Right View, Right Intention, and Others

The Eightfold Path, or the Noble Eightfold Path, is a foundational doctrine of Buddhism that Gotama the Buddha teaches as the means to attain salvation from suffering. In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, this path is introduced during the pivotal scene in the grove of Jetavana, where Gotama delivers a sermon to a large crowd of followers and seekers. The exalted one teaches the teachings of suffering, of the origin of suffering, and of the way to relieve suffering, patiently going through the usual path of the teachings, of the examples, of the repetitions. His quiet speech flows calmly and clearly, covering the four main doctrines and the eightfold path, which he presents as a structured, irrefutable chain of causes and effects. For many listeners, including Siddhartha's friend Govinda, this teaching offers a clear and comprehensible framework for living righteously and avoiding evil, and Govinda immediately takes refuge in it, asking to be accepted into the community of disciples.

Siddhartha's Critique of the Path

Despite the apparent clarity and completeness of the Eightfold Path, Siddhartha does not find it sufficient for his own spiritual quest. After hearing Gotama's sermon, he engages in a direct conversation with the Buddha, expressing his admiration for the teachings' logical coherence but also pointing out a fundamental gap. Siddhartha argues that the teachings present the world as a perfect, unbroken chain of causes and effects, yet they introduce a small breach—the doctrine of salvation itself—which seems to break the very unity they describe. He contends that the teachings, however venerable, cannot convey the mystery of what the Buddha experienced in the hour of his enlightenment, which is unexpressable and not teachable. Siddhartha concludes that nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings alone, and that he must depart from all teachings and all teachers to reach his goal by himself. This critique underscores his belief that the Eightfold Path, like all doctrines, is a one-sided formulation that cannot capture the full, living truth of existence.

The Path as a One-Sided Truth

Later in his life, after years of worldly experience and suffering, Siddhartha develops a more nuanced understanding of the Eightfold Path and all teachings. In his final conversation with Govinda, he articulates a key insight: the opposite of every truth is just as true. He explains that any truth can only be expressed and put into words when it is one-sided, and that the world itself is never one-sided. Gotama, in his teachings, had to divide the world into Sansara and Nirvana, into deception and truth, into suffering and salvation, because there is no other way for one who wants to teach. But Siddhartha now sees that the sinner is not on a slow path toward becoming a Buddha; rather, within the sinner is already the future Buddha, and the world is perfect in every moment. He concludes that the Eightfold Path, like all words and teachings, is a mere tool that cannot encompass the oneness of all life. This realization leads him to embrace a wisdom that cannot be passed on, one that is found through direct experience, love for the world, and a deep listening to the river, which teaches him that everything is good, everything is perfect, and everything is Brahman.

The Path Beyond Teachings

Siddhartha's ultimate rejection of the Eightfold Path as a prescriptive doctrine does not mean he dismisses its value for others. He explicitly wishes that Govinda and all of Gotama's disciples stay with the teachings and reach their goal, acknowledging that the path is right for them. However, for himself, he has learned that wisdom cannot be conveyed; it can only be found, lived, and carried. His own path has led him through asceticism, sensuality, wealth, despair, and finally to the river, where he learns to listen with a quiet heart, without passion, without a wish, without judgement. The river teaches him that there is no time, that everything is present simultaneously, and that the secret of life is the oneness of all things. In this state, Siddhartha no longer needs the Eightfold Path or any other teaching, for he has achieved a readiness of the soul to think the thought of oneness every moment, to feel and inhale the oneness, and to love the world as it is. His final teaching to Govinda is that love, not doctrine, is the most important thing, and that the smile of the perfected ones—whether Gotama or Siddhartha—shines from a place beyond words and paths.