Customer Reviews

Siddhartha

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Set in India, Siddhartha is subtitled an "Indic Poetic Work" and clearly it does owe much to both Buddhism and Hinduism, however the philosophy embodied in Siddhartha is both unique and quite complex, despite the lyrically beautiful simplicity of the plot.

Siddhartha is one of the names of the historical Gautama and while the life of Hesse's character resembles that of his historical counterpart to some extent, Siddhartha is by no means a fictional life of Buddha and his teachings.

Siddhartha is divided into two parts of four and eight chapters, something some have interpreted as an illustration of Buddhism's Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.

Elements of Hinduism can also be found in Siddhartha. Some critics maintain that Hesse was influenced largely by the Bhagavad Gita when he wrote the book and that his protagonist was groping his way along a path outlined in that text. Certainly the central problems of Siddhartha and the Gita are similar: how can the protagonist attain a state of happiness and serenity by means of a long and arduous path?

Hesse's protagonist, however, seeks his own personal path to fulfillment, not someone else's. It is one of trial and error and he is only subconsciously aware of its nature. Although many see Siddhartha's quest as embodying the ideals of Buddhism, Siddhartha objects to the negative aspects of Gautama's teaching. He rejects Gautama's model for himself and he rejects Buddhism; Siddhartha insists upon the right to choose his own path to fulfillment.

The primary theme of Siddhartha is the individual's difficult and lonely search for self-fulfillment. Both the means used by the hero in his quest and the nature of his fulfillment are of prime importance and reflect recurring themes that thread their way through all of Hesse's work.

Although Siddhartha listens with great respect to the words of Buddha and does not reject Buddhism as being right for others, he, himself, does not become Buddha's disciple, but decides to pursue his goal through his own effort, not by following a teacher. As in Demian, Nietzsche's influence is apparent; the reader is strongly reminded of Nietzsche's Zarathustra who exhorts his listeners not to follow him, but to excel themselves.

Siddhartha's sense of fulfillment is a mystical one and cannot be defined with precision. In this respect, it resembles the Nirvana of Buddhism. The most important aspect of Siddhartha's growing awareness, however, is an unselfish and undirected love.

The division of the world into the two opposing poles of masculine and feminine is another common theme in Hesse's writings. The Father World, or masculine, is dominated by the intellect, reason, spirit, stability and discipline; the Mother Word, or feminine, by emotion, love, fertility, birth, death, fluidity, nature and the senses.

While this symbolism is more pronounced in other works, such as Demian and The Glass Bead Game, it is also present and consistently developed in Siddhartha.

Siddhartha's position vis-a-vis the two worlds changes during the course of the novel. At times, he seems to embrace one world more than the other; at other times he unites the virtues of each.

Two symbolic elements thread their way through Siddhartha; that of the river and that of a smile. Suggestive of fluidity as well as the paradoxical union of permanence and flux, the river is an age-old symbol of eternity and spiritual communion.

A second important symbol in Siddhartha is that of the smile. The characters in the story who attain a final state of complete serenity are each characterized by a beautiful smile reflecting a peaceful and harmonious state of being.

Each of these symbols is associated with Siddhartha at key junctures in his quest.

Siddhartha is written in an extremely simple style, in keeping with the inherent simplicity of the plot, theme and general tone of the book. The syntax is uncomplicated and except for a few technical terms from Indian philosophy, the vocabulary is straightforward. Frequent use is made of leitmotifs, parallelism and repetition and, in the original German, the language is rhythmic and lyrical, reminiscent of a poetic religious text with a definite meditative quality.

Siddhartha is told by an omniscient third person narrator with frequent direct and indirect quotations of the words and thoughts of various characters, especially Siddhartha. The narrator, almost invariably, looks at things from Siddhartha's perspective, and even when other characters are discussed or quoted, it is always to shed light on Siddhartha, himself.

A mystical and lyrical book, Siddhartha is a beautiful story of a truly personal quest towards the self-fulfillment we all must strive to attain.

I'm a German teacher, and this is one of the most-loved books ever, but the translation in this particular edition is outdated and full of errors. (For example, the "sallow wood" in the first sentence is an outright mistake on the translator's part, it's really supposed to be a "forest of sal trees" - that's a kind of tree that's common in India.) There are a few more recent translations out there that are better. I like the one by Susan Bernofsky best, but there are others to pick from as well.

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.

Siddhartha is an excellent novel for the post 9/11 world. No, I'm not prescribing a "Buddhist" religion to Muslims or Christians; this is because the novel Siddhartha does not prescribe any religion or doctrine. Neither does it really tell you how to be happy or spiritually enlightened; the novel simply deals with the fact that enlightenment is subjective from person to person. What made Siddhartha enlightened in the novel, did not make Gotama, the other Buddha enlightened. But the saintly thing about the character Siddhartha, is he did not judge Gotama for his spiritual differences or try to convert others to any doctrine.

The prose in the novel is simple, yet lush, descriptive and profound, making it a short satisfying read, which should be taken in slowly, rather than rushing through where you might miss important words.

In Siddhartha, a young Brahmins son, leaves a comfortable life when early in the novel he joins the Samanas, a group of wandering ascetics, practicing self denial. In Siddartha's journey he begins to distrust doctrines because they brought knowllege, but no wisdom, no peace or enlightenment. He leaves the Samanas and began a life which many would call "sinful" until he changes his lifestyle again.

But the way Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is different than other religious books, is that the character Siddhartha has "to sin in order to live again." The fact is that everyone is a sinner. There is no way to not be a sinner, and Siddhartha has to have the "experience" of what is sin, to know what is moral and right. Many religious books simply tell you how to live, this novel doesn't. Please do not read it as an introduction to Buddhism, or something you can read and immediately achieve salvation, it's simply a work of art that shows spiritual freedom in the path one takes.

