Siddhartha - The Path to Nirvana Found in the River

What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose for our existence? In the religion predominant in Siddhartha, Buddhism, the ultimate goal is Nirvana, to be Enlightened. But it is not so easy and we can see this in Siddhartha’s futile attempts at achieving this ambition. He goes on for much too long with an undying thirst for knowledge, failing to recognize that Nirvana is found in wisdom (“He had begun to suspect that his worthy father and his other teachers, the wise Brahmins, had already passed on to him the bulk and best of their wisdom [but] his soul was not at peace." pg. 3). More importantly, however, he fails to recognize that wisdom is not knowledge. On the contrary, his desire for knowledge begins to lead Siddhartha away from content, one of the key elements of Nirvana. His path to Enlightenment truly only begins when he learns from the subtle wisdom found in the river.
Can someone be taught by a river? It seems like an outrageous thing to say. However, it is repres...