Siddhartha

Rating:
Summary: Quick, but reaches deep
Review: I don't think I read the novel in this translation, but am sure that does not matter overly. Hesse does write quite excellently, I am sure, but the impression left to me from this book, which I read in one morning in the summer, have sunk deeper than the words.

In some ways, it is similar to Voltaire's Candide, another story of truth being sought by a youth. The great difference is in the nature of the quest - whereas Candide is a simple child of the world, forced to mature through the cynical experiences of life, Siddhartha embraces suffering and learning in an active and uncynical attempt to find wisdom. His greatest discovery is that you cannot just "find" it.

This is a novel that can serve as a metaphor for all and everything. As a novel it is simple and beautiful; as a metaphor, it is important, as important as any other that exist in religion or spiritualism. Hesse writes openly and without prejudice - Hindus have no quarrel with Buddhists here. Here is a quick dose of fresh thought for anyone with a bit of time. I notice the trend of "little books of wisdom" is starting to wane...thank goodness - reach for something more substantial, right here.

Rating:
Summary: Nirvana in 150 pages
Review: Siddhartha is a very simple story, but powerful and enlightening. Readers who are interested in Buddhist philosophy and the life of Buddha, can learn much in this fictional tale in a couple hours.

But this is not just a work of fiction. For one thing, Siddhartha's life roughly parallels the actual Buddha's. But also, this book surely has a practical purpose, and so it seems more like a parable. What are the important things in life? How do we appreciate life? What teachings do we follow? What makes us happy? These are questions we all have (most of us, at least) at some point in time, and Siddhartha's whole life story is about finding these answers. He seeks happiness by taking on many forms, from ascetic, to merchant, to ferryman, and finally, when he stops seeking, he comes to understand what wisdom is.

The individualism in the book spoke to me strongly. Though he is seeking enlightenment, and though he seems to agree with the Buddha's teachings, Siddhartha rejects the opportunity to become a follower and learn from him. He figures that the Buddha himself arrived at enlightenment not through teachings, but through experience. And so, with the thought that wisdom is not communicable, he seeks it through his own experiences as well. And here is the real message beyond what he explains at the end. You have to seek your own way. You have to learn through experience and perhaps even suffering. And you have to contemplate and listen. In some way, you even have to reject this book itself. It isn't going to enlighten you. After you read it, you must go out into the world and enlighten yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Buddhism revealed
Review: This is an account of Buddhism by the famous German writer Hesse. Siddhartha was Brahmin's son. He practiced meditation with his friend, Govinda. He sought permission from his father to become an ascetic. One of Siddhartha's goals was to conquer the self. Siddhartha and his friend Govinda went in search of Gotama's abode. They saw the Buddha. He seemed to be smiling inwardly. Govinda elected to follow Gotama. After Siddhartha's encounter with the Buddha he ceased to be his father's son. Govinda became a monk. Siddhartha was alone.

Siddhartha found he was separated from people because he had been an ascetic. For a long time he lived the life of the world without belonging to it. With the exception of a woman, Kamala, he had no close friends. Gradually Siddhartha acquired the characteristics of ordinary people. He talked about Gotama. Finally the vice of acquisitiveness caught him. He experienced terrible and expressive anxiety during games of dice. He became hard and mean in business. He became nauseated with himself. He came to understand that passion was related to death.

Siddhartha left the garden and town and never returned. Siddhartha wished for oblivion. He sank back murmuring Om on his lips. He met Govinda, the friend of his youth, who was dressed in a yellow gown. Govinda was on a pilgrimage. Siddhartha said he was making a pilgrimage, too, notwithstanding his worldly appearance. (The wheel of appearances moves quickly.) In his youth he had learned fasting, waiting, and thinking. Too much knowledge, too many holy verses had hindered Siddhartha in the struggle with the self. He felt that he had been full of arrogance.

He resolved to go to the ferryman who had taken him to the town. He gave the man his clothes and wanted to remain there as his assistant. The ferryman invited him to his hut. A lesson to be learned from the river is that there is no such thing as time. For many years there were two ferrymen. Kamala and her son, little Siddhartha, were making a pilgrimage to the dying Gotama. Kamala collapsed at the ferry. Seeing her son, Siddhartha realized it was his son. Kamal died. She had found peace.

