Siddhartha

I first read it as a college in the 60s, when my age group was first exploring Eastern philosophy. Next, I read it as a householder and parent. It seemed like a different book. Reading it again as a senior, it has a whole different meaning. As the boatman told Siddhartha, The river is always the same, yet it is different each time we experience it.

Wonderful book. Five stars, but I have to dock one star because of the way Amazon is handling the translations. If choosing the right translation matters to you, be aware that the Kindle version on Amazon is the Susan Bernofsky translation, no matter what the cover image shows or (seemingly) what the author information says on Amazon. After initially downloading a Kindle version (reasonable at 99¢) I found the translation to be awkward in places and wanted to compare others. The translator is not listed anywhere in the actual Kindle book. I determined, by searching on other websites, that I probably was reading the Susan Bernofsky translation. After doing some investigating, I decided I wanted to read the Hilda Rosner translation and looked for a Kindle version of that translation. Twice I thought Id downloaded the preferred edition--once going by the cover, which matched the Rosner paperback, and once going by the fact that Rosner was listed along with Hesse as the author. Both times the downloaded copy turned out to be the Bernofsky. Caveat emptor.

This is a beautiful Edition.

Ive read Hermann Hesses Siddhartha every year in the month of my birth since 1978. Most of those years I read the 1951 New Directions edition. In recent years there have been a dozen other translations of this work, some good and some not as good. This particular translation doesnt tell us who the publisher is, who translated it, or anything else about the publications - take a hint. The problem with this translation is not necessary the translation, it read smoothly enough, however, there are somewhere around a dozen errors in tense, typos, wrong word (through vs. thorough) etc. throughout the text that are more than obvious. I would suggest that if this publisher does a second edition they might want to consider proofreading the text. I do recommend Hesses Siddhartha HIGHLY. I would, however, suggest picking another publisher.

An extremely inspirational book. Truly loved how this book broke down the concept of Oneness at the end. The author’s bio at the end was just as interesting:)

As stated in the headline, it arrived just right. I got this as a gift for a friend and the book came in perfect condition. When I received it, it wasnt bent or dirty. My friend loved it and really enjoyed the book, thinking of purchasing it again for myself.

A great read for any western Buddhist. Plenty of great lessons learned here. Will likely read again. Ive got some research to do; although this a work of fiction, I was unable to place a specific timeline.

Siddhartha is an interesting look at traditional Buddhism. The Pali cannon that Gotama gave us is one method. Buddha also taught that there are many ways to awakening. The institutions of Buddhism are in the business of promoting the various schools of practice. By promoting the practice of this or that school, the ego of the seeker is reinforced in that practice. Americans are always in a hurry. They want release as fast as possible. This is why the diamond way of Vajrayanna Tibeten is the most popular form of Buddhism in the US. They would rather someone else do the work than sit down and figure it out. Siddhartha follows his own path even when an authentic true teacher is walking in his midst. He recognizes the truth of that teacher but also sees the limitations of that teaching for him. Ultimately each practitioner will have to launch his own yanna(vehicle) to the other shore. The practice and teaching of others is only the starting point. If you look in the literature about the various Buddha realms. The character of Sidhartha falls in the category of Pecceka Buddhas or silent Buddhas. There is also a lesson to taken from this book about sons and daughters. One cannot shield them the world. They must released to make their own choices and mistakes in order to learn their own lessons. The fragility of university students today is a result of helicopter parenting.

This book was recommended to me by a friend of mine. I was hesitant at first, but Im glad I gave it a chance. Many life lessons to be learned on human nature. From our desires to learn and explore the world at a young age and seek knowledge, to getting lost in the pleasure of power, material things and sex, this book covers it all. It also shows the many levels of changes we go through as we learn about ourselves and the world. And finally finding your true purpose and fully embarrassing it. It was a great read and I would recommend Siddhartha to anyone looking to seek a deeper meaning of life.

Siddhartha is a classic. It is for the thoughtful not for the light reader. I first read this in high school in the 70s and have read it several times since. I will not talk about the plot or characters. Both are well developed. It is the message of the book that matters and why this book has persisted for so many years. It isnt a long book. You can probably finish it in an evening.