＂Siddhartha＂: A Hero's Journey into Enlightenment

本論文主要是以神話英雄的探索之旅，來解讀「流浪者之歌」的意涵，理論是根據神話學大師坎伯所著的「千面英雄」一書。「流浪者之歌」符合神話英雄的冒險行徑，遵循英雄的出發及回歸之循環。從另一個層次來看，主角悉達多的流浪代表生命必經歷的痛苦和救贖。旅程的結束，成就了他超越世俗的生命存在，也實現了追尋及獲得的文化典型。本文分兩部分書寫，第一部份闡釋「千面英雄」中所歸納的英雄典型元素，分析英雄冒險的相似軌跡分成三階段：啟程，啟蒙，及回歸。英雄的原型分析反映出人類集體共通的潛意識。第二部分則依據此三階段來檢視悉達多的心靈成長。他回應召喚，跨出舊門檻，經歷艱辛的試驗，最後得到貴人相助而得以開悟的過程，他人亦可借鏡仿效。他的英雄行徑存在於神話中，他的探索指出人類心靈的極致潛能。本研究引用坎伯的神話英雄理論來檢視「流浪者之歌」，以證明它並非宣揚甚或扭曲佛法的道德小說。主角悉達多亦不局限於古印度的時空，他從河流所得的智慧依然是嘉惠現世的萬靈丹。

關鍵字

英雄；迷思；旅程；覺悟

並列摘要

The purpose of this paper is to interpret ＂Siddhartha＂ as a mythological hero's quest, with the theory based on Joseph Campbell's ＂The Hero with a Thousand Faces＂. On one hand, Siddhartha's journey conforms to the structure of a typical hero's adventure, a cycle involving a leaving and a returning. On the other hand, his experiences represent the suffering and redemption common to humanity. After the journey, he achieves a transcendental state of being, fulfilling the archetypal dream of seek and find. The contents of this paper are divided into two parts. The first part explicates Campbell's mythic theory in terms of the three stages of departure, initiation and return. This illustration aims to highlight the existence of human collective unconscious. The second part analyzes Siddhartha's spiritual growth after the three stages of self exploration. He answers the call for adventure, breaks the old threshold, undergoes harsh trials and finally gains a new consciousness through the help of a spiritual mentor. He enacts the consistent and enduring hero pattern in myth. The application of Campbell's hero archetype to the study of ＂Siddhartha＂ will prove that it is not a didactic or distorted text on Buddhism. Seen in a mythic perspective, it’s a timeless tale pointing to the spiritual potentialities of mankind. Siddhartha is not a sage specifically belonging to ancient India. The wisdom he gains from the river is a universal boon to benefit the human world.