The boy was eleven and spoiled. Siddhartha had blind love for his son. The boy ran away. The wound of his son's departure lasted a long time. He thought yearningly and bitterly about his son. Vasudeva, the ferryman, listened to his troubles. Govinda, although a monk, was still restless in his heart. He ran into Siddhartha in his role as a ferryman who told him he was seeking too much. Siddhartha had found out that knowledge could be communicated but not wisdom. Govinda kissed Siddhartha's mask, his smiling face.

Rating:
Summary: A Modern Sutra
Review: The title character of Siddhartha is an exceptionally intelligent Brahman, the highest caste in Hindu society, with a bright future mapped out ahead of him. Nevertheless, he is plagued by a sense of hollowness that cannot be quelled by conventional success. As with the legendary story Gotama Buddha (from which Hesse no doubt draws heavily), Siddhartha embarks on a journey of self-discovery that takes him through a period of asceticism and self-denial followed by one of near hedonistic sensual indulgence. However, neither asceticism, an encounter with Buddha, nor forays into love and business can satiate Siddhartha's quest for spiritual enlightenment. He continues the search, ultimately finding peace and enlightenment by a river, under the guidence of a humble ferryman. Although the narrative of Siddhartha's life parallels the legendary Buddha's in many ways, the form and content of Siddhartha's enlightenment are unique, differing greatly from that of the Buddha. Rather than merely extrapolating from the tenets of Buddhism, Hesse provides his own unique contribution to the living tradition - his own sutra, if you will - and the result is amazing. A profoundly important and beautiful little book that will fundamentally change you worldview for the better.

"He saw all these forms and faces in a thousand relationships to each other, all helping each other, loving, hating, destroying each other and become newly born. Each one of them was mortal, a passionate, painful example of all that was transitory. Yet none of them died, they only changed, were always reborn, continually had a new face: only time stood between one face and another."

Rating:
Summary: All Is Connected
Review: Siddhartha is that most unusual of all stories -- one that follows a character throughout most of his life . . . and describes that life in terms of a spiritual journey. For those who are ready to think about what their spiritual journey can be, Siddhartha will be a revelation. For those who are not yet looking for "enlightenment," the book will seem pecular, odd, and out-of-joint. That's because Hesse was presenting a mystery story, also, for each reader to solve for herself or himself. The mystery is simply to unravel the meaning of life.

As the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha would naturally have enjoyed access to all of the finest lessons and things of life. Knowing of his natural superiority in many ways, he becomes disenchanted with teachers and his companions. In a burst of independence, he insists on being allowed to leave home to become a wandering Shramana (or Samana, depending on which translation you read). After three years or so, he tires of this as well. Near the end of that part of his life, Siddharta meets Gotama, the Buddha, and admires him greatly. But Siddharta continues to feel that teachers cannot convey the wisdom of what they know. Words are too fragile a vessel for that purpose. He sees a beautiful courtesan and asks her to teach him about love. Thus, Siddhartha begins his third quest for meaning by embracing the ordinary life that most people experience. Eventually, disgusted by this (and he does behave disgustingly), he tires of life. Then, he suddenly reconnects with the Universe, and decides to become a ferryman and learn from the river. In this fourth stage of his life, he comes to develop the wisdom to match the knowledge that direct experiences of the "good" and the "sensual" life have provided to him.

Few will find Siddhartha to be an attractive character until near the end of the book. Hesse is trying to portray his path towards balance and understanding by emphasizing Siddhartha's weaknesses and errors. But, these are mostly errors that all people fall into. Hesse wants us to see that we make too much of any given moment or event. The "all" in a timeless sense is what we should seek for.

There is a wonderful description of what a rock is near the end of the book that is well worth reading, even if you get nothing out of the rest of the story. The "mystery" of what Gotima experiences when he kisses Siddhartha's forehead will provide many interesting questions for each reader to consider.

I recommend that you both listen to this book on tape and read it. Hesse's approach to learning is for us to observe and feel. You will do more of that while listening than by simply reading. I was able to find an unabridged audio tape in our library for my listening. I encourage you to go with an unabridged tape as well. You will get more out of Siddhartha that way. I read the Hilda Rosner translation, and liked it very much.

