Siddhartha

This is an interesting reflection on the nature of being. May of the ideas cross variously faith traditions. Great piece of wisdom literature - even for us non-Buddhists

A good book is when the absorber of the read sees reflection of him/herself as in the mirror as it helps to understand one’s soul better, while helping it to grow. I have experienced moments like this while reading Siddhartha. Some of the thoughts expressed here are not the thoughts from the book but rather the thoughts invoked in me by it. First, is the deep philosophical and pragmatic importance of the idea that abilities to “fast, wait and think” are crucial for our inner peace, harmony and ability of one’s soul to find it’s true calling. I am putting abilities of “fasting, waiting and thinking“ in brackets as they have both literal and much deeper and broader meaning to me. It is the idea of inner calmness and equanimity. The ability to take life as it is and to laugh at seeming misfortunes. To play with business affairs without taking them too seriously or without allowing them to rule over you. To be always able to go into a secrete place and a refuge inside oneself, where there is calmness and peace and that anyone of us has capacity to have this place inside ourselves. The peace might allow to learn the art of listening to someone to deeply understand. Listening to understand a completely unknown person, to somebody we know, and very importantly to listen to oneself. The voice of the soul is very timid and one needs to be very attentive in order to hear it’s whisper. The wheel of manifestation can turn fairly quickly but one first needs to hear whisper of the soul which expresses itself with feelings and delicate tender gentle hints. This is the art of paying close attention with quiet heart, with patience and with an open soul devote of passions, wishes, judgement and opinions. My own understanding of the integration of deep insight and wisdom is first to hear, second to understand, then to remember, next to integrate, thereafter to act out and finally to make it part of yourself. Part of it is a potent idea that wisdom can not be passed on. Knowledge can be transferred but not wisdom. Wisdom can not be expressed by words. It should be found and lived. However those who are searching it, may never find it, as their view might be limited by subject of their search. Finding instead of searching is also an art of flowing through the river of live by directing yourself toward the direction of your will however not struggling against the current but rather accepting the ride as it goes and enjoying it. Also accepting that nobody is fully holy or sinful. Neither are many of the actions of the people. Such is the nature of life and what matters is harmony, which is achieved through balance and love. My thoughts might be quit different from what the author of Siddhartha Herman Hess was attempting to deliver. Oh well, the book is like a painting which is never truly finished until it is complete by the observer in his/her soul and mind.

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.

For me, this book sincerely impacts my world view. I first read out in high school as a class assignment. It didnt speak to me at that time. Years later I picked it up off the shelf. (In all honesty, I wanted a lightweight, easy-to-carry paperback book for the waiting room at the dentists office.) I learned then lessons that I simply was not capable of understanding when I was am adolescent. Since then, I reread Siddhartha once every our so. I understand that this book does not speak to everyone, but the life-long pursuit expressed by Siddharthas spiritual and physical journey illustrate, to me, such crucial truths.

The writer was inspired by the life story of the Gautama Buddha so much that he thought he could write a more interesting story than the historical truth if he wasnt shackled to writing about a revolutionary philosopher and religeous leader. So he started writing about the Buddha and then starting writing about some made up guy instead. Problem was, the BUddha was interesting becuase he had some amazing spiritual ideas to express. Herman Hesses ideas (expressed through the voice of Fictional Religeon Guy) , not quite so revolutionary and brilliant. As such the fictional character he chose to make the book about, not so interesting.

I really liked this book. Although there are several other key characters, the book is mainly about a thoughtful young Brahman in India. He is looking for true reality. I think the thoughts and meditations of this young man were insightful and beautifully written. The book has some influences from Hinduism and Buddhism that are also interesting. If you dont like slow-moving books or character studies, this is not the book for you but I enjoyed it very much. This particular edition has quite a few typos and small mistakes. They were not bad enough that they were a large distraction or hindered my reading.

Siddhartha is a philosophical novel about one mans quest for spiritual enlightenment. The story takes place about 500 BC in India. Siddhartha, the son of a Hindu Brahmin, groomed to become a Brahmin himself, turns his back on the teachings of his father and leaves his village to search for inner peace. He renounces all worldly possessions and joins the samanas, ascetic mendicants who live in the forest. Siddhartha then meets Gotama, the Buddha, but ultimately decides to seek his own path rather than follow the Buddhas teachings. At this point Siddhartha turns his back on his thoughtful life of fasting and meditation, and begins a worldly life of lust and greed. Though the meaning of life continues to elude Siddhartha, and he finds each new lifestyle to be inadequate to answer his metaphysical questions, along the way he learns something valuable from each stage of his journey, and this accumulation of knowledge and experience advances him step by step on the path towards enlightenment. Hermann Hesse is a masterful writer who deservedly won the Nobel Prize in 1946. Many of his novels revolve around the quest for knowledge and wisdom, yet all differ greatly in their setting and tone. Siddhartha is written in deceptively simple prose. It reads almost like a fairy tale, yet Hesses economy of words masks a rich depth of philosophical insight and spiritual understanding. It is a very short novel, easy to read, and accessible to readers of all levels from junior high to PhD, though the deeper philosphical concepts may escape younger readers. Due to its brevity and the inherent ambiguity in its spiritual subject matter, this novel can be enjoyed again and again, with new discoveries made in each rereading. It provides a good introduction to the philosphy of eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism in particular, though one may also recognize in the text elements from schools of western philosophical thought like pantheism, stoicism, and cynicism (in the Greek sense of the word). But a big part of the message of the novel is that enlightenment cannot be reached by labeling movements or perusing texts. One can only find inner peace by living life, by experiencing. Wisdom can be learned but cannot be taught. For those engaged in their own quest, this book does not provide a treasure map with a big red X where lie all the answers to your metaphysical queries. Its more like one solitary signpost along a winding path, with a simple arrow pointing the way.

