Goodreads | Siddhartha (Paperback) by Hermann Hesse

rating	frequency	%
5		35%
4		35%
3		21%
2		5%
1		1%

topics	replies	views	last activity
1001 Books You M...: Quick reads	55	325	10/18/2008 04:45PM
the brahmin	1	3	10/08/2008 12:23PM

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

11/02/07

I taught this book to juniors, and when I did I became frustrated with a student when I introduced it, because he let his classmates know that he'd already read it and it sucked. I'm happy to report, now that we've finished it, that his comments didn't seem to hurt the class's opinion of the book too badly. In fact, that student himself said it was pretty good and that he'd only skimmed it the last time he read it. Lousy kids.... Another student said it was his favorite book that we'd read so fa...more I taught this book to juniors, and when I did I became frustrated with a student when I introduced it, because he let his classmates know that he'd already read it and it sucked. I'm happy to report, now that we've finished it, that his comments didn't seem to hurt the class's opinion of the book too badly. In fact, that student himself said it was pretty good and that he'd only skimmed it the last time he read it. Lousy kids.... Another student said it was his favorite book that we'd read so far. And that it made him want to quit school and start living. I guess that's praise for the book...

The book is divided pretty neatly into thirds, and that's how we broke it up as a class. The first third is the main character (who is a contemporary of Siddhartha Gotama, the Buddha) as a youth; he is smart and talented and loved by all. He's a prodigy in all things intellectual and religious, but he's not satisfied, he's not happy. So he ends up pursuing a spiritual path through extreme self-deprivation. This part is easy enough for my students, as they're young themselves, and part of Siddhartha's growing up is leaving home and striking out on his own path. They're really (I hope) in much the same circumstance, starting to find a path for themselves that may be independent from their parents.

The second portion of the novel is harder. Siddhartha gives up his ascetic way of life and now indulges in all the pleasures he formerly eschewed. He learns all about sex from a courtesan, he becomes a wealthy businessman, eventually he becomes a conoisseur of fine food and wine, and a heavy gambler to boot. He loses himself in this life and eventually realizes how unhappy he is. His religious training, of course, always told him that these things were worthless, and he finds that these comforts do not, in fact, make him happy. I figured the students would find this far harder to relate to than I did, but as so often I am, I was wrong. By and large, they seemed to like this section as well as--or better than--the first. Maybe it was all the sex (not that it was even remotely graphic), even though they didn't actually know what a courtesan is. Many of them come from wealthy backgrounds, so maybe they have first-hand experience (sort of) in the ways that wealth isn't really satisfying. Or maybe they've just heard that over and over in our culture, that money doesn't buy happiness. Anyway, they seemed to like it well enough.

The third section was almost certainly a harder sell. It was hard for me to sell myself on it! But Siddhartha leaves his life of luxury, nearly commits suicide over his unhappiness, and ends up becoming a simple (or not-so-simple) ferryman on a river. This section is far more full of more-or-less eastern (a touch of curry: it's eastern-flavored, with strong hints of Nietzsche as well) thought and spirituality. It's tougher to really understand or get into, though the essence isn't that hard: you have to experience things for yourself, and real wisdom can be the result of this experience, but it's not really possible to communicate that wisdom. That's your Reader's Digest condesnsed version, which I shouldn't even give because it's necessarily a distortion. Read the book if you want to know it. Anyway, to round out my discussion of class discussion, I think the momentum from the earlier parts of the book carried us through, as they seemed to like the book as a whole and liked even the more dense third section as well....less

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Erie rated it:

(review of isbn )

05/20/08

bookshelves: classic

Read in May, 2008

Ehm.. "terintimidasi" dan "terprovokasi" oleh seorang Amang yang telah menyelesaikan buku ini (sori, sempet dilibas dulu ama Harry Potter 7, hehe). Awalnya hanya "mark as to read" saja karena sempat melihat bukunya di toko dan berharap mungkin suatu saat akan membacanya. Akan tetapi seorang Amang juga pada hari yang sama melakukan "mark as to read" pada buku ini, akhirnya berunding, tawar menawar (emangnya dagang) dan sepakat untuk membacanya bersama (bali...more Ehm.. "terintimidasi" dan "terprovokasi" oleh seorang Amang yang telah menyelesaikan buku ini (sori, sempet dilibas dulu ama Harry Potter 7, hehe). Awalnya hanya "mark as to read" saja karena sempat melihat bukunya di toko dan berharap mungkin suatu saat akan membacanya. Akan tetapi seorang Amang juga pada hari yang sama melakukan "mark as to read" pada buku ini, akhirnya berunding, tawar menawar (emangnya dagang) dan sepakat untuk membacanya bersama (balik lagi deh ke toko beli bukunya :D)

