Passage from Siddharta:

"On the way, Siddhartha also remembered everything he had experienced in the Garden Jetavana, the teaching he had heard there, the divine Buddha, the farewell from Govinda, the conversation with the exalted one. Again he remembered his own words, he had spoken to the exalted one, every word, and with astonishment he became aware of the fact that there he had said things which he had not really known yet at this time. What he had said to Gotama: his, the Buddha's, treasure and secret was not the teachings, but the unexpressable and not teachable, which he had experienced in the hour of his enlightenment—it was nothing but this very thing which he had now gone to experience, what he now began to experience. Now, he had to experience his self. It is true that he had already known for a long time that his self was Atman, in its essence bearing the same eternal characteristics as Brahman. But never, he had really found this self, because he had wanted to capture it in the net of thought. With the body definitely not being the self, and not the spectacle of the senses, so it also was not the thought, not the rational mind, not the learned wisdom, not the learned ability to draw conclusions and to develop previous thoughts in to new ones. No, this world of thought was also still on this side, and nothing could be achieved by killing the random self of the senses, if the random self of thoughts and learned knowledge was fattened on the other hand. Both, the thoughts as well as the senses, were pretty things, the ultimate meaning was hidden behind both of them, both had to be listened to, both had to be played with, both neither had to be scorned nor overestimated, from both the secret voices of the innermost truth had to be attentively perceived. He wanted to strive for nothing, except for what the voice commanded him to strive for, dwell on nothing, except where the voice would advise him to do so. Why had Gotama, at that time, in the hour of all hours, sat down under the bo-tree, where the enlightenment hit him? He had heard a voice, a voice in his own heart, which had commanded him to seek rest under this tree, and he had neither preferred self-castigation, offerings, ablutions, nor prayer, neither food nor drink, neither sleep nor dream, he had obeyed the voice. To obey like this, not to an external command, only to the voice, to be ready like this, this was good, this was necessary, nothing else was necessary."

**I chose this passage because to me it basically sums up the point of the story.  It shows Siddhartha's moment of awakening, the first moment when he was no longer going through the motions but actually thinking, and realizing for himself.  I connect with this because I believe that everyone should experience life, and different experiences through out life for themselves, and I try to live my life that way.  If they are listening to what others have already put into their mind then they are already altered, and are not experiencing anything real through them selves, but in fact, through others.

Analysis: 

This story of Siddhartha is a spiritual journey to reach enlightenment and essentially find one’s self.  Many paths were explored and taken, and learned by Siddhartha and still none left him feeling satisfied, he was still hungry to learn and know more.  Siddhartha has a moment of awakening here where he has realized that there is nothing one person or teacher could tell him, he has to experience it all by himself, to be fully satisfied.  Not only to experience “it” himself, it referring to enlightenment, but he had to experience himself, find out and learn about himself.  In the passage he has the tools he needs, his thoughts as well as his senses.  Siddhartha is use to listening to a set of teachings and rules and following them through as they are supposed to, it’s only when he questions them that he starts his journey. 

Throughout the world now there are different religions, different beliefs that tell you how you are supposed to feel or carry out your life.  This is related to all the different bumps in the road Siddhartha hit, each one he lived through, and then later questioned, “Why is it like this?”  Or “why should things happen this way?”  In nihilism all these beliefs and ideologies are questioned or found untrue.  Just as Siddhartha had questioned these beliefs so do those who have nihilistic views. Also, those who living in Germany during the Dadaism movement, and who were a part of it also questioned and went against the views on how they should live.  In fact they did just the opposite.  It is better to be your own power and not be ruled by others’ beliefs or what people tell you is right, because you may never maximize YOUR full potential.