He develops anxiety, self-hatred, and a high-stakes gambling habit. Eventually, however, wealth and lust prove too much for Siddhartha. For a time, Siddhartha is content with his life and is able to maintain a Samana-like distance from material concerns. Siddhartha begins working for a wealthy merchant named Kamaswami and becomes Kamala’s lover. Kamala says he needs money, clothes, and shoes. He offers himself to her as a student in the art of love, but is gently rebuffed. Siddhartha travels to a nearby town where he is entranced by the beauty of a well-known courtesan named Kamala. He decides instead that he’s an independent learner and is done with doctrine. Despite Govinda’s urgings and despite recognizing Gotama as the Holiest Man Ever, Siddhartha opts not to follow Gotama. Govinda is impressed and chooses to join Gotama’s community of monks. Although the two friends learn quite a bit from the Samana way of life, they are still dissatisfied and decide to hear the teachings of Gotama Buddha. His best friend, Govinda, accompanies him, and the two men spend three years with the Samanas learning how to withstand pain and hunger in an effort to flee the body’s limitations. Siddhartha decides to join the Samanas, who are a group of wandering ascetics. He is spiritually dissatisfied and believes the elders in his community have nothing more to teach him. He’s well-loved, but unhappy despite his popularity. Siddhartha (don't call him Sidd he hates that) grows up in a prosperous Brahman family.
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