Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
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Web ID: 14500446A classic of Eastern philosophy
Siddhartha (Paperback) by Hermann Hesse Translated from German by Sherab Chödzin Kohn "Knowledge can be expressed, but not wisdom." p.110 "Was he, too, not only a seeker, still thirsting? Did he not have to slake his thirst again and again at the sacred springs - the rites, the books, the discourses of the brahmins? Why did he, blameless as he was, have to wash away his sins each day, perform purifications each day, each day again? Was atman not within him? Did the primordial spring not flow in his own heart? That was what had to be found - the primordial spring within one's self; one had to become master of that! Anything else was a vain quest, a false direction, a misunderstanding." p. 6-7 "Siddhartha had one single goal before him - to become empty, empty of thirst, empty if desire, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. To die away from himself, no longer to be 'I,' to find the peace of an empty heart, to be open to wonder within an egoless mind - that was his goal." p 12 "Then, as he recalled, he had boasted to Kamala of three things, that he had mastered three noble and invisible arts: fasting, waiting, and thinking." p. 74 In this new translation (2000) we first meet Siddhartha as a privileged brahmin’s son. Handsome, well-loved, and growing increasingly dissatisfied with the life expected of him. Unfulfilled as a brahmin, he sets out on a journey to become a shramana alongside his longtime childhood friend, Govinda. Siddhartha blends in with the world, showing the reader the beauty and intricacies of the mind, nature, and his experiences on the path to enlightenment. As he meets Gothama - The Buddha - he is disillusioned by the Buddha's teachings. Govinda become a Buddha follower, but Siddhartha must find his own path. After meeting ferryman by the name of Vasudeva, he decides he needs to go to the city where he meets the love of his live - the beautiful courtesan, Kamaswami. She demands that if he wants to be with her, he must become rich and powerful. But even in his success and sins of excesses with Kamaswami, he realizes he is not fulfilled. So he returns to the river and the ferryman Vasudeva where he achieves OM - the primordial sound of creation and the essence of the universe - by listening to the river... Narrated from the third person point of view, this is a very short novella which deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian boy. The story is very spiritual and a simple way to express how to achieve nirvana. Each one of the main characters follows a different path to achieve enlightenment - and in Siddhartha's case, many of them. I first read this in high school and have re-read it many times. Each time I find new meaning and inspiration. A true classic.
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Calming
Glad I revisited this one. Definitely gained more from reading as an adult versus being forced to for summer reading in high school.
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