Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Lesson Plans

Siddhartha Open Text

Herman Hesse’s classic novel Siddhartha 

In the journey, Siddhartha, living in ancient Nepal, rediscovers the illumination of travel, meditation, and the wisdom of the Buddha. Join the young Brahmin and explore the themes of enlightenment and self-discovery in his ultimate search for reality.

Discussion Questions:  

  1. What was Siddhartha’s life like as the son of a Brahman?  

 2. How did the experiences of his youth prepare him for his journey? 

3. What did Siddhartha learn from the Samanas? 

4. When Siddhartha explained the value of these lessons to Kamala, she did not agree.  Was there value to these lessons?  

#2A:   1. What was the lesson Siddhartha learned from the Gotama?

 2. Why did Siddhartha choose not to follow the Gotama? 

3. What did Siddhartha gain during his time with Gotama? What did he lose? 

4. How did Siddhartha’s decision to reject all teachings and truths impact his personal growth and journey toward Wisdom? 

#3A:   1. What three things did Kamala tell Siddhartha were necessary for success?

 2. How did Kamala measure success? 

3. What skills did Siddhartha have that led him to opportunity? 

4. How did the lessons Siddhartha learned from Kamala and Kamaswami impact his decisions?

 #4A:   1. Siddhartha claimed he had three skills. What were they?  Why did he believe these were valuable skills to have? 

2. What were the skills Kamaswami valued?  What did Siddhartha write for Kamaswami? 

3. What did Siddhartha perceive as the true value of his life with the Child-People? 

4. Why were the Child-People called “Child-People”?  

#5A:   1. When Siddhartha was talking with the Gotama, he compared the world to a perfect chain.  How is this similar to the lesson on the River? 

2. How did the River help Siddhartha gain Wisdom? 

3. In reflecting on the course his life has taken, what changes did Siddhartha observe? 

4. Why did Vasudeva leave?  Where did he go?  

 #6b:  1. Did Siddhartha achieve the four Noble Truths?

 2. In what ways did his journey reflect the Noble 8-Fold Path? 

3. In what ways did he digress from the Noble 8-Fold Path?