Siddhartha

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It's a hit!

Wow. An incredible application of Buddhist principles. it was like...a paradox? irony in action? Not quite sure how to describe the brilliance of t... (show more)

Wow. An incredible application of Buddhist principles. it was like...a paradox? irony in action? Not quite sure how to describe the brilliance of this little book. firstly, if you have no background knowledge of, or interest in Buddhism, then you will not appreciate the message of this book, and it's uniquely powerful delivery. If you are even reading this review, then I assume that you DO have some interest/knowledge/exposure to Buddhism; if so, what this book will do is clarify the approach of the Buddha himself, but through the eyes/life experience of someone else who has come to the same insights that Siddhartha Gautama himself did. this seems a bit abstract, but to put it in perspective using the Western model of 'spirituality' (term used very loosely), I would ask you to imagine a scenario wherein god had another son (which makes sense on many levels; i.e., how many families have only one son and no daughters? sure those that do would regard them as 'the one' true embodiment of themselves...but let's suppose that god had another son, or daughter, and that individual, graced with god's wisdom, were to encounter J.C. )How do YOU think the late JC and his brother would interact? While most christians would refuse to even acknowledge the hypothetical relevance of this scenario (based on the 'follow the herd, and question nothing' mentality of
christianity), it is nonetheless a very potent and relevant subject for speculation). This is a story of someone whom, like the Buddha, became self-aware and enlightened on their own, in their own way, for their own reasons, but came to the same conclusions as the Buddha himself. The result of their interaction is just one of many things that influenced me to escape the clutches of christianity; THANK YOU HESSE! (show less)

 

 

by Anonymous User

No, it's a flop!

I started off having a very lukewarm response to this book when I began reading it. The style is not particularly catchy or flowery, and I thought ... (show more)

I started off having a very lukewarm response to this book when I began reading it. The style is not particularly catchy or flowery, and I thought the author was getting repetitive in the use of some words, every now and then (Of course, the book was originally written in German and translated to English). However I think the book is more about concept than literature. The book is about the spiritual struggle of a Brahmin youth in India. What did I like about the work? More than one concept- for one, I resonate completely with the idea of not being able to gain knowledge and spiritual enlightenment through didactic means. I do hold reverence to the idea of a Guru, but somehow, I have never been able to convince myself that I will know the universal truths by following a certain path or learning a certain doctrine. I believe that one has to find it themselves, and there's not a single path for this; to each his own.

I also liked the idea that it is, in a lot of circumstances, necessary for one to go through different experiences in life. Often, one has to go through material life and familial bonds, pleasure and pain, virtue and sin, because there is no other way to grow wiser than through one's own experiences.

Siddhartha believes in an all-embracing love as the only source of real peace and happiness. I found his argument that if the mountains, the trees, and the river around us are Maya (illusion), then so are we, quite interesting. And he claims that that's all the more reason to resonate with everything around.

The one thing I hadn't thought about was the idea that, when one seeks, one is too passionately chasing a goal, and too lost to observe many a valuable truth that might pass right before their eyes. The message there is to observe and soak in, rather than actively seek, which to me, is a new and interesting philosophy. (show less)

 

 

by Su Mi

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  Chalk it up to the faulty memory of youth, and the 20 years since I'd cracked it open, but I'd thought that I'd remembered it as a biography of Siddhartha Guatama - the Buddha himself. Nope. Siddhartha touches on the buddhist philosophies, but the main character of the book is another Siddhartha, who follows a path remarkably similar to the original Buddha, who he meets and is called Gotama in the book. Regardless, about the search for meaning in life... taking the path like the Buddha himsel... (show more)

  Chalk it up to the faulty memory of youth, and the 20 years since I'd cracked it open, but I'd thought that I'd remembered it as a biography of Siddhartha Guatama - the Buddha himself. Nope. Siddhartha touches on the buddhist philosophies, but the main character of the book is another Siddhartha, who follows a path remarkably similar to the original Buddha, who he meets and is called Gotama in the book. Regardless, about the search for meaning in life... taking the path like the Buddha himself, through asceticism and hedonism, till finding that elusive middle way. It's lyrical writing quality is still impressive, and what I thought was most profound in the book is the most simplest of realizations, of course -

  "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. I suspected it when I was still a youth and it was this that drove me away from teachers.

  ...I can love a stone... and a tree or a piece of bark. These are things and one can love things. But one cannot love words. Therefore teachings are of no use to me; they have no hardness, no softness, nor colors, no corners, no smell, no taste - they have nothing but words... Samsara and Nirvana are only words... Nirvana is not a thing; there is only the word Nirvana.

  ...It may be a thought, but... I do not differentiate very much between thoughts and words... I do not attach great importance to thoughts either...

  ...But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect."

  The world is full of things... don't mistake your thoughts about those things for the things themselves. (show less)

   

   

  by Rob Pugh on Apr 02, 2009 at 10:34AM

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  This tells the story of a young man in the time of Buddha who seeks a personal transformation through first learning and consequently creating his own version of the journey through life.

  Before beginning this book, some part of me didn't feel like I was educated enough to understand all the underlying meanings, however the way in which the books are written (remembering that they are translated) seemed to reverberate in me somehow. It is still completely possible though that I have entirely... (show more)

  This tells the story of a young man in the time of Buddha who seeks a personal transformation through first learning and consequently creating his own version of the journey through life.

  Before beginning this book, some part of me didn't feel like I was educated enough to understand all the underlying meanings, however the way in which the books are written (remembering that they are translated) seemed to reverberate in me somehow. It is still completely possible though that I have entirely missed the point so I apologise in advance.

  The book begins with Siddhartha leaving home to join the "ascetics" with his friend Govinda. This seems to be a sort of separate civilisation where spirituality and finding truth in one's own actions and surroundings becomes the most important goal of life.

  Him and Govinda later leave to join Gotama "the illustrious one" who speaks and enlightens both of them. Siddhartha continues his journey still though, becoming certain that he cannot live his life through another's teachings.

  To continue the entire book would give it away. I found the tone and the calmness of this book amazing though, the themes running through it seemed to me to suggest the importance of independence in one's spirituality or spiritual means. That to truly understand your spirituality, you must find it yourself rather than seek it in the words of others. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Nov 11, 2009 at 10:59PM

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