Awalnya saya mengira buku ini bercerita tentang Sang Buddha, well, I was wrong! Buku ini menceritakan tentang seorang brahmana tampan bernama Siddhartha yang kebetulan hidup satu zaman dengan Gotama, Sang Buddha. Siddhartha mengecewakan ayahnya ketika ia berkeras ingin menjelajahi dan mencari kebijaksanaan baru dan makna hidup yang hakiki. Bersama Govinda sahabatnya Siddharta pun memulai perjalanan panjangnya.
Jujur saja, saya sedikit "meremehkan" buku ini, mungkin dikarenakan saya jarang sekali membaca buku dengan tema self-discovery dan menganggap buku ini bisa dilahap dengan cepat. Saya langsung kena batunya dan mendapat kesulitan untuk memahami apa yang hendak disampaikan Hesse melalui Siddhartha kepada saya , ditambah awalnya saya sedikit "terganggu" dengan arogansi seorang Siddhartha ini.

Buku ini mulai menarik ketika seorang Siddhartha berpisah dengan Govinda yang memutuskan untuk mengikuti ajaran sang Budhha sementara Siddhartha memutuskan untuk mencari kebenaran dan pencerahan dengan berguru kepada seorang pelacur cantik, Kamala dan juga berguru kepada seorang saudagar Kamaswami hingga berguru kepada Vasudewa, seorang penarik sampan yang sederhana.

Sesuatu yang bisa saya tarik sebagai pelajaran dari perjalanan seorang Siddhartha adalah tentang sebuah kata yaitu kata "kebijaksanaan". Seseorang mungkin bisa saja mempelajari suatu ilmu apapun dari siapapun; tapi tidak untuk suatu yang bernama kebijaksanaan. Pengetahuan dapat diungkapkan, tapi tidak untuk kebijaksanaan. Kebijaksanaan seseorang akan terbentuk (mestinya) seiring dengan perjalanan/pengalaman hidup dan waktu seseorang. Kebijaksanaan adalah sesuatu hal yang harus diselami dan dialami sendiri, either you learn it the easy way or (usually) the hard way.

"No, I am telling you what I have discovered. Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it."

Dan mengenai makna pencarian itu sendiri, inilah yang dikatakan Siddhartha kepada Govinda.

"When someone is seeking," said Siddhartha, "it happens quite easily that he only sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, for in striving towards your goal, you do not see many things that are under your nose."

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Michelle rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

12/01/08

bookshelves: disappointments-sucked, found-in-house-and-decided-to-read

Read in December, 2008

Whatever. Blah blah blah Samana. Blah blah blah Kamala. Blah blah blah Samsara. Blah blah blah River. Blah blah blah Om.

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

18 comments

Jana rated it:

03/11/08

bookshelves: fiction, spirituality

Read in June, 1989

Frank and I were having a conversation the other night in which we were discussing one of our usual topics: religion / spirituality... though I guess the other favorites (art, film, food, books, money woes, professional woes, traffic rants, geography, bad weather, family woes, music, soccer, our friends and our beloved cats) were probably discussed as well... But we were both expressing our mistrust of inexperience, and how we'd never want to take "wisdom" from someone who hadn't live...more Frank and I were having a conversation the other night in which we were discussing one of our usual topics: religion / spirituality... though I guess the other favorites (art, film, food, books, money woes, professional woes, traffic rants, geography, bad weather, family woes, music, soccer, our friends and our beloved cats) were probably discussed as well... But we were both expressing our mistrust of inexperience, and how we'd never want to take "wisdom" from someone who hadn't lived a bit. Specifically, Frank was talking about years of Catholic schooling as a contrast to the gay-friendly Episcopal community we've been spending more time with of late. Anyway, he said, "As long as you have a clergy that doesn't have sex, they'll give you narratives of sexual repression."

