Siddhartha

I love historical novels, and this book is filled with details of life in India. It gives the reader an insight into a very rich culture. I must also say that I found myself pulling for the hero to find redemption with his life and the poor choices made. The book is long which is a big plus for me as I hate getting a book and becoming interested in it only to end it after 300 pages. I like the way the author takes you with him on his trip which is a real adventure not just an overnight stay

An extremely inspirational book. Truly loved how this book broke down the concept of Oneness at the end. The author’s bio at the end was just as interesting:)

A good book is when the absorber of the read sees reflection of him/herself as in the mirror as it helps to understand one’s soul better, while helping it to grow. I have experienced moments like this while reading Siddhartha. Some of the thoughts expressed here are not the thoughts from the book but rather the thoughts invoked in me by it. First, is the deep philosophical and pragmatic importance of the idea that abilities to “fast, wait and think” are crucial for our inner peace, harmony and ability of one’s soul to find it’s true calling. I am putting abilities of “fasting, waiting and thinking“ in brackets as they have both literal and much deeper and broader meaning to me. It is the idea of inner calmness and equanimity. The ability to take life as it is and to laugh at seeming misfortunes. To play with business affairs without taking them too seriously or without allowing them to rule over you. To be always able to go into a secrete place and a refuge inside oneself, where there is calmness and peace and that anyone of us has capacity to have this place inside ourselves. The peace might allow to learn the art of listening to someone to deeply understand. Listening to understand a completely unknown person, to somebody we know, and very importantly to listen to oneself. The voice of the soul is very timid and one needs to be very attentive in order to hear it’s whisper. The wheel of manifestation can turn fairly quickly but one first needs to hear whisper of the soul which expresses itself with feelings and delicate tender gentle hints. This is the art of paying close attention with quiet heart, with patience and with an open soul devote of passions, wishes, judgement and opinions. My own understanding of the integration of deep insight and wisdom is first to hear, second to understand, then to remember, next to integrate, thereafter to act out and finally to make it part of yourself. Part of it is a potent idea that wisdom can not be passed on. Knowledge can be transferred but not wisdom. Wisdom can not be expressed by words. It should be found and lived. However those who are searching it, may never find it, as their view might be limited by subject of their search. Finding instead of searching is also an art of flowing through the river of live by directing yourself toward the direction of your will however not struggling against the current but rather accepting the ride as it goes and enjoying it. Also accepting that nobody is fully holy or sinful. Neither are many of the actions of the people. Such is the nature of life and what matters is harmony, which is achieved through balance and love. My thoughts might be quit different from what the author of Siddhartha Herman Hess was attempting to deliver. Oh well, the book is like a painting which is never truly finished until it is complete by the observer in his/her soul and mind.

excelent book again and again. Can be read every 10 years or so. Recommended for all ages. My son asked me to read it again and I did.... Fantastic.

Wonderful book. Five stars, but I have to dock one star because of the way Amazon is handling the translations. If choosing the right translation matters to you, be aware that the Kindle version on Amazon is the Susan Bernofsky translation, no matter what the cover image shows or (seemingly) what the author information says on Amazon. After initially downloading a Kindle version (reasonable at 99¢) I found the translation to be awkward in places and wanted to compare others. The translator is not listed anywhere in the actual Kindle book. I determined, by searching on other websites, that I probably was reading the Susan Bernofsky translation. After doing some investigating, I decided I wanted to read the Hilda Rosner translation and looked for a Kindle version of that translation. Twice I thought Id downloaded the preferred edition--once going by the cover, which matched the Rosner paperback, and once going by the fact that Rosner was listed along with Hesse as the author. Both times the downloaded copy turned out to be the Bernofsky. Caveat emptor.

Sometimes You just want to take action After Reading a book. I know I’m Reading a great book When IT triggers me to think About My own life and to think about What new things I want to do or experience. This book Really Give me the desire to find happiness in small things. It gave me a desire to slow down a bit and look at ordenary things with childlike quriosity. I just wanted to meditate and write and become extremely happy after Reading This book. I wish I Read IT earlier.

Reading about the Buddha is refreshing like seeing life in a new way .... once you get it, you cant lose it.

Yes, the Kindle edition has some typos and translation issues, but these are the sorts of issues that are par for the course reading translated texts, you can certainly get the overall gist of the story. Its an acceptable edition. Siddhartha is beautifully written, and worth reading. Its essentially a collection of essays, each trying to explain and illustrate concepts of Buddhist thought. The first story stands alone, and is as close to perfectas literature gets. The short version of the story is that a young boy named Siddhartha is trying to learn to lead a more perfect life, and after many trials and tribulations he comes to meet a mystic by the name of Gautama. For anyone who doesnt know, Siddhartha Gautama is the full name of the Buddha. This story serves as a biography for how the young Siddhartha came to be the Buddha, while at the same time serving as a metaphor for how people of the time- or indeed you as the reader- can come to understand the Buddha and his teachings. From that description alone you should be able to see all the layers in this book, its wonderful. The book does everything right. Its a good story on its own, but its also written in the style of Buddhist literature. There is a lot of repetition, as were present in the Buddhas own words, without getting annoying. There is adventure, metaphor, allusion, and biography. Its food for thought. Anyone worried about this sounding overly religious or hokey need not worry- the stories here are just as powerful if you read them in a perfectly secular way where the Buddha was just a wise man and not any kind of deity. As someone whos advanced in Buddhist/Zen thought myself, the message of the opening chapter is absolutely perfect. This continues through the book. If you want a play-by-play for exactly what Englightenment is supposed to be, how to attain it and how to live with it, the first story is one of the best examples Ive ever read. Id almost go so far as to say that you cant read the first chapter without getting it- its just too perfect of a description of what Enlightenment is- but human beings have an amazing ability to miss the point. So this book is great prose in and of itself, read as pure fiction its lovely. As a biography of the Buddha and his travels, its light on detail but rich in imagery. As a how-to manual for meditation and better living, its similarly amazing. An all-around class act, I wish this text- in a better translation- would be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to consider themselves learn-ed.

I used to learn about Siddhartha, but this book is different. The new journal of Siddhartha is here. I like it.

This book was a chance encounter by me that I happened to read... but least did I expect a German author to bring out the essence of what a true seeker should be like hinged around the context of advaitic teachings . I really enjoyed reading through the entire book in one sitting . This book would be an apt guide to all those seekers who really want to be genuine to their pursuit of truth ! Siddhartha evolves himself all through his pursuit through that genuine urge to seek the truth and in the process sheds every possession of his through this journey as effortlessly as he sheds the latent fears in his desire to know the unknown...truly a master piece of work by Hermann