Siddhartha Quotes and Responses
From the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
By Allison
Quote 1 (page 6 section 1): “Will you keep standing and waiting like this until it is day, noon, evening?
“I shall stand and wait.”
“You will grow weary, Siddhartha.”
“I shall grow weary.”
I think that what Siddhartha meant when he said these words was that he would wait until his father gave him an answer, and that he was already committed to what he wanted to do and he would stick to his decisions. I also think that it is saying to be thorough in everything you do and not let up on something until what you believe is right is accomplished. I think that I can use this quote in my life to try to remember to stick with something once I make a choice, and to never give up on what I want.
Quote 2 (page 20 section 3): “The Buddha has robbed me,” Siddhartha’s thoughts continued, “he has robbed me, but he has bestowed even more on me.”
I think that in these words Siddhartha is saying that the Buddha has taken something from him but he has got something in return, so I think it’s basically the cycle of yin and yang. I do not think that Siddhartha could have come to realization without the Buddha taking his friend, but I do not think that he could have lost his friend without him looking for himself. I think that I can apply this quote to my life by realizing that for every good thing there has to be a bad thing, and using that to help make the bad things seem better.
Quote 3 (page 35 section 6) “But permit me: if you have no possessions, what do you expect to give?”
“Everyone gives what he has. The warrior gives his strength, the merchant gives his wares, the teacher gives his teachings, the farmer his rice, the fisherman his fish.”
I think that in these quotes Siddhartha meant that everyone has something to give, and that you give what you have whether it is a material thing or a thought. I also think that Siddhartha was saying that even though someone may not have a material thing their experience and skills can sometimes be more important than what they possess. I think that I can remember to give whatever I have whether it’s some of my money or some of my knowledge, I can always give. I think that I can also use this quote to always try to gain skills and knowledge because those things can be worth more than what I have.
Quote 4 (page 42 section 7): Like a veil, like a thin mist, weariness descended upon Siddhartha, slowly, every day a little denser, every month a little more opaque, every year a little bit heavier.
I think that this quote means that the more time he spent on material objects and desires, the more he lost himself. I think that this quote was also saying the longer that you give into temptation, the harder it will be to stop giving into your desires and do what you are called to do. I believe that by remembering this quote I can try to remember to never forget who I am and what I believe in. I also think that by using this quote in my daily life I can make good decisions that will help make other choices and problems easier to deal with.
Quote 5 (page 45 section 7): “Onward! Onward! You have a calling!” He had heard that voice when he left home and chosen a samana’s life, and again when he had departed from the samanas and gone to the Perfect One, when he had departed from him and gone into the unknown. How long had it been since he had heard that voice, how long since he had scaled any heights; how evenly and monotonously his journey had gone on, many long years without a lofty goal, knowing no thirst or elevation of sprit, contented with petty pleasures and yet never satisfied.
I think that this quote means that when he was learning he had a calling, but when he gave in to desires he no longer felt the same calling that he had once felt. I think that it also means that once you lose who you are in wants and desires you are no longer who you were without them. I can apply this quote to my life by using it to remember to balance my desires and what I need to feel that I have a calling. I believe that I can also use this in my life to remember to spend time making sure my life is on the right path, and if not spending time getting myself back on the right track.
Quote 6 (page 74 section 11): “When someone seeks,” Siddhartha said, “it is all too easy for his eyes to see nothing but the thing he seeks, so that he is unable to find anything or to absorb anything because he is always thinking exclusively about what he seeks, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed by that goal. Seeking means having a goal. But finding means being free.”
I think that Siddhartha meant that when someone is looking for something they are too focused on one certain thing that they completely forget about everything else and often miss what they were searching for the whole time. I also think that it means that if you don’t keep an open mind, you will miss a lot of different opinions and a lot more knowledge. I think that I can apply this to my life by using it to remember to keep an open mind and never seek a certain thing, so that I will never miss anything if I can help it.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Seminar Reflection on Taoism:
Questions:
How did you and your classmates perform in seminar today?
How does the Tao Te Ching's ideas related to our lives and the world around us?
I think that the first group of students brought up a lot of interesting points, and had a lot of interesting points. I think the second group (which was my group) was very quite, a lot of the people didn't talk, so I ended up having to talk a lot. I think that at the second group let people have more time and didn't go on nearly as many tangents as the first group. However I think the first group was a lot more open, and helped shine light on the text they were discussing. Overall I think that a lot of people did pretty good, but I think that a lot more people have to speak up and talk about what they feel. I think that maybe next time we could mix up the quiet people up with the more outgoing people so there could be more that is discussed.
I believe that some of Tao Te Ching's ideas can be connected to our every day lives for instance i think that from part 71 the lines "Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness." I think that, that quote means if you know what your weaknesses are you can improve them and make them your strengths, but if you ignore the information given to you it will come back to you and end up hurting you. For instance if a crime scene investigator ignores the information that there was a chemical in a victims body before the death, they will probably lose their cause when someone points the fact out and he might lose his job.
Overall I think that the seminars were really cool and fun, but I think maybe next time we can get more time to prepare and have a more diverse group.
How did you and your classmates perform in seminar today?
How does the Tao Te Ching's ideas related to our lives and the world around us?