Very powerful and efficient prose. I will read this book over and over again to remind me of the universes balance and connections.

It is apparent why this book is so highly regarded. As we struggle all of us at the pulls of the world it is grounded in the recognition that all is valuable. A lesson the world had time to contemplate in 2020... and which may serve as a path back.

This is literature in the Mark Twain sense, a book I want to have read but dont want to read. First off, I want to mention that the translation I got was abysmal. When I first started reading I though it might be like the Spanish in For Whom the Bell Tolls, which is translated directly rather than idiomatically so you knew when they were speaking Spanish instead of English. Like How are you called? instead of Whats your name? But as I read on it was obviously not that. This wasnt someone writing in German but trying to convey the feel of Maghadi Prakrit, or whatever language would have been spoken where the story took place. No, it was someone who has a horrible grasp of English translating the original text. Badly translating, and not being edited AT ALL. Seriously, there were even points where the translators notes to the editor were left in, in German, with some words he cannot decide on the correct translation for. The left them in, in a different font and bracketed to make them obvious. The grammar was not just bad, but inconsistently so. The same sentence would be repeated in the same context and the verb tense would change. Commas would, randomly, be, placed so that they made no, sense. And the word choice was so bad that no subtlety of meaning was conveyed anywhere. In case Amazon smooshes this review in with reviews for all versions, mine was the paperback with the green cover and gold Siddhartha on top and Herman Hesse in green on a gold stripe along the bottom. If you insist on reading this book dont buy this version. As for the book itself, ignoring the fact that it was translated by someone for whom English was probably not their primary language, I thought it was awful. I always heard stories about how it changed peoples lives, changed their view of the world, and the like, so I guess I had too grand of an expectation. Im giving it three stars because, for some reason, lots of people seem to like it so Im obviously out of the mainstream. But I threw my copy in the recycle bin rather than give it to a friend, I thought it was such a stupid story. The story is very linear. It is stilted, contrived storytelling at best. Without throwing in spoilers, you have to suspend belief to understand that characters and events all happen (even decades apart) at the exact time and exact place with the exact people you know. There would be absolutely no reason for many of these coincidences, and theyre obviously just a plot device. The philosophy is similarly contrived. Its the story of the son of a priest who wanders around what I assume is Maghada (because thats where Buddha attained enlightenment) trying on different lives until he finds his own enlightenment. Hes an amazingly crappy, selfish, small minded, self centered, awful human being. He has no control over himself, even though he was supposed to have been an ascetic. He has no regard for anyone else, either. The story assumes that you have to be lustful if you engage in commerce, that you have to be evil if you are part of the material world, and that the only path to true spiritual enlightenment takes a lifetime void of any practical applications. Even after setting up all these straw men, it is still not compelling in how it tries to knock them down. Im sorry to say it, but you cant have a billion beggars and expect everyone to get fed. The people looked down upon, called children (though confusingly so as its bad in one context but childlike in the context of the Buddha is a good thing -- I think that was the horrible translation) and worse pejoratives, are the only reason those shaven headed beggars had rice in their bowls and an ex whores pleasure garden to sleep in. Those children are viewed as lesser animals because the hero of the story couldnt love himself, couldnt stop gambling, abandoned his pregnant whore girlfriend and future son, and decided to sit beside a river and row a boat for a couple of freaking decades to think. Somehow this special dude, this guy who listened to the water for 20 years before he finally thought of something came to the same conclusion that every damned stoner burnout in the parking lot of a Dead show worked out the first time the dropped a tab and listened to American Beauty at the age of 19. God is everywhere, Everything is connected, blah blah... I suppose if youre 15, or you really havent read anything too deep, and you dont know anyone from anywhere other than your tiny town, this is mind bending. If you read Jonathon Swift and though he just wrote a book about a dude who got to see giants and tiny people, Siddhartha is just about your speed. If you honestly think he wanted the Irish to eat their babies, then Siddhartha will totally wrinkle your brain. If you understand allegory, farce, or metaphor, skip this one and move on to something written for adults.