Latest / Sacred Texts Archive / 03 - Gotama - Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

Transcript

03 - Gotama - Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse · Sacred Texts Archive

0:00
Chapter three, Gattama. In the town of Savathi, every child knew the
0:08
name of the Exalted Buddha, and every house was prepared to fill the arms
0:13
dish of Gatama's disciples. The silently begging ones near the town was Gatarmah's favorite
0:20
place to stay, the grove of Jetavana, which the rich merchant Anatha Pindika,
0:28
an obedient worshiper of the Exalted One, had given him and his people
0:32
for a gift. All tales and answers which the two young aesthetics had received
0:39
in their search for Gatama's abode, had pointed them towards this area, and
0:44
arriving at Savathi. In the very first house, before the door of which
0:49
they stopped to beg food has been offered to them, and they accepted the
0:53
food, and Sadartha asked the woman who handed them the food, We would
0:58
like to know, oh, charitable one, where the Buddha dwells, the
1:03
most venerable one. For we are two Somanas from the forest and have come
1:07
to see him, the perfected One, and to hear the teachings from his
1:12
mouth. Quoth the woman here, you have truly come to the right place.
1:19
You somanas from the forest. You should know in Jettavana, in the
1:23
garden of Anatha Pindika is where the Exalted One dwells. There, you pilgrim
1:30
shall spend the night, for there is enough space for the innumerable who flock
1:36
here to hear the teachings from his mouth. This made Govinda happy and full
1:42
of joy. He exclaimed, Well, so thus we have reached our destination
1:49
and our path has come to an end. But tell us, o,
1:53
mother of the pilgrims, do you know him, the Buddha? Have you
1:57
seen him with your own eyes? Quoth the woman. Many times I have
2:02
seen him, the Exalted One. On many days I have seen him walking
2:07
through the alleys in silence, wearing his yellow cloak, presenting his arms dish
2:14
in silence at the doors of the houses, leaving with a filled dish.
2:20
Delightedly, Govinda listened and wanted to ask and hear much more, but sa'
2:25
Darthur urged him to walk on. They thanked and left and hardly had to
2:30
ask for directions, for rather many pilgrims and monks as well from Gautama's community
2:37
were on their way to the Jettevanna, and since they reached it. At
2:40
night, there were constant arrivals, shouts, and talk of those who sought
2:46
shelter and got it. The two Somanas, accustomed to life in the forest,
2:52
found quickly and without making any noise, a place to stay, and
2:57
rested there until the morning. At sunrise, they saw with astonishment what a
3:04
large crowd of believers and curious people had spent the night here on all paths
3:09
of the marvelous grove. Monks walked in yellow robes under the trees. They
3:15
sat here and there in deep contemplation or in a conversation about spiritual matters.
3:22
The shady gardens looked like a city full of people, bustling like bees.
3:29
The majority of the monks went out with their arms dish to collect food in
3:34
town for their lunch, the only meal of the day. The Buddha himself,
3:38
the Enlightened One, was also in the habit of taking his walk to
3:43
beg in the morning. Siddartha saw him, and he instantly recognized him,
3:49
as if a god had pointed him out to him. He saw him a
3:54
simple man in a yellow robe, bearing the arms dish in his hand,
3:59
walking silently. Look here, said Arthur, said quietly to Govinda, this
4:05
one is the Buddha. Attentively, Govinda looked at the monk in the yellow
4:12
robe, who seemed to be in no way different from the hundreds of other
4:15
monks, and soon Govinda also realized this is the one, and they followed
4:23
him and observed him. The Buddha went on his way, modestly and deep
4:28
in his thoughts. His calm face was neither happy nor sad. It seemed
4:33
to smile gently and inwardly, with a hidden smile, quiet calm, somewhat
4:41
resembling a healthy child. The Buddha walked, wore the robe, and placed
4:46
his feet, just as all of his monks did according to a precise rule.
4:51
But his face and his walk, his quietly lowered glance, his quietly
4:58
dangling hand, and even every finger of his quietly dangling hand expressed peace,
5:06
expressed perfection, did not search, did not imitate, breathed softly in an
5:15
unwithering calm, in an unwithering light, an untouchable peace. Thus Gottarma walked
5:24
toward the town to collect arms, and the two Somanas recognized him solely by
5:30
the perfection of his calm, by the quietness of his appearance in which there
5:34
was no searching, no desire, no imitation, no effort to be seen,
5:42
only light and peace. To day, we'll hear the teachings from his
5:46
mouth, said Govinda. Sir Arthur did not answer. He felt little curiosity
5:54
for the teachings. He did not believe that they would teach him anything new.