I guess what he said is an obvious point, but it really resonated with where I am right now in my thinking and belief and also with the rereading of this book, Siddhartha. I'm pretty much a novelty seeker by nature so I don't tend to run away from experience... but more toward it. And I've often had a difficult time respecting those who shut down from experience only to tell others how to live (when they themselves are not open to life and bodies, the particular beauty or ugliness of a place or person or food... and all that other messy stuff of existence). When it comes down to it, I believe that wisdom and even holiness come through experience and not detachment, which is what I glean from this book as well. I like the below quote very much; it comes near the end of the book.

When the illustrious Buddha taught about the world, he had to divide it into Samsara and Nirvana, into illusion and truth, into suffering and salvation. One cannot do otherwise, there is no other method for those who teach. But the world itself, being in and around us, is never one-sided. Never is a man or a deed wholly Samsara or wholly Nirvana; never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner. This only seems so because we suffer the illusion that time is something real. Time is not real… And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between good and evil, is also an illusion.

Also, I'm changing my rating of this book from 4 stars to 5 as I was quite young the first time I read it (18 years ago).
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Amang "Po" rated it:

(review of isbn )

05/19/08

bookshelves: indonesian, philosophy, spirituality, world-literature

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Amang "Po" by: Jaja, Paulo Coelho
recommends it for: para pencari kebenaran sejati

"Membaca Buddha" bagian 1:

Latar belakang:
Saya, Erie dan Roos sedang sama-sama membaca Buddha dalam rangka menyambut Waisak (taela)... Ini adalah rangkaian sebuah pembacaan kolektif dan massif yang melibatkan beragam sumber mulai dari Siddhartha Hermann Hesse yang ditulis pada tahun '20-an hingga Buddha-nya Deepak Chopra yang ditulis pada tahun 2007, mulai dari yang serius ala Mencari Jejak sampai graphic novel Ozamu Tezuka. Tujuannya adalah pemahaman holistik yang lebih baik akan...more "Membaca Buddha" bagian 1:

Latar belakang:
Saya, Erie dan Roos sedang sama-sama membaca Buddha dalam rangka menyambut Waisak (taela)... Ini adalah rangkaian sebuah pembacaan kolektif dan massif yang melibatkan beragam sumber mulai dari Siddhartha Hermann Hesse yang ditulis pada tahun '20-an hingga Buddha-nya Deepak Chopra yang ditulis pada tahun 2007, mulai dari yang serius ala Mencari Jejak sampai graphic novel Ozamu Tezuka. Tujuannya adalah pemahaman holistik yang lebih baik akan sosok Siddhartha, baik sebagai manusia pencari kebijakan dan ikon agama Buddha.

Sharing:
"Berpikir, menunggu dan berpuasa" -- tiga hal yang amat baik dikuasai oleh Siddhartha mengantarkannya pada jalan pencerahan spiritual (aufklarung/enlightenment). Pada Siddhartha, pencarian kebenaran berkaitan erat dengan hubungan harmonis dengan dunia. Kebenaran yang dicari oleh Siddhartha adalah suatu pemahaman universal akan hidup. Pada awal pencariannya, Siddhartha tidak sendirian, ada Govinda temannya yang juga sama-sama ingin mencari makna kebenaran itu. Sama-sama mereka melepas status mereka sebagai putra Brahmin dan menggelandang menjadi samana selama 3 tahun. Hidup dari ketiadaan, menjalani asketisme yang anti-material, makan dari pemberian orang itupun hanya sekali sehari. Namun kebenaran tidak ada di sana. Membenci kehidupan tidak memberikan jawaban atas pencariannya itu. Lalu kita jumpai Govinda dan Siddhartha bertemu dengan Gotama, guru yang lebih dulu menemukan kebijaksanaan, dan di sana Govinda dan Siddhartha berpisah karena Siddhartha berpikir pencarian kebenaran tidak bisa dipahami dengan baik lewat mengikuti ajaran, tetapi hanya bisa dicari sendiri. Setelah itu ia mencari kebenaran pada dunia material (cinta badani dan uang) dari Kamala, seorang pelacur dan Kamaswami, seorang pedagang. Namun tetap Nirwana yang ia cari, tempat dimana kebenaran berada tidak ditemukan.

