Gunther Olesch

Siddhartha Gunther Olesch

In Siddhartha, German author Hermann Hesse tells the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man during the time of the Gautama Buddha. His name Siddhartha is made up of two words in Sanskrit language, which together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)".
The story takes place in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapilavastu. Siddhartha decides to leave his home in the hope of gaining spiritual illumination by becoming an ascetic wandering beggar of the ?ama?a. Joined by his best friend Govinda, Siddhartha fasts, becomes homeless, renounces all personal possessions, and intensely meditates, eventually seeking and personally speaking with Gautama, the famous Buddha, the Enlightened One.
Govinda hastily joins the Buddha's order, but Siddhartha does not follow, claiming that the Buddha's philosophy, though supremely wise, does not account for the necessarily distinct experiences of each person. He argues that the individual seeks an absolutely unique, personal meaning that cannot be presented to him by a teacher. He thus resolves to carry on his quest alone.