I think that the first group of students brought up a lot of interesting points, and had a lot of interesting points. I think the second group (which was my group) was very quite, a lot of the people didn't talk, so I ended up having to talk a lot. I think that at the second group let people have more time and didn't go on nearly as many tangents as the first group. However I think the first group was a lot more open, and helped shine light on the text they were discussing. Overall I think that a lot of people did pretty good, but I think that a lot more people have to speak up and talk about what they feel. I think that maybe next time we could mix up the quiet people up with the more outgoing people so there could be more that is discussed.
I believe that some of Tao Te Ching's ideas can be connected to our every day lives for instance i think that from part 71 the lines "Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness." I think that, that quote means if you know what your weaknesses are you can improve them and make them your strengths, but if you ignore the information given to you it will come back to you and end up hurting you. For instance if a crime scene investigator ignores the information that there was a chemical in a victims body before the death, they will probably lose their cause when someone points the fact out and he might lose his job.
Overall I think that the seminars were really cool and fun, but I think maybe next time we can get more time to prepare and have a more diverse group.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Chi Gong Lesson
Chi Gong is basically a energy exercise using breathing and focus. I learned that there are several different types of Chi Gong like creating a Chi energy ball, standing Chi Gong, and moving Chi Gong.
I learned that many eastern civilizations (such as China and Korea) believed in Chi Gong and used it to help with illness, fitness, achieve a more peaceful state of mind, and prevent disease.
During the Chi Gong exercise I did not really like the part where we had to stay in one place standing for a long time, because my legs started to get tired of standing in one place for so long. However I did enjoy the exercise where we were moving because I think the exercise helped me wake up a little more and got my energy going. I also liked the meditation time a lot because even though it was only five minutes I just relaxed, and when I opened my eyes I felt so refreshed and I felt like I had more energy.
I think that i could take any part of what we did in the Chi Gong class and used it during school I would want to do a few minutes of relaxation. I would want to do the relaxation because it helped me forget everything I was stressing about and when I opened my eyes I felt refreshed and ready to do most anything.
Overall I thought that the exercise was really fun, and was a good way for me to learn about a part of the Eastern world, and be able to apply something I did to my life and the ancient China.
I learned that many eastern civilizations (such as China and Korea) believed in Chi Gong and used it to help with illness, fitness, achieve a more peaceful state of mind, and prevent disease.
During the Chi Gong exercise I did not really like the part where we had to stay in one place standing for a long time, because my legs started to get tired of standing in one place for so long. However I did enjoy the exercise where we were moving because I think the exercise helped me wake up a little more and got my energy going. I also liked the meditation time a lot because even though it was only five minutes I just relaxed, and when I opened my eyes I felt so refreshed and I felt like I had more energy.
I think that i could take any part of what we did in the Chi Gong class and used it during school I would want to do a few minutes of relaxation. I would want to do the relaxation because it helped me forget everything I was stressing about and when I opened my eyes I felt refreshed and ready to do most anything.
Overall I thought that the exercise was really fun, and was a good way for me to learn about a part of the Eastern world, and be able to apply something I did to my life and the ancient China.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Vocabulary Quiz #1
1. What is the main idea of this article? Explain in detail.
2. Do you think vertical farming is a viable solution to the energy crisis?
3. What are your thoughts in general on the article?
I think that the main idea of this article is to tell people about the possibilities to become more earth friendly. This article shows that with a vertical farm food would not have to travel so far to get to the consumers.
I do not believe that the vertical farming is a good solution to the energy crisis, because although a of of pollution would be prevented from occurring there is a lot of other factors. The cost of the vertical farms is a determinant alone. Millions of dollars would need to be used to make the buildings. There is also the factor of how much money it would cost to make the building fertile, cultivate the building, and irrigate the building to add on to the initial cost as well. I also think that the cost to bring all of the materials into New York would cost alot of money, as well as importing more water into the city for irrigation then is already being imported. I think that alot of rules and laws would have to be codifyed to fit the needs of the new building, and its investors. I think that the possibility of having a more economicaly home would make alot of people more sedentary which is both good and bad.
I think that another major issue with verticle farming is that it would most likely domesticate alot of the animals be more comfterable around people, which is not neccecarly a good thing.
Overall I think that the idea of Vertical farming is still a primitve idea, I think that if it is to be accoplished alot more research and information has to be collected before idea can truley be presented again.
2. Do you think vertical farming is a viable solution to the energy crisis?
3. What are your thoughts in general on the article?
I think that the main idea of this article is to tell people about the possibilities to become more earth friendly. This article shows that with a vertical farm food would not have to travel so far to get to the consumers.
I do not believe that the vertical farming is a good solution to the energy crisis, because although a of of pollution would be prevented from occurring there is a lot of other factors. The cost of the vertical farms is a determinant alone. Millions of dollars would need to be used to make the buildings. There is also the factor of how much money it would cost to make the building fertile, cultivate the building, and irrigate the building to add on to the initial cost as well. I also think that the cost to bring all of the materials into New York would cost alot of money, as well as importing more water into the city for irrigation then is already being imported. I think that alot of rules and laws would have to be codifyed to fit the needs of the new building, and its investors. I think that the possibility of having a more economicaly home would make alot of people more sedentary which is both good and bad.
I think that another major issue with verticle farming is that it would most likely domesticate alot of the animals be more comfterable around people, which is not neccecarly a good thing.
Overall I think that the idea of Vertical farming is still a primitve idea, I think that if it is to be accoplished alot more research and information has to be collected before idea can truley be presented again.
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