Siddhartha rejects his life as a Brahman's son and goes out into the world in a quest for enlightenment, to live as an ascetic. After meeting Buddha, Siddhartha rejects the ascetic life for a more material one, the life of a merchant, learning the ways of love from a courtesan, and in time leaves that life behind as well. Will Siddhartha ever find what he is looking for?

Normally, a Nobel prize winning book wouldn't get a second look from me. I'm more into people getting pistol whipped and big monsters. I kept seeing this book on my girlfriend's bookshelf and finally decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Siddhartha is the story of one man's quest for meaning and it's a good one. Since it's a classic AND translated from German, I wasn't expecting an easy read. It was a breeze compared to what I was picturing. The first couple of paragraphs were a little rocky but I started digging it right away.

The story mirrors the life of Buddha but isn't a retelling. This Siddhartha has his own road to travel. He goes from having nothing to having everything, including a woman was eager to teach him to be the best lover she'd ever seen, back to having nothing and living as a ferryman, learning life lessons every step of the way.

While it's a novel, it's also pretty inspirational. There are nuggets of wisdom to be mined from it. My favorite is that wisdom can't be taught but it can be learned.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in Eastern Philosophy and Buddhism and those needing a little more than gun play and werewolf attacks.

Hesse's most known novel, a beautiful parable, albeit at times a little too pathetic. It's a 'Bildungsroman' also: all stages and experiences of human life are touched upon, in a quest that essentially is a self-discovery. The central message to us Westerners is counterintuitive: "searching is not finding". Of all his novels this one clearly is the one in which Hesse has most incorporated his fascination with Eastern spirituality, and by that I don't mean only Buddhism, because in the end Siddhartha more or less takes his distance from the Buddha. Hesse's message seem to be that everyone has to find his own way, not just copy a model.
Read this in German.

The simple eloquence of this book is hard to match in all of literature.

The prose is succinct without lacking grace. The story is intriguing enough. The moral is simple but profound. One cannot learn enlightenment from without, from another person, from a school of thought, or from following tradition. Each person must find a singular path, and no one ever really reaches a point at which to say, "Now I am truly enlightened."

Siddhartha explores different ways of life, such as becoming a monk and living in luxury, but neither brings him true happiness.

Wisdom does not come from books or teachers but from directly experiencing and feeling life.

So there’s a damn dirty hippie in India named Siddhartha who is supposed to be seeking spiritual enlightenment, but instead of going to a good Christian church like a normal person, he wanders around the woods for a while with some other damn dirty hippies. After he meets Buddha, he finally gets tired of being broke-ass and homeless, and he goes into town where he makes a pile of money. This is good because everyone knows that engaging in capitalism is the only proper way to go through life. As a bonus, he also meets a beautiful woman.

Then, just when he’s having a good ole time; doing business, drinking, gambling and making time with the woman, the dang fool’s hippie ideas pop up again, and he walks away from all of it. Remember that Chris Farley routine on Saturday Night Live where he’d scream that someone would end up living in a van down by the river? Well, this hippie ends up living in a hut down by the river. And that’s even worse, because at least you could play the radio in a van.

Finally, Siddartha thinks that the river is god. Or something stupid like that. It just didn’t make any sense. Give me one of them Lee Child novels any day over this hippie dippie crap. That Jack Reacher is a man’s man!

Just kidding.

Actually, this is an elegant allegory about a guy going through different phases as he pursues a lifelong quest to rid himself of his ego so that he can know true peace and enlightenment. It’s filled with incredible writing, and it’s short and smart enough to hold the attention of even a doofus like me. I’d put this in the category of books that everyone should read at least once.

من خودم عاشق این جمله ی کتاب شدم :

In the time of the Buddha another holy man in India appears, Siddhartha unremembered who sought wisdom. As the son of a Brahmin he had all the advantages in the long-distant past , including boredom nothing it seemed consequential. Rich but poor of soul his brain in constant turmoil and the need, the compulsion , the quest to find answers to the mysteries of life. A strange sadness fills him with great despair there must be something else, nothing here in his father's luxurious house satisfies, not a home though, would quench the thirst. The endless road to discovery on dismal, glum Earth, knowledge, truth...maybe if possible...Nevertheless Govinda his only friend from childhood will travel his path no matter where it leads ...probably to oblivion. Everywhere the same, misery and death for the people, the bleakness, the unloved wretches by the millions, as few are contented , they have wealth, the many live in filth just barely surviving. However reality quickly becomes apparent, most people aren't seeking Nirvana, just trying to find the next meal ," but they are all falling leaves". The two friends join the Samanas a group of ascetic destitutes, yet happy men looking for salvation, always elusive , around the other side of the hill . Gentle Govinda after both at last hear the Illustrious One Gotama speak to the thousands , chooses to follow him. Crushing the spirit of Siddhartha , still the wanderer continues he can't go back. Adventures over the years make him wealthy, he meets a quiet beautiful courtesan Kamala that has money and a merchant Kamaswami who teaches all the tricks to the trade. Naturally he will again reject prosperity it is not what he wants . But slowly too he views nature's wonders, a pretty river's forever waters not caring if the human race exists. Hermann Hesse's famous novel which influenced countless generations ...can happiness and humans be compatible, will people always try but never reach Nirvana. This book has many questions that can be asked for eternity, but never answered to the satisfaction of everyone, well worth reading.

