Step 2: Turn your attention to the local group of monks (known in the original story as the Samana) and eventually beg your aforementioned, strict father to join them on a quest for spiritual enlightenment.
Step 3: Upon joining this group you now must wear rags and only eat the bare minimum to stay alive as is custom in this group as it is a way to rid oneself of their own ego and physical form.
Step 4: Begin learning from this insightful group of spiritual individuals about their many different teachings about the individual outside of their physical form for a number of years (preferably with a childhood friend that you convinced to come along to also become enlightened) until you eventually hear news of a Buddha arise somewhere.
Step 5: Go seek out this "Buddha," and join his following to learn of his advanced spiritual enlightenment and with this completing your studies of the spirit. (But somethings wrong!)
Step 6: Confront the "Buddha," and challenge the idea of not incorporating the physical world while also preaching the idea of being "in unison with the physical world and the world around you." (This leads to an inevitable falling out with you and fake "Buddha")
Step 7: Leave the camp in search for enlightenment on the physical world (Yes this includes leaving the optional childhood friend behind) and become charmed by a local courtesan.
Step 8: Learn about the physical world for many years after spending countless hours with this courtesan you become fascinated by while also becoming involved in local business in the city to help provide.
Step 9: Realize after all those years that true enlightenment comes from the harmony of the spiritual and the physical, thus making you the ultimate form of enlightenment, "The Buddha"
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| Depiction of the Buddha |
Kept tru to most of the story arc of the original telling of this legend, but made it more fun by turning it into a "How To" sort of list or guide. The ending also ends at Part Two of the book instead becoming the Buddha right after spending the long stretch of years with the courtesan (Kamala in the original story) in the city.
Bibliography:
"Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse (Part Two)
Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI loved the step by step instructions and changing the story into a how to. I constantly find myself looking for how to lists through Pinterest or just online. If you are offering up ideas on how to become a god, or goddess in my case, I am ready for it. While I do not think I could survive on the bare minimum. I do enjoy my food in most cases, unless I am allergic to something. Something I would like for next time if you choose to do it again, is a better understanding of the complexer list items to become godly. When you talk about this how to list, it reminds me of my childhood and watching Recess. When Mikey becomes the next Guru Kid, and becomes true enlightenment in my opinion.
Hi Brandon! First up, I love how you have structured this story! Forming it like a set of instructions from a users guide was very clever and original. At first while reading this, I thought you were doing a retelling of the Buddha's story but I quickly recognized that you were adapting Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read that book in a class last year (Religion, Culture, and the Meaning of Life) and found it interesting and confusing all at the same time. I understand that this book was the first exposure that a lot of people in the United States had to Buddhism but it really doesn't seem to be all that Buddhist of a book. What did you think of the book? And where did you come up with the idea for the instruction manual style for this story? Even now when I think about this book, I get a little confused. The story itself is easy enough to follow, I'm just not sure I get the purpose behind it (the original book, not your retelling).
ReplyDeleteHey Brandon! I loved the way you did this story! It is very creative. When we are doing the retelling of stories, I feel like I get stumped on how I want to retell the story in a way that is not literally just retelling the story. I think I'm going to take this style and put it in my pocket for later! Like Dave, I also thought it was retelling of the Buddah's story. I am not familiar with the original story though. I also enjoyed your commentary in the parenthesis throughout the story. I feel like it added some character into what would have otherwise been just a basic how to manual. I enjoyed reading your story!
ReplyDeleteHey Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the style and structure of this retelling! The step-by-step instructions idea was very unique and clever. I thought it was pretty funny that some of the steps also included some of the immediate consequences of completing them (the "optional childhood friend" part for example). This was a fun idea and I really enjoyed reading it! Great job!