahmin's sons are striving to reach. You have done so by your own seeking in your own way, through thought, through meditation, through knowledge, through enlightenment. You have learned nothing through teachings, and so I think, 0 Illustrious One, that nobody finds salvation through teachings. To nobody, 0 Illustrious One, can you communicate in words and teachings, what happened to you in the hour of your enlightenment. The teachings of the enlightened Buddha embrace much, they teach much - how to live righteously, how to avoid evil. But there is one thing that this clear, worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced - he alone among hundreds of thousands." He sees that Gotama has attained enlightenment, but he does not practice the ways of the Buddha for he knows that he must take his own path, find his own peace, attain nirvana on his own. So he sets out on this quest alone. Only then does he discover the error of his ways. He realizes that there is beauty in life, the world is not an illusion, but very real to him. He goes and lives among the common people in a small town where he becomes a successful business man. He learns the art of love, business, and human nature. Slowly he changes , becoming a gambler, eating rich foods, drowning himself in money and drink. He becomes more and more disgusted with himself. Finally, when he can take it no longer, he leaves the town and wanders through a forest. Feeling utterly hopeless, "He wished passionately for oblivion, to be at rest, to be dead. If only a flash of lightning would strike him!...if there were only some wine, some poison, that would give him oblivion, that would make him forget, that would make him sleep and never awaken?... was it possible to take in breath again and again... was this cycle not exhausted and finished for him?" He comes to a river and attempts to commit suicide. However, he decides not to go through it when he hears from the depth of his soul the holy Om . He then realizes that there is a lot to live for, and he shouldn't kill himself. He treats this experience as a rebirth, and decides to begin his life anew. He then travels to a village. He finds Kamala, a beautiful woman and a prostitute, and works hard to achieve the clothes, money, and shoes that Kamala requires. He joins Kamaswami, a merchant from the village, and becomes rich from business. This allows Siddhartha to have fine clothes and shoes. Siddhartha also receives very tasteful meals. Siddhartha practices very decent hygiene. Kamala teaches him to be passionate and not be afraid. "She drew him to her with her eyes. He put his face against hers, placed his lips against hers, which were like a freshly cut fig. Kamala kissed him deeply, and to Siddhartha great astonishment he felt how much she taught him, how clever she was, how she mastered him, repulsed him, lured him, and how after this long kiss, a long series of other kisses, all different, awaited him. He stood still breathing deeply. At that moment he was like a child astonished at the fullness of knowledge and learning which unfolded itself before his eyes." He was a hypocrite because he said he that he would never learn from no one, but he learned from Kamala. "I am already beginning to learn from you. I already learned something yesterday." He follows it right to Vesudeva, the ferryman. He stays with Vesudeva an...