In this novel, the protagonist of the story, Siddhartha, believes that the teachings of others will not allow you to achieve Nirvana. Therefore, he sets out on a journey to discover the world for himself, the good and the bad, in order to come closer to enlightenment and become an enlightened one, a Buddha, himself. After each experience, Siddhartha comes to a new conclusion as his outlook on life changes, as he gets closer to enlightenment. At the beginning of the book, Siddhartha is already living in an extreme. He leads a perfect life and is protected from all evil by his father, the Brahmin. He has plenty of food. He is loved and respected by all Brahmins. The women in his village all want him. He has everything he could want, or so one would think. He has learned everything he thinks he can learn from the teachings of the Brahmins, but his thirst for knowledge is not satisfied. One day, a group of ascetics, called Shramanas, passed through his town. They believe that it is possible to achieve Nirvana by rejecting worldly pleasures. This teaching is different from the path of the Brahmins. Siddhartha and his friend Govinda, who is like Siddhartha's shadow, both go to join the Shramanas. They abandon all their material possessions and wander in the forests. Siddhartha, after living the life of a Shrama for many years, no longer resembles the young boy he was when he left his father and the Brahmins. After a while, he became a well-respected member of the Shramanas. However, he realizes that although his elders accomplished many things, both physically and spiritually, none of them ever fully achieved spiritual enlightenment. He realizes that this path is not the path to Nirvana. He learned... middle of article... right at the beginning that Nirvana could not be achieved through the teachings of others, so he embarked on a journey to discover the world for himself and finally reached Nirvana on his way. own. His friend Govinda, however, is not so bright and falls victim to another's teachings. This leads him into a circle that would never have allowed him to achieve his goal. Eventually, he escapes this circle and ends up with Siddhartha. Siddhartha achieved Nirvana by experiencing all that life has to offer, the good and the bad. He experienced wealth and poverty. He knew love and he lost love. Last but not least, he learned to listen and learn from his environment. He learned to be content with what he had and not worry about what he didn't have. This allowed him to be satisfied with his life just as Vasudeva had been. This is how he reached Nirvana.