Siddhartha is one of the great philosophical novels.

Profoundly insightful, it is also a beautifully written story that begins as Siddhartha, son of an Indian Brahman, leaves his family and begins a lifelong journey towards Enlightenment. 

On the way he faces the entire range of human experience and emotion: he lives with ascetics, meets Gotama the Buddha, learns the art of love from Kamala the courtesan, and is transformed by the simple philosophy of the ferryman Vasudeva whose wisdom comes not from learned teachings but from observing the River. 

Siddharth meets Gautama "the Buddha" and decides not to follow his path to get enlightenment. He chooses the path of experience, his own search, not just knowledge. He doesn't want to know but feel that thing which he pursues.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a moving tale of self exploration. 

@bookbegum

“Your soul is the whole world.”

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a short classic fiction which was first published in 1922, originally in German. The book was inspired by the author’s visit to India before the first world war.

The story revolves around a brahmin’s son Siddharta who finds it difficult to accept life that doesn’t answer his questions. It’s not in him to follow rules and ablutions of esteemed brahmins without understanding the scientific reason behind it. So one day he breaks his father’s heart and leaves his home to never return, seeking enlightenment.

I dove into the book expecting it to be about Buddhism and Gautam Buddha but that’s just 5% of the story.

This is just about a man who found himself when he detached himself from worldly pleasures. He learned from nature what he could not from people. He learned from a prostitute what he couldn’t from a priest.

The book highlights the power of Om, senselessness of time, importance of being a good listener and the need to never stop learning.

I found it to be a good book, not a great one. It’s an extremely easy read for a classic but I only enjoyed the story not the philosophy but that’s just me. It’s beyond me to understand philosophy and make sense of it in real life. While I am now curious about the life of Gautam Buddha I’m not sure if I’ll be able to reason with it.

“So she thoroughly taught him that one cannot take pleasure without giving pleasure, and that every gesture, every caress, every touch, every glance, every last bit of the body has its secret, which brings happiness to the person who knows how to wake it. She taught him that after a celebration of love the lovers should not part without admiring each other, without being conquered or having conquered, so that neither is bleak or glutted or has the bad feeling of being used or misused.” 

@myinstabookclub

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a simple read, but it carries a lot of depth. I feel compelled to reread it because I know I’ve not been able to grasp all of it in my first read.

This book is about a Brahman’s son, Siddhartha, and his exploration of self-understanding. He is not the Siddhartha Gautam we know, but the story is set during the time of the Buddha. 

@readinarchives

"...---because you know that gentleness is stronger than severity, that water is stronger than rock, that love is stronger than force."

Siddartha by Hermann Hesse - A simple yet profound read 

@yashikamgowda