When Meeting the Mentor, the Hero "gains confidence, insight, advice, training, or magical gifts"2 which help the Hero to overcome fears, and face the established challenge. This Mentor is often someone who has experience and wisdom pertaining to the events the Hero is going through on their Heroic Journey. In giving advice or items to the Hero, the Mentor provides "essential lessons and training needed to better face the journey's tests and ordeals."2 The Mentor could be a person, an object, or a moral code.
Siddhartha meets Om, his first Mentor, when he decides to live in the way of the Samanas. With the Samanas, he finds that "Om is the bow, the arrow is the Soul, [and] Brahman is the arrow's goal at which one aims unflinchingly."1 After taking Om as his Mentor, Om provided Siddhartha with magical gifts of peace while praying, as well as the will to continue life when Siddhartha was about to commit suicide. Just as a mentor would, Om helped Siddhartha to survive, and provided him with gifts, so he could complete his journey.
Prior to being mentored by Vasudeva, the Ferryman, or Kamala, Siddhartha is guided by Om. As he meets Om this early in his journey, he is still likely at stream-enterer or once-returner as the fetters he has abandoned as a result of Om are high level fetters, though the ones he still possesses are low level fetters, and some high level fetters.
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