Been wanting to read this book for a long, long time.

And yes, I did it, read it on the first day of 2022!

Well, there are many parts which are quotable and can be considered great advice and thought provoking.

Well, that's fine. I got what I needed from this classic read.

However, I m just not a big fan of either the characters, the plot or the writing style.

Well, a good start of the year nevertheless.

A true classic - has affected me differently every time I read it.

* There may be a little spoiler *

The time: an old one. The place: India.
There's this young man named Siddhartha, who is everyone's love and joy. A wise and decent man who inspires everyone around him but himself. He isn't content with his life and everything around it, spiritually speaking. He feels it was not enough. And why isn't it enough? I don't know, but it is in human nature to wonder about the essence of things, such as the existence of God, of any god. Siddhartha is in a better position, though. He is aware that a superior entity exists, he just needs to know and feel more. Those who are not sure, those people experience the worst kind of uncertainty: doubt mercilessly corrodes the body until it reaches the soul.

Siddhartha thinks that everything he has is not enough to feel satisfied, blissful. He thinks that his father and the other Brahmans already gave him all the wisdom they had. But the vessel was not full, the spirit was not content, the soul was not calm, the heart was not satisfied.
So, he leaves his family and good friend Govinda, and begins a life of contemplation, hoping to gain some spiritual enlightenment. He became a Samana. However, these guys' philosophy doesn't satisfy his heart either, therefore, he continues his quest, alone.

A river and a ferryman later, he finds a city called From living a peaceful, contemplative life to livin' la vida loca. Siddhartha meets a beautiful and intelligent woman who teaches him everything about love and... some other things. Nevertheless, after a few years, this empty lifestyle of earthly pleasures tires him, and makes him return to the river, which gave him the inspiration he was looking for.
After some time, following certain situations, he is able to listen to the river's voice accompanied by the ferryman, then Siddhartha's spiritual guide, and he finds enlightenment. He reaches the Nirvana on his own.

This is a beautiful story about a man's journey of self-discovery. A wise young man who had his ups and downs like every human being. After a time filled with pleasures and materialism, he goes back to the spiritual life he was longing for. However, that time he spent with the woman can't be considered a waste. He needed that in order to achieve something greater. Everything helped him to gain experience and thus, to return to the path he was intended to take. We often need to hit rock bottom just to get back on the right track again. If staring at an apparently talking river helps you and makes a spiritual growth possible, so be it.

Leaving aside any ironic remark, I loved Siddhartha. In my humble opinion, there is no comparison between this book and some other novel involving some alchemist. This one is really an inspiring book; it makes you wonder and rethink the things we thought were as clear as water. I read it in English and Spanish at the same time; it was like reading two different books, of course. But I can say I enjoyed Hesse's writing... if his style can be actually found in those translations. (I have to learn French, German and Italian, and then, I shall find peace.)

Metaphors, reflections, descriptions, people, feelings; they are all beautifully portrayed by Hesse. He tends to repeat words in one passage, which gives the reading experience a lovely cadence (though sometimes it's just redundancy). I don't know if that only makes sense in my head. Probably.

I like philosophical novels, and this one was no exception. I'm not sure if it's going to change my outlook on life (I haven't found any talking rivers yet) but Siddhartha was a delight to read.


Jun 23, 2013

* Also on my blog.

**Siddharta**

My love for Hesse grows with each book. I fell completely helpless while reading it, i wanted to cry, i felt lighter, i kept thinking about my life, i kept thinking about Siddharta's life. This is spiritual, honest, beautiful, balanced, unique in every way. This is a book about a boy trying to find out who he is, this is a book about sins and regrets and sacred thoughts and sacred acts of love and kindness and sacred acts of hatred. I loved this, adored this, felt along with this. I recommend this to everyone ❤️

همیشه نظرم این بوده که کتاب خوب کتابی هست که قادر باشه طرز فکر و شیوه ی نگاه کردن آدم به زندگی رو تغییر بده.حالا مهم نیست این تغییر چقدر بزرگ یا کوچیک باشه، مهم اینه که وقتی به پایان کتاب رسیدی احساس کنی چیزهای جدید و ارزشمندی به دست آوردی که قبلا" به کلی ازشون بی بهره بودی ،احساس کنی یک گام به جلو برداشتی و دیگه آدمی که دیروز بودی نیستی و تغییر کردی
سیذارتا برای من یکی از همین کتاب های با ارزش و آموزنده بود."هرمان هسه" به زیبایی در این کتاب به شما می آموزد که چگونه به زندگی نگاه کنید، چگونه به صداهای اطراف با دقت گوش فرا دهید و در این هستی بی کران در جستجوی چه باشید
داستان سیذارتا داستان پسرک برهمنی است که خانه و خانواده ی خود را در جستجوی حقیقت زندگی ترک می کند و در این راه چیزهای بسیاری به دست می آورد و میبازد اما هرگز دست از جستجو بر نمی دارد تا زمانی که به مقصود خود برسد