Naveen Durgaraju's Blog, page 5
August 23, 2018
Book review — Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.
After dabbling in the stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, co-incidentally, my next book was also philosophical in nature. But Siddhartha is not your typical philosophy book. And while the name might make you think this is a book about Buddha, it actually is about the life of another man during the times of Buddha.
The book is essentially this man's journey of self discovery. And unlike the traditional philosophical teachings that claim to give you answers and ask you to renounce the material world, this book encourages everyone to arrive at their own answers by living through the full spectrum of human condition, both material and spiritual.
In short, this is a book that emphasizes experience over study and a spiritual way of life rather than spiritual teachings.
In the struggle, defeats, temptations, triumphs of this man through all the cycles of this samsara, we can all find a way to make sense of the material while attaining the spiritual.
My only complaint would be that this is not as practical as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is and is often limited to being a narrative of consolation to those who have lived a diverse and long life and dealt with marriage, kids and old age. Maybe once I have gone through all these phases, I'll be able to relate to this more.
Recommended for those who are interested in Buddhist ideas and are in general looking for the tale of a man's life through various phases.
August 15, 2018
Meditations
Meditations is a book not written for you.
It is a collection of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s private notes to himself to act as an anchor and guiding light in times of uncertainty and turmoil — a handy guide to life in general.
But these notes have instead become the beacon of stoic philosophy and the proper way to live for generations to come and countless leaders in these generations.
Most books on philosophy tend to be exercises in thought that do not translate well into practical applicability or usefulness in daily life. But Meditations, perhaps due to its nature (private tidbits of practical wisdom) is something I found immensely relevant to everyday life and how to lead it.
In times when our interactions and decisions are growing increasingly complex with each day and our inability to deal with emotions is a daily routine, Meditations acts as a refreshing reminder — a reminder of the fact that we do not have to be slaves to the external as long as we are the masters of the internal.
I do not want to go into the details of the philosophy or the advice of Marcus here but in a nutshell, this is what he tries to remind himself — ‘Quit whining, stick your duties and goals, do what is necessary and good and be awesome.’
In a weird way, this philosophy book is a self help book and the only self help book that I ever found useful. If you are looking for peace of mind, this might be a good place to start looking.
This is also my gateway drug to stoicism and I definitely would be reading more works on this philosophy starting with the works of Seneca, another great stoic philosopher. And this has also lead me to appreciate and understand the sort of stoic heroes in literature and other media like Roland from the Dark Tower series, Kratos from the new God of War game, Batman, Sherlock Holmes, Shadow from American Gods (the book, not the show), Spock, Yoda etc. So let me know who you favorite stoic characters are.
PS: Marcus Aurelius is the old noble king from the movie ‘Gladiator’ whom Maximus served as the General. And no, he wasn’t murdered by his son, Commodus (the Joffrey before Joffrey became popular). That was all movie magic.He died of natural causes.