After you finish listening to and reading the book, I suggest that you think about what you have not yet experienced that would help you get a better sense of life. If you have tried to be a secular person, you could try being a spiritual one. If you have focused on being a parent, you could focus on being a sibling. If you have focused on making money, you could pay attention to giving away your time. And so on. But in each case, give yourself more opportunities to experience and learn from nature. That is Hesse's real message here.

Ommmm

Rating:
Summary: SIddhartha; a lesson for life
Review: Just like anyone who is growing up, there are questions unanswered and paths that are unsure. Siddhartha, an Indian boy (turning man) who doesn't know just where he fits in, captures this moment in life perfectly. Along his journey he experiments with different groups to find the exact leader who can teach him what he wants to know and needs to know to reach a state of spiritual peace. After abandoning his best friend, he falls head over heals for the lady of his dreams, Kamala, who he thinks can teach him the art of love and forgets everything that he has been searching for. This part of his life brings him to a crossroad where one way, he can be with Kamala for the rest of his life, or go the other road and finish his quest for Nirvana. I don't really want to give away too much more of the plot because that is what makes this story so enjoyable, knowing that he could end up anywhere at any given time.

I personally found this book to be an outstanding read. Only Hermann Hesse could pull off writing a 150 page book that has just as much to say as one three times its size. The writing was descriptive enough to keep your attention but not too descriptive to the point where you lost interest in it entirely (like most authors tend to do). Although we might not all be of the Eastern religion on our search for Nirvana, its still has relevancy to all of our lives in the way that we inevitably become confused on where we are going and what we are doing. Just as Siddhartha did, at the end of our journeys we too will all end up where we are planned to.

Although I found this book to be interesting it may not appeal to everyone. It's really lacking in action, and could be fairly slow to anyone who needs a bit of fighting thrown into the mix to pick them up every once in a while. But it definitely makes up for that in style.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone. It's a quick and very enjoyable and soothing read. It will keep you thinking about your future as well as keep you hoping to achieve your life goals just as Siddhartha did. Absolutely not a book to read just once, I know I'll come back and enjoy it for many years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Siddhartha
Review: There are times in life when we begin to contemplate our existence and meditate upon our destinies. The book Siddhartha explores these moments that we all share in the form of one man's quest for truth, divinity, and the holy Om. We follow a young man, siddhartha, through many stages of his life: intellectualism, pleasures of the flesh, acquisitiveness, etc.

"Om is the bow, the arrow is the soul, Brahman is the arrow's goal At which one aims unflinchingly"

We are introduced to Siddhartha, when he is a young Brahmin, who appears content to anyone who looks upon him, but fights an internal struggle to attain his own sense of Nirvana. Siddhartha embarks on his journey by joining the Samana, a group of priests who deny themselves all worldly possessions and devote themselves to the quest for nirvana.

"Siddhartha had one single goal-to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow-to let the Self die."

This did not satisfy Siddhartha's need, why deny the Self pleasure? He developed a lust for a life filled with joy and complacency. Siddhartha attains this goal and yet is still not content. He resents the greed and power that overcomes him. Siddhartha finds himself itching for money; he begins playing games such as dice- a game that he originally saw folly in.

"The world had caught him; pleasure, covetousness, idleness, and finally also that vice that he had always despised and scorned as the most foolish- acquisitiveness. Property, possessions and riches had also finally trapped him. They were no longer a game and a toy; they had become a chain and a burden. Siddhartha wandered along a strange, twisted path of this last and most base declivity through the game of dice"

His journey next takes him to a river. At this river, Siddhartha nearly takes his own life. Rather than commit suicide, Siddhartha finds a home on the River, the River becomes his source of inner reflection. Siddhartha teaches himself to listen to what the river has to tell him, and in this, hears the answers that he coveted in his many years of searching. The river provides the climax to Siddhartha's contemplation of the mysteries of the universe.

"When Siddhartha listened attentively to this river, to the song of a thousand voices; when he did not bind his soul to any one particular voice and absorb it in his Self, but heard them all, the whole, the unity; then the great song of a thousand voices consisted of one word:

Om-perfection."

