Part 1: "With the Samanas" Summary

Siddhartha and Govinda leave their town to live with the Samanas, a group of spiritual men. Before leaving, Siddhartha gives a poor man most of his clothes, his first step in ridding himself of worldly possessions. For Siddhartha, the goal of his new life is to become "empty"--to no longer have human needs and emotions, such as thirst, happiness and sadness. Siddhartha believes that to achieve Nirvana or peace, he must strip himself of just about everything associated with being human.

With Govinda at his side, the two men practice meditation, and they learn to quiet their heartbeats. They eat only once a day, and for twenty-eight days straight, they eat nothing. Only rarely do they talk to one another, and except for the Samanas, the only contact the men have with other people...