5:59
But he he had, just as Govinda had heard the contents of this
6:02
Buddha's teachings again and again, though these reports only represented second or third hand
6:10
information. But attentively he looked at Gatama's head, his shoulders, his feet,
6:17
his quietly dangling hand, and it seemed to him as if every joint
6:23
of every finger of this hand was of these teachings, spoke of, breathed,
6:29
of inhaled, the fragrance of glistened of the truth. This man,
6:35
this Buddha, was truthful down to the gesture of his last finger. This
6:42
man was holy. Never before Siddartha had venerated a person so much, Never
6:48
before he had loved a person as much as this one. They both followed
6:55
the Buddha until they reached the town, and then returned in silence, for
7:00
they themselves intended to abstain from food. On this day, they saw Gautarma
7:04
returning what he ate could not even have satisfied a bird's appetite, And they
7:10
saw him retiring into the shade of the mango trees. But in the evening,
7:15
when the heat cooled down and everyone in the camp started to bustle about
7:20
and gathered around, they heard the Buddha teaching. They heard his voice,
7:27
and it was also perfected, was of perfect calmness, was full of peace.
7:34
Gautama taught the teachings of suffering, of the origin of suffering, of
7:40
the way to relieve suffering. Calmly and clearly. His quiet speech flowed on
7:48
suffering. Was life full of suffering, was the world. But salvation from
7:55
suffering had been found. Salvation was obtained by him who would walk the path
8:01
of the Buddha. With a soft yet firm voice. The Exalted One spoke,
8:09
taught the four main doctrines, taught the eightfold path. Patiently, he
8:15
went the usual path of the teachings, of the examples of the repetitions.
8:20
Brightly and quietly. His voice hovered over the listeners like a light, like
8:26
a starry night. When the Buddha night had already fallen, ended his speech
8:33
man near Pilgrim stepped forward and asked to be accepted into the community, sought
8:39
refuge in the teachings, and Gatama accepted them by saying, you have heard
8:46
the teachings, well it has come to you. Well, does join us
8:50
and walk in holiness to put an end to all suffering. Behold. Then
8:58
Govinda the shay also stepped forward and spoke, I also take my refuge in
9:05
the Exalted One and his teachings. And he asked to be accepted into the
9:09
community of the disciples and was accepted. Right afterwards, when the Buddha had
9:16
retired for the night, Govinda turned to Siddhartha and spoke eagerly, said,
9:22
Arthur, it is not my place to scold you. We have both heard
9:26
the Exalted One, and we have both perceived the teachings. Govinda has heard
9:33
the teachings, he has taken refuge in it. But you, my honored
9:37
friend, don't you also want to walk the path of salvation? Would you
9:41
want to hesitate? Do you want to wait any longer? Sad Arthur awakened
9:48
as if he had been asleep when he heard Govinda's words for a long time.
9:54
He looked into Govinda's face. Then he spoke quietly in a voice without
10:00
mockery. Govinda, my friend, Now you have taken this step. Now
10:05
you have chosen this path always, Oh Govinda, you've been my friend.
10:11
You've always walked one step behind me. Often I have thought, won't Govinda
10:16
for once also take a step by himself without me out of his own soul.
10:24
Behold, now you've turned into a man and are choosing your path for
10:28
yourself. I wish that you would go it up to its end, oh,
10:33
my friend, that you shall find salvation. Govinda, not completely understanding
10:41
it yet, repeated his question in an impatient tone. Speak up, I
10:46
beg you, my dear, tell me, since it could not be any
10:50
other way, that you, also, my learned friend, will take your
10:54
refuge with the exalted Buddha. Saird Arthur placed his hand on God's shoulder.
