Snorlax's Quote
"That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere, and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past, nor the shadow of the future?" (Hesse 107).
What is the significance of this quote?
posted by snorlax @ 4:44 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
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This quote portrays Siddhartha's learning that he achieves from the river. In his time spent with Vasudeva, Siddhartha learns to listen to the river. The river teaches him the peace and unity of the world, just as a river exists everywhere at one moment. He states that the river only has a present and this represents Siddhartha's belief that time does not exist because it is merely an illusion. This quote represents Siddhartha finding his own wisdom through his own experiences. The river is not a teacher yet Siddhartha is able to learn from it. It is important because Siddhartha spends his whole life trying to learn from many others, including the Brahmen, Samanas, and the Buddha, but they do not offer what Siddhartha is seeking. Once Siddhartha realizes to stop seeking, he becomes peaceful and is able to learn from what is around him; the river.
What Siddhartha means by this quote is that there is no such thing as time. He has learned from the river that time does not exist. There is no past or future, and therefore no reason to dwell on what happened or what is going to happen next. Siddhartha has realized that the various stages in his life are not truely separated by time spans, but only exist in the present. He is given a new aspect to view life. Upon his discovery he is enthused and joyful. This quote is momentous because it shows that Siddhartha is still learning new knowledge, but he is learning them himself. He is not being told about time, but concludes this idea on his own, for Siddhartha can only reach salvation through his own experiences. With help from the river, Siddhartha is finding his own ideas and teachings. The river and Vasudeva do not blantently tell Siddhartha about the non-existance of time, but he comes to the discovery through his own thoughts. Siddhartha also discovers about the unity in the world, separation as an illusion and that everything in the world has potential from the river. What makes these discoveries so significant is that Siddhartha finds them through his own mental processes and concludes them on his own.
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