Siddhartha Study guide Chapter 3 – Gotama and Chapter 4 – Awakening
1. How is Gotama different from the Samanas?
2. What is the significance of saying that Gotama’s features are “perfect”?
3. Sometimes the Buddha looks at Siddhartha and sometimes he lowers his eyes.
What is the significance of this gesture? Who else used the lowered eye motif in
life?
4. Are Siddhartha’s arguments to Gotama valid or fair? Are they persuasive?
5. How does the Buddha dismiss Siddhartha? How is the end of Chapter 3 different
from the other “leavings”
6. What does it say about Siddhartha that he does not follow this Buddha?
7. What has the Buddha robbed from Siddhartha ?
8. What is going to happen next?
Awakening
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Define the “Self” as used on page 38.
What decision does Siddhartha make?
Why does Siddhartha need to be “alone”?
What is the awakening?
How is Siddhartha different from the man he was in the earlier chapters?
What is the author’s tone in this chapter?
Compare and Contrast the endings (leavings) in Chapter 1, 2, and 3