11:01
You failed to hear my good wish for you, oh Govinda, I am
11:05
repeating it. I wish that you would go this path up to its end,
11:11
that you shall find salvation. In this moment, Govinda realized that his
11:16
friend had left him, and he started to weep, said Darthur. He
11:24
exclaimed lamentingly, Sir Arthur kindly spoke to him. Don't forget, Govinda,
11:31
that you are now one of the Samanas of the Buddha. You have renounced
11:35
your home and your parents, renounced your birth and possessions, renounced your free
11:41
will, renounced all friendship. This is what the teachings require, This is
11:46
what the Exalted One wants, This is what you wanted for yourself. Tomorrow,
11:54
oh Govinda, I'll leave you for a long time. The friends continue
12:00
walking in the grove. For a long time. They lay there and found
12:03
no sleep, and over and over again. Govinda urged his friend he should
12:11
tell him why he would not want to seek refuge in Gotama's teachings, what
12:16
fault he would find in these teachings. But Saiddartha turned him away every time
12:24
and said, be content, Govinda, very good are the teachings of the
12:28
Exalted One? How could I find a fault in them? Very early in
12:33
the morning, a follower of Buddha, one of his oldest monks, went
12:39
through the garden and called all those to him who had, as novices taken
12:43
their refuge in the teachings, to dress them up in the yellow robe,
12:48
and to instruct them in the first teachings and duties of their position. Then
12:54
Govinda broke loose, embraced once again his childhood friend, and left with the
13:01
novices. But Siddarthur walked through the grove lost in thought. Then he happened
13:09
to meet Gautama, the Exalted One, And when he greeted him with respect,
13:15
and the Buddha's glance was so full of kindness and calm, the young
13:20
man summoned his courage and asked the Venerable One for the permission to talk to
13:24
him. Silently, the Exalted One nodded his approval. Quoth Siddarthur, yesterday,
13:31
oh Exalted One, I had been privileged to hear your wondrous teachings together
13:37
with my friend. I had come from Afar to hear your teachings. And
13:41
now my friend is going to stay with your people. He has taken his
13:46
refuge with you. But I will again start on my pilgrimage as you please.
13:52
The Venerable Worm spoke politely. Too bold is my speech, said Arthur,
14:00
continued, but I do not want to leave the Exalted One without having
14:03
honestly told him my thoughts. Does it please the Venerable One to listen to
14:09
me for one moment longer. Silently, the Buddha nodded his approval. Quoth
14:16
said Arthur, One thing, O most venerable one, I have admired in
14:20
your teaching. Most of all, everything in your teachings is perfectly clear,
14:26
is proven. You are presenting the world as a perfect chain, a chain
14:33
which is never and nowhere broken, an eternal chain, the links of which
14:39
are causes and effects. Never before this has been seen so clearly, Never
14:46
before this has been presented so irrefutably. Truly, the heart of every Brahman
14:52
has to be stronger with love once he has seen the world through your teachings,
14:58
perfectly connect, without gaps, clear as a crystal, not depending on
15:05
chance, not depending on God's whether it may be good or bad, whether
15:11
living according to it would be suffering or joy. I do not wish to
15:16
discuss. Possibly this is not essential, but the uniformity of the world,
15:22
That everything which happens is connected, That the great and the small things are
15:28
all encompassed by the same forces of time, by the same law of causes,
15:33
of coming into being and of dying. This is what shines brightly out
15:39
of your exalted teachings, Oh perfected one, but according to your very own
15:46
teachings, this unity and necessary sequence of all things is nevertheless broken in one
15:54
place through a small gap. This world of unity is invaded by something alien,
16:00
something new, something which had not been there before, and which cannot
16:06
be demonstrated and cannot be proven. These are your teachings of overcoming the world
16:12
of salvation. But with this small gap, with this small breach, the
16:18
entire eternal and uniform law of the world is breaking apart again and becomes void.
16:26
Please forgive me for expressing this subjection quietly. Gautama had listened to him
16:33
unmoved. Now he spoke the perfected one with his kind, with his polite
16:38
and clear voice. You've heard the teachings, O, son of a Brahman,
16:45
and good for you that you've thought about it thus deeply. You've found
16:49
a gap in it, an error. You should think about this further.
16:55
But be warned, oh seeker of knowledge, of the thicket of opinions and
17:00
of arguing about words. There is nothing to opinions. They may be beautiful
17:06
or ugly, smart or foolish. Everyone can support them or discard them.
17:11
But the teachings you've heard from me are no opinion and Their goal is not
17:18
to explain the world to those who seek knowledge. They have a different goal.