Pada akhirnya Siddhartha mampu menemukan kebenaran yang ia cari dengan upayanya sendiri dari setiap tahapan spiritual yang ia alami. Siddhartha belajar bahwa pencerahan spiritual tidak bisa dicapai melalui guru-guru dan ajaran-ajarannya, karena hal itu tidak bisa diajarkan. Pencerahan datang dari proses pencarian pencerahan itu sendiri. Adalah Vasudeva -- penarik sampan -- yang pada akhirnya mengajak Siddhartha untuk memahami hidup dengan mendengarkan suara sungai. Vasudeva tidak memberitahu apa yang akan dikatakan sungai saat Siddhartha akhirnya mendengar apa yang dikatakan sungai padanya. Sementara itu Govinda yang memilih mencari kebenaran dengan mengikuti Gotama, pada akhirnya tidak menemukan Nirwana yang ia cari.

Yang paling menarik dari novel ini adalah penggambaran Siddhartha sebagai manusia pencari kebenaran. Manusia yang bisa salah. Manusia yang bisa terjebak dalam uang. Manusia yang pada akhirnya berikhtiar dan menemukan jawaban dengan daya upayanya sendiri. Pencarian Siddhartha mewakili pencarian semua kita, jiwa-jiwa spiritual yang haus akan makna kebenaran yang sejati.

Hal kedua yang menarik datang dari konsep "Om":
Om adalah busur
anak panahnya adalah jiwa
brahman adalah sasarannya.
Seseorang harus mencapainya tanpa ragu-ragu

Om, kesempurnaan. Om adalah pintu masuk menuju pencerahan yang menunjukkan ketunggalan dan persatuan akan segala hal. Perkenalan Siddhartha dengan Om ada pada saat ia menjadi Brahmin, tetapi ia yakin tidak ada orang yang memahami dengan sungguh arti Om. Ketika Siddhartha mendengarkan sungai seperti yang diminta oleh Vasudeva, ia mendengar kata Om lebih sering dan bagaimana Om itu terlibat tidak hanya dalam dunia spiritual dan badaniah, tetapi pada akhirnya Om bermakna semua hal hadir pada saat yang bersamaan, semua kemungkinan adalah nyata, dan waktu itu sendiri tidak berarti....less

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Lauren rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

01/16/08

Read in January, 2003

Siddhartha’s choices lead him on a journey into the inner psyche. Siddhartha is open to any experiences that will give him added insight into himself. His approach to achieving enlightenment varies from one extreme to another, from total self-deprivation to complete submission of will to carnal desires. While his approach to attaining enlightenment varies throughout the different stages of his life, one thing remains constant: Siddhartha’s determination to attain self-actualization. Sidd...more Siddhartha’s choices lead him on a journey into the inner psyche. Siddhartha is open to any experiences that will give him added insight into himself. His approach to achieving enlightenment varies from one extreme to another, from total self-deprivation to complete submission of will to carnal desires. While his approach to attaining enlightenment varies throughout the different stages of his life, one thing remains constant: Siddhartha’s determination to attain self-actualization. Siddhartha compares his determination to a stone dropped in the water, “It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal. Siddhartha does nothing; he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal.” This is the epitome of Siddhartha’s disposition. His search for meaning is not impeded by any distraction. And while Siddhartha’s course of action varies at different stages of his process, his choices are not influenced by anything with which will detour him from his ultimate object. This is what sets Siddhartha apart from the rest. In his search, he attributes success to this undeviating course of action: “Most people, Kamala, are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars, which travel one defined path: no wind reaches them, they have within themselves their guide and path.” Siddhartha’s determination is depicted in every aspect of this novel. Whether it is the conviction he shows to his father in acquiring permission to join the Samanas, the boldness he demonstrates to Gotama, or the resolve he has with Kamala in obtaining worldly experiences, Siddhartha exemplifies the resoluteness necessary to search deep within the self. Yet in the end, Siddhartha discovers that it is not this disciplined seeking that will bring him enlightenment, but rather letting go of all previous learning and preconceptions. Knowledge had withheld wisdom. In the end he learns wisdom is only found within. “Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish… knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”
Siddhartha passes through many stages in his life, beginning with the learned Brahmin, the ascetic Samana, the greedy merchant, and finally the enlightened Ferryman. Was it possible for Siddhartha to reach enlightenment without passing through these many stages? I do not believe so. What enabled Siddhartha to achieve enlightenment was the fact that he never allowed himself to be conquered. His quest for self-knowledge was accomplished because he built upon the wisdom of previous choices. However difficult the next step may have seemed, Siddhartha was immovable in his search. Siddhartha offers insight into the most innate longings to the improvement of oneself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has given me greater understanding into my own personal longings of self-contemplation. I related to each of the characters, both their flaws and their strengths. Govinda exemplifies in myself my natural tendency to seek wisdom through the study of other’s experiences and the knowledge they gained. The young Siddhartha represents in me the desire to know at the expense of living and loving. The merchant represents my impatience in having what I want now. And while some of the precepts of this book are in conflict with my own personal beliefs, I believe that basic principles taught through the experiences of Siddhartha will forever alter my perception of both myself and my surroundings.
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Sirpa rated it:

