Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. Translated by Hilda Rosner. New York: MJF Books, 1951.
Reason read: New Year’s Day always evokes resolution talk. Meditation is big on people’s lists. Read Siddhartha as a resolution for someone out there.
How do I describe Siddhartha? In simple terms I would say it’s one man’s journey to find his identity. In the end he finds peace in listening to a river and hearing his heart. In listening, he learns. In hearing, he loves. There is a great deal that happens in between, of course. The proudest and more profound moment was when Siddhartha recognized the pain he currently experiences as the exact same pain he inflicted on his father so long ago. What goes around comes around, as they say.
Quotes to quote, “Had he ever lost his heart to anyone so completely, had he ever loved anybody so much, so blindly, so painfully, so hopelessly and yet so happily” (p 99), and “It seems to me, that love is the most important thing in the world’ (p 104).
Author fact: Hermann Hesse was a German-born Swiss poet and painter in addition to being a novelist.
Book trivia: This is short enough to read several times over. Do, because it will surprise you every time.
Nancy said: Pearl said :no list of books on Buddhism, however short, would be complete without recommending Hermann Hesse’s deceptively simple novel” (Book Lust p 255-256).
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Zen Buddhism and Meditation” (p 256).
~*LunaSea*~ 