The book forces you to ask more questions, than it cannot, in itself, answer. What is the meaning of our existence? Is it possible for us to ever really find true joy? This book provides insight to the world of eastern mysticism. I found it an extremely profound and enlightening book that will most definitely change your way of thinking upon reading it. Hermann Hesse uses remarkable descriptions. This book will linger in your mind for a lifetime.

"From a remote part of his soul, from the past of his tired life, he heard a sound. It was one word, one syllable, which without thinking he spoke indistinctly, the ancient beginning and ending of all Brahmin prayers, the holy Om, which had the meaning of 'The Perfect One' or 'Perfection'"

Rating:
Summary: Quick and easy as you want it to be
Review: Siddhartha is a pretty light story on the surface- 140 or so pages of very descriptive prose. But I imagine that it could be dissected and analyzed in a far greater depth than most would.

Its a feel good story that covers a lot of the thoughts most of us have had about why we are really here and what we should be looking to achieve. There is no golden answer at the end, just like in life. But it succeeds in making you re-address issues you may not have thought about in a while- and does so with a really charming storyline.

Hesse's writing style is very descriptive- he is especially excellent at detailing physical environments and bringing out the beauty of landscapes. I haven't seen the movie, but I can understand why most Amazon reviewers have trashed it. Hesse does such a good job of presenting Siddhartha's world in this short book that any external interpretation might be seen as blasphemy.

You should get this book. Its cheap, short and likely to be something you'll re-read every few years. And you leave it with a smile on your face :)

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for western readers; 3 stars for easterners.
Review: Siddhartha is a very soothing tale. It is spiritually uplifting, captivating, serene, profound; even somewhat magical. The story is set in ancient India, where a young brahman called Siddhartha is troubled by questions in life. He leaves his hometown and first decides to lead a life of an ascetic (samana), then a hedonist. Ultimately, Siddhartha becomes spiritually cleansed, and gets transformed into the enlightened ferryman.
The thing I like about this book is that it does not portray India as a land of snakecharmers and expressive bollywood actors.This book is a good overview on the subtle aspects of Indian life. It tries to illustrate the actual depth of Indian thinking.
But I do have a few complaints. The author likes to insert unnecessary sexual innuendos in the novel. For example, Hesse talks about naked breasts, "climbing up the tree" (didn't get that one), and the concept of "give and take". In doing this, I think Hesse falsifies one aspect of Indian life, and definitely taints the quintessentially spiritual plot of the novel.
Don't read this book if you are looking for a guide to Hinduism or Buddhism. The author explicitly rejects Hinduism for its overbearingly ritualistic insistance, he rejects Buddhism for its missionary activities (his father and mother were peitist missionaries in India). In these bold rejections, Hesse might appear somewhat conceited. I think he is trying to create a fusion of western individualism and eastern mysticism; he lacks the proper perspective. Readers should not take this book for an authorative source on the different facets of eastern life.
Another big backdraw is Hesse's inclination to distort. For instance, in Indian mythology, Vasudeva is the father of Lord Krishna. In Siddhartha, he is the godlike ferryman-guide who "guides" Siddhartha. Then he disappears into the forest? This is a flagrant distortion of tradition. In another distortion, Govinda is Siddhartha's friend in the novel, whereas in reality, in Hindu mythology Lord Krishna is lovingly called Govinda by his devotees. To complement this trend of distortion, there is Gotama (Gautama), who is Buddha. To anyone who has studied World History, it is obvious that Siddhartha and Gotama were the same person before and after enlightenment respectively. One can only wonder why Hesse plays with the facts so much.
Nonetheless, this book is powerful due to its sheer simplicity, serenity, and sprituality. It is a great read. I will give three stars to this book if read through an eastern perspective, and five stars if read from a Western perspective.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely, Quaint Read
Review: This book reads easily, like a fairytale. It has the appropriate denouments and rising action and the reader never has to backtrack. Words are not wasted and everything flows. Great story and meaning. Only one word of caution: remember that this is written by a middle-aged German man in the 20s about India. His representatioons of Eastern religion are inaccurate, but its not enough to detract from any overall meaning from the book.