05/25/08

bookshelves: inspiration-spiritual

Read in April, 1998

"The teaching which you have heard, however, is not my opinion, and its goal is not to explain the world to those who are thirsty for knowledge. Its goal is quite different; its goal is salvation from suffering." 27

The Four Noble Truths are universal teachings that I suppose it will take more than a lifetime to integrate into my beling. I love how the focus of this book changes as I mature. The purpose of a symbol, according to Hugh Nibley, is to "direct, concentrate, discipli...more

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Shakirah rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

05/10/08

Read in May, 2008

Siddharta, in my opinion is a book which can be interpreted in a myriad of ways by its reader. For me personally, it represents the search for happiness by the self. The search for the meaning of life, the purpose for one's existence. Siddharta tries to reveal that true happiness can't be found by following teachings of any teachers or scholars but one has to find for oneself, experience and taste the wonders of enlightenment by oneself. Hesse illustrative power makes you live the atmosphere an...more

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Hamed rated it:

(review of isbn )

01/12/08

bookshelves: great-translations

Read in January, 2008

ای عاشقان کیمیاگر کوئیلو به راستی این سیدارتهاست که به سلوک می رود همانگونه که هسه خود در واقع طی طریق می کرده و نه چون کوئیلو کاسب کاری

سيدارتها گمشده اي دارد جوياي كمال است . گاه تشنه تعليم و گاه گريزان از معلمان طريق و براستي در ميان اين بينهايت راه بهتريني وجود دارد . سئوا...more

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Sheila rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

12/01/08

Read in December, 2008

When I edited my high school newspaper, we produced a popular feature called “Phot-O-pinion” where we asked a question about a (sometimes) pressing topic, quoted the student or teacher and snapped their pic. For one issue, at the suggestion of my journalism teacher Mrs. Kelley, I asked teachers to name a book that changed their lives. I can’t remember all the responses, but without hesitation, one teacher told me, “Siddhartha, because it showed me a completely different perspective on ...more When I edited my high school newspaper, we produced a popular feature called “Phot-O-pinion” where we asked a question about a (sometimes) pressing topic, quoted the student or teacher and snapped their pic. For one issue, at the suggestion of my journalism teacher Mrs. Kelley, I asked teachers to name a book that changed their lives. I can’t remember all the responses, but without hesitation, one teacher told me, “Siddhartha, because it showed me a completely different perspective on life.”

