Siddhartha

In the shade of a banyan tree, a grizzled ferryman sits listening to the river. Some say he's a sage. He was once a wandering shramana and, briefly, like thousands of others, he followed Gautama the Buddha, enraptured by his sermons. But this man, Siddhartha, was not a follower of any but his own soul. Born the son of a Brahman, Siddhartha was blessed in appearance, intelligence, and charisma. In order to find meaning in life, he discarded his promising future for the life of a wandering ascetic. Still, true happiness evaded him. Then a life of pleasure and titillation merely eroded away his spiritual gains until he was just like all the other "child people," dragged around by his desires. Like Hesse's other creations of struggling young men, Siddhartha has a good dose of European angst and stubborn individualism. His final epiphany challenges both the Buddhist and the Hindu ideals of enlightenment. Neither a practitioner nor a devotee, neither meditating nor reciting, Siddhartha comes to blend in with the world, resonating with the rhythms of nature, bending the reader's ear down to hear answers from the river. --Brian Bruya

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You get back far more than what you put in - Rated
I read this book in German (oh, hark at me!) but the language in it is so beautifully simple that I am sure the English translation provides an accurate rendering of the original.

I would recommend Siddhartha to everyone. The fairy-tale-like atmosphere it evokes and its simple prose make it immediately accessible, and its brevity makes it readable even for those who are not otherwise avid readers.

The message in it is deceptively simple: the way to contentment lies in a full experience and acceptance of all aspects of life, a willing resignation to the fact that things as they are is the only way they can and must be. Neither the life of the body nor that of the mind should be neglected and rejected out-of-hand; indeed Siddhartha is only able to find a permanent and stable inner peace once he has experienced all manners of excess, showing that understanding demands familiarity with what is to be understood.

I can understand why some comments refer to the book's ability to have a life-changing effect, but this was not the case with me, perhaps because I could not help keeping a distance from the message. A few aspects of the story didn't sit right with me. Siddhartha's discovery of inner peace I could well understand, for his life had been filled with all manner of varied experiences; but was the same true of Vasudeva or Gotama? How were they able to experience that same level of enlightenment without having had the variety of experience that cannot be denied of Siddhartha? There are other contentious points I would like to raise but they relate to the book's end and I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who are yet to read it!

This is a gem of a book and a real rarity considering what you get out of so few pages.

Interesting work of fiction, but not a 'religious experience'! - Rated
The thing that makes this book interesting is that it is really an intellectualisation of Buddhist and Hindu thought. However, one thing I think got lost in translation is that the essential point of Buddhism is **practice** (meditation).

In the book, Siddhartha reaches realisation only when he lets go of everything, but how do you 'let go' of everything? You can't just think it - otherwise you end up with a fake smile pretending to be enlightened while having all the same problems you had before. The thing that stops you letting go of things is your mind - so you have to work on your mind, which is where practice comes in.

Another aspect of the book that I would take issue with is that it seems to be suggesting that it is a somehow 'new' and different philosophy from Buddhism (culminating in the bizarre supporting role of the Buddha in the book). However, in reality from beginning to end every idea is found within Buddhism itself, with the ending of the book being a fictionalised account of realization. As for the fundamental 'journey', it has always been a part of Buddhism to recognise that the teachings will only get you so far.

Brilliant - Rated
Hesse describes the spiritual development of Siddartha, a holy man who finds peace by discarding all doctrines and quest for knowledge and in stead becoming 'one' with the unity of the world and eternity.

Time is not real. Life is not about right or wrong, pleasure or suffering. Everything is a unity, with which all the components, ourselves including, flow and are one. Through great parts of his life, Siddartha seeks for his Self in order to destroy it and find peace, only to discover that this is not the answer. Only when he realises that his self is also part of the great unity, does he find true peace and contentment, where happiness and suffering are one, but where love is the most important force of all.

Siddartha is like Buddha, just as holy and contented, but without the strict doctrines of religion. The story encompasses all the wonderful aspects of Buddhism, leaving the questionable ones behind (life is not all pain and suffering and desire is not all bad!). The reader is left spiritually and emotionally satisfied, no longer is search of the meaning of life.

a must read. - Rated
Of Hesse's works, this particular book stands out. A story about a boy who searches for inner-happiness, it is written in an almost biblical tone, and reveals to us a very holy, self-satisfying way of way of life. Indeed, one of the more important themes of the book is that for true happiness we have to search within ourselves. This theme can be traced throughout Hesse's ouvre, yet in Siddhartha it is shown in its most simple, and positive form.
One could say the book induces selfishness, yet I would argue this point. The river, a major focus of the book, represents the circle of life. It shows Siddhartha that life, though in constant flux, is essentially still the same, and encourages Siddhartha to become at one with that flux. Though Siddhartha had to look to himself to find happiness, its physical manifestation was exemplified in the Ferryman's dissappearance into the forest. He too ardently studied the river, but he departed, that he might embrace the whole of nature. This acceptance of nature's spectrum, this unparralled act of love for the world, tells us also that it is Siddhartha's ultimate aim.

Siddhartha a spiritual force beyond words - Rated
Reading Siddhartha was a complete joy for me. I loved his outlook, his wisdom and understanding of life. He takes you through so many emotions and gives you a deeper understanding of yourself and the world we live in. I cant praise this book enough because it comes from a different perspective on life, rather than many other spiritual books I have read in the past. It seems to speak beyond words - also Siddhartha's journey moves without judgement of all our differnet paths taken, and observes all our paths are right for us as individuals, because that is where we are at that time. Saying nobody does anything inappropriate given "their" model of the world. the last chapter "Govinda" I thought was unbelievable wisdom, saying in a few words - "truths" that so many other books dont even come close to finding. I feel the keys to life are in this last chapter and they will stay with me forever. My last words on this book is read Siddhartha and open up to wisdom beyond mere words. "Brilliant"