Siddhartha

A very good book for a person searching for meaning. The book resonated well with me and i felt that it took me along a new search during its reading. I must wait some time and read it again, and I suggest you do to.

Siddhartha remains one of the most essential books to explore. Though it is written by one of Germanys leading authors, Herman Hesse, the book takes the reader back to ancient times in the East. This is a spiritually fulfilling book that helps raise consciousness to a higher level. A MUST read for those who want to be knowledgeable. It is one of the great books of modern times. I read it in my youth, and now I have read it again in my later years. It comes to life and has so much more meaning the second time around. It is a beautiful book.

Siddhartha is a classic novel of a journey of self discovering by Hermann Hesse. Originally published in 1922, it was first published in the US in 1951, and because of its theme of self discovery, became a touchstone during the 60s. I would be a fool to try and delve in to the intricacies of the book - way beyond my ken, but the one page that stood out for me was when Siddhartha realizes that because he was so focused on searching, he neglected to do any finding. He was so wrapped up in the goal that he couldnt see what was really around him. That revelation just resonated with me more than any other. But regardless of what you take from the book, I just found it really interesting to read, with some revelation on every page. If you havent read it, give it a go. Youll know pretty quickly if its a book you will like.

This book came to me at a perfect time along my path. Using words to describe the beauty of the book is beyond me. I am grateful for finding it and hope it comes at a perfect time for all who read it

Esta historia nos lleva a la reflexión profunda de la búsqueda de la sabiduría y en ese mismo camino del sentido de la vida. Hesse plantea una interesante tesis sobre este eterno asunto a través de los ojos de un personaje inspirado en alguien real e importante para la historia como Siddhartha, el fundador del budismo y a quien referimos como el actual buda. En cuanto a sensaciones, finalizar esta historia me ha hecho sentir en un mejor estado de ánimo que al empezar y eso debo admitir se ha debido a lo profundidad con la que me he pegado a esta historia. Súper recomendable en cualquier momento. Como alguien puso por algún comentario quizá sería valioso leer esta pequeña historia en distintas etapas de la vida. Cuanto antes sea supongo que será mejor.

Awesome book for anyone looking for life meaning. Deep thoughts, beautiful words full ok knowledge, masterfully presented to the reader.

I first read Siddhartha when I had just gotten out of the military and was disillusioned by the experience of war. As I started reading the book, I felt too apart from the characters since I was living in Miami, Fl in the 1960s. The the book took me in. I loved following the path he took to a more fullfilled life. Now, fifty years later, I bought the eBook and realized after re-reading it, that the story really did change my life back then. I am an avid reader but cannot remember a book that made me feel like I was in the story as much as Siddhartha. Its on my iPhone, and when anyone asks what Im reading, I hand them the phone and let them read a couple of pages. They always say What is this book? or they smile and say quietly, Ive read this. This book should be a must read for school kids.

This book is the narrative fiction about a searchers life (Siddhartha) of a spiritual right path for himself, in ancient India, at the time of Gotama Buddha. His search has led him from being a young Brahmin (a Hindu of the highest caste traditionally assigned to the priesthood - Websters Dictionary) to becoming a samana (a wandering ascetic), to meeting the Buddha, to being the lover of a courtesan, Kamala, to becoming a rich merchant, and to ending up finally as an enlightened ferryman. The most interesting things about this book are the Hindu and Buddhist concepts interspersed throughout in not any particularly organized form. The main things are the oneness of all things, the looking into oneself, the mindful presence, love as the most important thing and the impactful Om sound which Hesse states as the perfection . If you like to think about things spiritual and are interested in Eastern thoughts, then this book is for you. Hesse has a special way of putting things and ideas subtly and deeply, as far as it can go. The following quotes are for the readers to get the drift of his narration. No, there was no teaching a truly searching person, someone who truly wanted to find, could accept. But he who had found, he could approve of any teachings, every path, every goal, there was nothing standing between him and all the other thousand any more who lived in that what is eternal, who breathed what is divine. (The Ferryman) Perhaps that youre searching far too much? That in all the searching, you dont find the time for finding? (Govinda)

I really love this book so much. The only true way for me to review Siddhartha is to write about how this beautiful book leaves me feeling. Heres what I have gleaned. When we look deeply into something, we are no longer really looking, we are experiencing. It is the experiencing that is us, not us experiencing. We are simply bearers of light bearing the light of awareness. Looking through the veil, through the thin mist of mind, we gaze upon the unseen. In that moment of blissful gaze, there lies eternity. All appearances have their source in pure awareness. At the moment of our birth, we have no mind, no concept of self. Yet we are already complete, before thought or word. We are entirely without possession. Yet everything is in us. Being without the all, we contain the all, the whole universe in us. Just as the cup is the container for water, so life flows from us and is us. Life is, in all its entirety and splendor, occupying our emptiness, filling our cup, our holy grail, and evermore filling. When mind is formed through conditioning of other minds, everyone takes and everyone gives and such is life. It is a game, but the content on which we play this game does not enter our heart because we are already the openness upon which we pretend to be. Look right now, more deeply at the world...and there you will see everything but your face. There is space where your face is. We are looking out from a clear, boundless openness, and it is because of no-face that we pretend there is one, and we create a mask to wear, and we call this mask our being, being a person (and person of course, means persona, a mask). And so we are constantly seeking our true self wearing a mask, not knowing we are already what we are seeking! When we remove the mask, when we stop the game, we see clearly again. Light fills the void. We are the river of life. We see everything stays the same, yet constantly everything is changing and renewing. Everything is flowing...as an aspect of everything else; A tree, a bird, a stone, a cloud... all flowing...all life simply experiencing itself. Enlightenment is simply the art of being. The art of pure awareness. The art of love. There is no I. No face. Only openness, where everything and nothing are one. The cup and the water, though not together, they are one. And in this openness, we are open to all life. The boundless all. The clear state of being awake. The invisible source of being. Inside you and me, there is peace and refuge. The nameless. The faceless. The perfected. It is our home we never left. Robin Craig Clark peliguin.com

What can you say about Hesse that hasnt already been said. The books exploration of one mans search for meaning and enlightenment during the period of the first buddha is truly timeless. I wish the tranlation was as strong. Misprints are frequent,sentences are missing modifiers while other sentences seem to dangle in the air. Of course this becomes a very minor distraction to the piece as a whole which is why I gave the book 4 stars. If your looking to read Siddhartha do so but beware of the translation.