Siddhartha

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring search for the Tao
Review: The story seems simple on the surface. I believe it depicts an ambivalent attitude about Buddhism, and favors a Taoist way of harmony. Siddhartha's rejection of dogma or teaching is pure Taoism. But at the same time Hesse shows that inflation and gratifacation of the ego with pleasure, wealth, etc. is also problematic. The most memorable line is "the opposite of a truth is also true. A truth cloaked in words is only one sided." Paradox, the insistence on the present, the belief that wisdom can only be lived but not expressed in words or taught, the unity of samsara and nirvana is entirely consistent with Taoism or Zen and not Buddhism per se. Seek without seeking might be the message of the story. This is only my interpretation and might not be entirely true. Decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring search for the Tao
Review: The story seems simple on the surface. I believe it depicts an ambivalent attitude about Buddhism, and favors a Taoist way of harmony. Siddhartha's rejection of dogma or teaching is pure Taoism. But at the same time Hesse shows that inflation and gratifacation of the ego with pleasure, wealth, etc. is also problematic. The most memorable line is "the opposite of a truth is also true. A truth cloaked in words is only one sided." Paradox, the insistence on the present, the belief that wisdom can only be lived but not expressed in words or taught, the unity of samsara and nirvana is entirely consistent with Taoism or Zen and not Buddhism per se. Seek without seeking might be the message of the story. This is only my interpretation and might not be entirely true. Decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing book.
Review: This is the rarest of books--it's one of the very few you remember and reread and recommend and reread and recommend some more. It makes life seem unknowable and breathtaking, which I guess is about as much as any book can do. Thank god Hesse wrote Steppenwolfe soon after, since the beauty of Siddhartha is almost discouraging. And if you've read Siddhartha (or Steppenwolf), you HAVE to read Journey to the East. But first, READ SIDDHARTHA!!

Rating:
Summary: Amazing book.
Review: This is the rarest of books--it's one of the very few you remember and reread and recommend and reread and recommend some more. It makes life seem unknowable and breathtaking, which I guess is about as much as any book can do. Thank god Hesse wrote Steppenwolfe soon after, since the beauty of Siddhartha is almost discouraging. And if you've read Siddhartha (or Steppenwolf), you HAVE to read Journey to the East. But first, READ SIDDHARTHA!!

Rating:
Summary: Waiting, Fasting, and Thinking
Review: This is the story of a man who is spiritually reborn several times in different forms, all the with goal of discovering true enlightenment. Siddartha uses his skills of waiting, fasting, and thinking as he easily accomplishes mortal goals yet struggles for true immortality and peace.

While this book is about a spiritual jounrey, I did not find the book spiritual in itself, and if you're looking for spiritual guidance I don't think you will find it here. That was my only problem with this book -- that it sometimes took itself to be of higher spiritual value than it actually was.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Utterly wonderful. Siddarthra is a great story, nothing less. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A man's true profession !
Review: wow. Being a prolific reader, I thought I could finish this small (relatively) book in under two hours. Well, more than six years have passed since I first read it, and my thoughts keep coming back to Sidhartha and how he found his way to himself - a man's true profession. This book will require you to search within for an understanding of yourself. This was the fist book of Herman Hesse that i read and since then I have read Steppenwof, demian, and Narcissus and Goldmund. All great books that force you to seach for meanings within your life through the experiences of the characters in the book. But Sidhartha is the best of the lot. The journey by Sidhartha from his place to the river where he discovers himself is worth reading.