17:22
Their goal is salvation from suffering. This is what Gautama teaches nothing else.
17:32
I wish that you, oh, Exalted One, would not be angry
17:34
with me, said the young man. I have not spoken to you like
17:40
this to argue with you, to argue about words. You are truly right.
17:45
There is little to opinions. But let me say this one more thing.
17:49
I have not doubted in you for a single moment. I have not
17:53
doubted for a single moment that you are Buddha. That you have reached the
17:57
goal, the highest goal towards which so many thousands of Brahmins and the sons
18:03
of Brahmans are on their way. You have found salvation from death. It
18:08
has come to you in the course of your own search, on your own
18:12
path, through thoughts, through meditation, through realizations, through enlightenment. It
18:19
has not come to you by means of teachings. And thus is my thought,
18:26
O Exalted One, nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings. You
18:32
will not be able to convey and say to anybody, O Venerable One,
18:37
in words and through teachings, what has happened to you in the hour of
18:41
enlightenment. The teachings of the Enlightened Buddha contain much. It teaches many to
18:48
live righteously, to avoid evil. But there is one thing that these so
18:52
clear, these so venerable teachings, do not contain. They do not contain
18:59
them mystery of what the Exalted One has experienced for himself, he alone among
19:07
hundreds of thousands. This is what I have thought and realized when I have
19:11
heard the teachings. This is why I am continuing my travels, not to
19:18
seek other better teachings, for I know there are none, but to depart
19:22
from all teachings and all teachers, and to reach my goal by myself,
19:29
or to die. But often I'll think of this day, oh Exalted One,
19:33
and of this hour when my eyes beheld a holy man. The Buddha's
19:40
eyes quietly looked to the ground, quietly, in perfect equanimity. His inscrutable
19:48
face was smiling. I wish the Venerable One spoke slowly, that your thoughts
19:55
shall not be in error, that you shall reach the goal. But tell
20:00
me, have you seen the multitude of my somanas, my many brothers who
20:04
have taken refuge in the teachings, And do you believe, oh stranger,
20:08
O Somana, do you believe that it would be better for them to abandon
20:14
the teachings and to return into the life of the world and of desires.
20:19
Far is such a thought from my mind, exclaimed said Arthur. I wish
20:25
that they shall stay with the teachings, that they shall reach their goal.
20:30
It is not my place to judge another person's life. Only for myself.
20:34
For myself alone, I must decide, I must choose. I must refuse.
20:41
Salvation from the self is what we Samanas search for, Oh exalted One.
20:47
If I merely were one of your disciples, O Venerable One, I'd
20:52
fear that it might happen to me that only seemingly, only deceptively, myself
20:57
would be calmed and be redeemed, but that in truth it would live on
21:03
and grow. For then I had replaced myself with the teachings, my duty
21:08
to follow you, my love for you and the community of the monks.
21:15
With half of a smile, with an unwavering openness and kindness, Gautama looked
21:21
into the stranger's eyes and bid him to leave with a hardly noticeable gesture.
21:27
You are wise, o Samana, the venerable one spoke, You know how
21:33
to talk wisely, my friend, but be aware of too much wisdom.
21:41
The Buddha turned away, and his glance and half of a smile remained forever
21:45
etched in said Arthur's memory. I have never before seen such a person glance
21:52
and smile, sit and walk this way, he thought. Truly, I
21:57
wished to be able to go glance and smile, sit and walk this way
22:03
too, Thus free, thus venerable, thus concealed, thus open, thus
22:10
childlike, and mysterious. Truly, only a person who has succeeded in reaching
22:15
the innermost part of his self would glance and walk this way. Well,
22:22
So I also will seek to reach the innermost part of myself. I saw
22:30
a man, said Arthur, thought, a single man before whom I would
22:34
have to lower my glance. I do not want to lower my glance before
22:40
any other, not before any other. No teachings will entice me any more.
22:47
Since this man's teachings have not enticed me. I am deprived by the
22:52
Buddha, thought, said Arthur. I am deprived, and even more he
22:57
has given to me. He has deprived me of my friend, the one
23:03
who had believed in me and now believes in him, who had been my
23:07
shadow and is now Gautama's shadow. But he has given me Saddhartha myself and
23:18
of chapter three