The message I received from the novel was that life is too complex to prescribe a way of salvation that works for everyone. As Hesse says, "Wisdom is not communicable" and the book doesn't communicate wisdom universally, because no one can. In this fanatical world, religions might not clash so much if they took this into consideration.

I thought I had life sussed -- I thought I was enlightened already with just a little tweeking necessary -- I secretly thought I was "evolved" and "special". I know the book is just someone's perspective but for me there were many passages that occurred like I knew them but didn't know I knew them.

When I started reading it, I was full of conflicting opinions (with me being right, of course) and it was about half way through that I started to understand the journey of the book - a journey that ended up being my own too. The last half was a greedy read for me with a wonderful sense of well-being encompassing me in the last few pages.

What I got out of it is that one of my longings has been that I can share the knowledge and wisdom I have attained over my 55 years. It is liberating to acknowledge that Who I actually am is ordinary... one of the 'child people' mentioned in the book and not the would-be guru I've set myself up to be to inform people of how wrong they are doing things. I came to that I am content with being ordinary - who I am and where I am ... and life will change like the water of the river depicted in the book .. always there (life) but never the same water and no doubt, I will change with it.

Who I am being about it is that I am setting myself free to just be me .. all that I am and all that I'm not and I know that will be a journey in itself.

I'm really glad I had the opportunity to read the book .. as you can probably tell.

I read this in college. I read it again recently and realized just how much this book had affected the way I think about my life and priorities.

Most books do not address such issues, even obliquely. Certainly, a book can be enjoyable, even sublime, without such proscriptions. But because of its lyrical relevance to the practice of living, I have found that Siddhartha has become a part of me in a way which few other books have.

Siddhartha is an inquiry into the "good life" and reifies the contours of the many paths that purport to lead there. I certainly haven't adopted the lifestyle of this book's ascetic protagonist, but I have come to see the darker side of a life lived for consumption. As with Siddhartha, I have become aware of the ability of possessions to enslave as well as liberate.

It's a lesson that I don't think I would have learned didactically, and, of course. I learned it while following the life of someone who let himself become enslaved, and I continue to learn as I find myself being similarly enslaved.

Hesse has a knack for bring a western reader, like myself, to the world of Eastern mysticism. It is a world I would otherwise have difficulty observing. Wisdom is a rare commodity and it surfaces in far flung locales. Hesse has mined distant shores for a few precious nuggets and puts them on glorious display.

This rural midwesterner is grateful for the the view.

Hesse tells the story of a young man, Siddhartha, who is set on finding enlightenment and thus happiness. Initially, Siddhartha adheres to the teachings of his father, but after years of meditation and adulation, he was unhappy. No one had shown him the way to enlightenment. Set on finding it, he embarks on a new journey, with his friend, Govinda, and joins the Samanas. After awhile, Siddhartha feels the same discontent. His teachers, the Samanas, still have not shown him the way to enlightenment, and at this point, he parts with his friend and teachers and attempts to live the life of ordinary people. Although, at first, Siddhartha learns a great deal about business and the art of lovemaking, he again becomes bored and unhappy. He is caught in Samsara, the ways of the world, and once he realizes this, he is disgusted with himself. He leaves all of his riches behind and commences a new journey.

The book is a treat to read. In addition, it has profound wisdom to impart to the reader. In a sense, a revolutionary message permeates the book; this message goes hand and hand with Siddhartha's desire to find enlightenment. Every time Siddhartha attempts to gain enlightenment by following the paths of others, he fails. At one point, he says, "No, a true seeker could not accept any teachings, not if he sincerely wished to find something." The message it sends to the reader is that one can only find enlightenment by listening to the wisdom deep within one. The teachings of others will not necessarily help one achieve true happiness because, according to Siddhartha, "wisdom is not communicable." For instance, Siddhartha believed that the illustrious Gotama, the Buddha, achieved enlightenment, while the followers of Buddha, such as Govinda, may never find it by adhering to the Buddha's teachings. Nevertheless, although Siddhartha's path was arduous, he eventually attained enlightenment by listening to himself and to the wisdom of nature.

I read "Siddhartha" when I was in my later 20's. It had a very large influence on me. Probably because it was the yin/yang opposite of my Ayn Rand influences. I have read "Siddhartha" several times since and I find myself identifying with a similar path in life. Only now, nearly 40, am I beginning to understand listening to the river as Siddhartha had done. I have also read different English translations and find that each one has a slightly altered meaning, perhaps giving me a better sense of the original writings. All of Hesse's books have astounded me, though "Magister Ludi" also titled the "Glass Bead Game" I find to be a much deeper book on the ways of the society, whereas Siddhartha is more about the search for meaning of our inner self. Magister Ludi likewise has given me an insight into the nature of our world and our place in society. "Journey to the East", a simple book of a man trying to find his right path is often in my mind as I follow what sometimes seems a lost path, only to find that it was my right path all along.

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."

Sublime and poetic. Hesse's Siddhartha is not just the Buddha of ancient India but the individual who knowingly or not sets upon the inevitable road to self realization. The destiny of man that leads him to anticipation of a larger consciousness. Siddhartha in search of the supreme knowledge follows in the footsteps of numerous spiritual masters and walks the prescribed ways of ancient scriptures. And he grows out of the shadows of the teachers and their teachings to discover his own journey. And Hesse turns to the wisdom of ordinary life and the all important book of life. From the experiences of a life lived to the fullest Siddhartha reaches the peace and calm of mind and his understanding mingles with the timeless running waters of a stream.