Siddhartha can be classified as both an Eastern parable and a Western romantic spiritual narrative. It teaches the obvious lessons about the basic Hinduism and Buddhist religions, but also shows us a self-awareness journey that is taken. The book is written by Herman Hesse, who traveled to India to extensively research the backgrounds of their religions. He took the knowledge that he learned of Buddhism and Hinduism and put it the book, Siddhartha. Many parallels can be made when looking at the practices of these Eastern traditions, and relating it to our "western" lives. Even though the main teachings in this book are of the Eastern practices, after reading Siddhartha we can easily relate his spiritual journey to each of our lives. .
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to part of the Hindu religion. In talking about Siddhartha it states, "He knew how to pronounce Om silently . . . he knew how to recognize Atman within the depth of his being." The Om in Hinduism is they way that they connect their souls with their creator; and the more they can be focused on it, the better off they will be. The Atman is like the essence of their self, often described as their soul. As we are learning about these different parts of Hinduism, we can also relate this sentence to ourselves. Siddhartha was only a boy when he was acting this way. Often we think that being spiritual is only for people with experience, those who are older in age. After reading this sentence in the opening of the book, it is already a connection we can make to our lives. .
We learn through this book that Buddhism teaches to seek your own enlightenment. Siddhartha says, "I will learn from myself, be my own pupil; I will learn from myself the secret of Siddhartha." Even though Siddhartha does not declare that he is a Buddhist, he is taking their approach in his journey. He is going to go out and discover himself without following anyone else.