A few months later, one of my favorite teachers of all time, Anita Dellaria, passed out a few books for everyone on the last day of English class. “You should read these books at least once in your life,” she said. She passed out Confessions of An English Opium-Eater by Thomas DeQuincey, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Civil War Poetry and Prose by Walt Whitman, Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read all of them just yet, but I finally got around to picking up Siddhartha and, well, it ended up changing my life. I think if I read this after my high school graduation I would have stopped after a certain page. I think if I read this on some breaks from college I would have tired of some of its overwrought philosophical pretenses. But for various reasons, now was the right time for me to read it. I don’t want to go into detail why it changed my life because the beauty of the book is that you can take what you want from it. I wouldn’t have learned anything from the book if I tell you exactly why it changed my life. I won’t be giving up every single material possession I own after reading this book, but I will be thinking differently about what really matters in life and how to deal with (and ultimately transcend/learn from) disappointment, rejection, and anything else that makes life suck sometimes.

A quote from one of my favorite passages:

“At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it. Then he suddenly saw clearly that he was leading a strange life, that he was doing many things that were only a game, that he was quite cheerful and sometimes experienced pleasure, but that real life was flowing past him and did not touch him.”

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Edstirling rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

07/15/08

Read in July, 2008

This is an easy read. The narrative lingers and can seem slow at times where it dwells on a scene's mood, but for anyone that knows nothing of buddhism, this is an excellently painless way to dive in.
I picked this book up since I'd been listening to the 1972 album, Close to the Edge, by Yes, which was inspired by this book. It's a spiritual journey very much like Candide. As Candide found peace tending his garden, Siddhartha finds happiness as a ferryman on a river. In this role he learns ...more

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Roos rated it:

(review of isbn )

05/24/08

bookshelves: novelia

Read in May, 2008

Latah...mau baca juga...secara dah selesai yang Osamu Tezuka...mungkin karena Komik kali yah...lebih gampang selesai...

Update : 25 May 2008,Kang Erie dan Kang Amang,siap-siap gulung tikar yah....

Membaca buku ini, membuat penasaran karena Sidharta disini bukan Sidharta Sang Pangeran dari Kapilavastu Putra Raja Sudhodana dan Maya Devi. Sidharta disini hanyalah anak Seorang Brahmin yang tidak diketahui asal-usulnya, dan dia mendapat pencerahan dari perjalanannya sebagai Sang Pencari ...more

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Mark rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

03/21/08

Read in March, 2008

The search for truth, salvation and meaning is always a good story to tell. Hesse's novel follows the life and times of "Siddhartha," an ambitious son of a holy man who sets out on his own thirsting for knowledge and truth. So he wonders the forest for a couple of years, meets Buddha -- of all people! -- and decides listening to religous folk isn't his bag. He gives up the knowledge and truth thing, meets up with a moneygrubbing capitalist and prostitute and learns the life of money, v...more

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Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

03/05/08

bookshelves: already-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

* My review
I picked up this book because it was thin and I thought it was going to be easy to read. I wasn’t hard to book to read at the first time because I was just reading the words and followed the story, and not understanding the deeper meanings. Second time I read it, I found it harder to read because I couldn’t understand some of the concepts for the longest time (terms like Enlightenment, Illustrated One and such). I thought it was unique how it seems like story flows ac...more

* My review
I picked up this book because it was thin and I thought it was going to be easy to read. I wasn’t hard to book to read at the first time because I was just reading the words and followed the story, and not understanding the deeper meanings. Second time I read it, I found it harder to read because I couldn’t understand some of the concepts for the longest time (terms like Enlightenment, Illustrated One and such). I thought it was unique how it seems like story flows according to the time (like the story proceeds according to the order of time), but it could be also seen as the story proceeds according to the Siddhartha’s accomplishment or realization. I saw the whole story as the Siddhartha’s beginning or motivation to accomplish the enlightenment, struggles on the way, and the final realization. I also thought it was intriguing how it shows Siddhartha accomplished his spiritual journey by himself (he found the wisdom by experiencing it himself), and not depending on anyone, because often the Christianity emphasize the importance of having the Spiritual Friend who can help each other grow spiritually. I also found it ironic how Govinda who studied under the Gotama still didn’t accomplish the enlightenment when he went for the “wise man”, while Siddhartha who studied by himself accomplished it. I thought it was kind of disappointing how Govinda realized everything by a simple act like the kiss on the forehead because compare to his previous effort, it seems so effortless.

