roams through the grove in thought, where he meets Gotama. Siddhartha requests permission to speak, and Gotama
nods his assent. Siddhartha tells him that he and his friend have
listened to his teachings the previous day. His friend has been
moved and is going to stay with the Buddha. Siddhartha then says
that he believes that the Buddha has presented a perfect picture of
the world; according to him, the world is just a cause and effect
cycle.Siddhartha tells the Buddha his own belief about salvation; he
feels that nobody finds Nirvana by being taught, for it has to be
learned through firsthand experience. Though Buddha's teachings
explain how to live righteously and how to avoid evil, they do not
express the secret of how the Illustrious One found salvation.
Siddhartha says that he is going to find his own goal without the
help of any doctrines or teachers, for he believes that it must come
from within; he must learn how to conquer self. Siddhartha tells
the Buddha that he will always remember the Illustrious One, his
teachings, and the day he met him.The contrast between Siddhartha and Govinda is again delineated in this chapter. After listening to the Buddha's teachings, the simple Govinda immediately decides to join him as a disciple. Siddhartha cannot fully embrace the Buddha's philosophies, although he admires and respects Gotama as a teacher and as a person. Siddhartha believes that salvation cannot be taught. Even Gotama has attained Nirvana because of his personal experiences. Siddhartha, therefore, decides to go away and acquire experiences for himself. He wishes to attain
something beyond all that has been previously achieved by him.
For this end, Siddhartha's restless spirit is prepared to go through
any kind of experience, no matter how dangerous it may be.
Suddenly Siddhartha, with an air of finality,
decides that he will no longer devote his thoughts to Atman and...