* Summary of the book
The story starts in the ancient India. Main Character, Siddhartha, is a son of a well respected Brahmin, which is a member of spiritual and social elite. Him and his best friend, Govinda, leave their hometown because Siddhartha is sick of boring, same old life and wanted to explore more about life and wisdom. They join the group of ascetics called the Samanas. Siddhartha and Govinda have a goad of being the “Enlightened one” and Govinda is pretty satisfied with the life with the Samanas, till they meet Gotama the Buddha. They decide to follow Gotama since they realized that what they have learned so far is not the true enlightenment. However, Siddhartha is not satisfied with the teachings of Buddhism since it sounds contradicting to him. So Siddhartha leaves while Govinda stays with Gotama. Siddhartha decides to try living for the pleasure of the physical things. He meets beautiful Kamala, who encourages him to be a merchant, so he learns business skills from a big merchant named Kamaswami. He becomes a rich merchant, and a lover of Kamala, but he realizes that the material things are all meaningless and it’s killing him. He meets Govinda at the river, but Govinda doesn’t recognize him at first, and Siddhartha says he wants to be a new man. Kamala and her son, Vasudeva the ferryman, and Siddhartha go on a pilgrim to see Gotama, and Kamala dies as she reveals that Siddhartha is the father of her son. His son wants to go back to the city, but Siddhartha won’t let him go, and Siddhartha later finds that his son has ran away with all the money. Vasudeva teaches Siddhartha many things about the river and he retires making Siddhartha the ferryman. Govinda returns to see the “wise man” by the river, and he finds out that Siddhartha is him. Govinda gains the same enlightenment that Siddhartha has from kissing his forehead.

* selected quotes
-"...I also thank you, Vasudeva, for listening so well. There are few people who know how to listen and i have not met naybody who can do so like you. I will also learn from you in this respect." (105)
-"...It was my intention to learn about love from the most beautiful woman."(60)
-"...You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can - that is their secret."(73)
-"...The wheel of apperances revolves quickly, Govinda. Where is Siddhartha the Brahmin, where is Siddhartha the Samana, where is Siddhartha the richman? The transitory soon changes...(94)
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Ian rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

12/10/07

bookshelves: have-read

Read in January, 2006

recommends it for: Everyone

While this book deals with Philosophy and a soul-searching quest for answers, its really pertinent to everyone, whether they're actively searching in their lives or not.

This book, as evidenced by many other reviews, is complex in its implications, though simple in its telling. Perhaps that is what makes it unique.

Two main themes stick out in my mind from this novel, however. First, is essentially a comparison between one who claims to have found truth by pondering upon it in mediation,...more

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Katarzyna rated it:

(review of isbn 0679643362)

07/10/07

Read in January, 2003

Those colorful, scented stories, so simple, so obvious- will open your mind and heart.

I read the Polish translation and I often come back to this novel and make new notes.

As there is no longer copy right coverage (my learned firends in intellectual property!) its available online.

[http://www.online-literature.com/hesse/siddhartha/]

Its a very nice website btw.
For book online try Gutenberg Project as well:
www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Pa...

...more

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Holden rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

07/05/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in January, 2000

recommends it for: Young people on the path of self-discovery.

This book was one of two gifts (the other, "Old Man and the Sea") given to me at the age of 17. I seem to remember John handing them to me from his car window. I was moving to Florida after being kicked out of my parents' home and John gave the two books to me as a going away present.

I wasn't a reader...I couldn't sit still for it...being out with friends was more important to me at the time. Still, I felt oligated to read them, since they were gifts.

I read "Old Man and...more

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Andrew rated it:

(review of isbn 0553208845)

05/06/07

Read in March, 1996

recommends it for: Spiritual Seekers, Fans of Hard Core Depression

"Siddartha," as I recall it, was a difficult book to get through. In ninth grade, everything is difficult to get through. It's like walking around in a world where the air is made of jello. So much effort, and not enough grapes and peaches and other fruit cocktail misfits floating around to sustain you.

Hesse seeks to convince you that this is essentially the nature of life, and he does it pretty well. The book is fundamentally boring and slow, just like life, and it seems so small...more

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