– Siddhartha (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)

"But what a path has this been! I had to pass through so much stupidity, through so much vice, through so many errors, through so much disgust and disappointments and woe, just to become a child again and to be able to start over." The book is filled with beautiful quotes, which often made me stop and think about; happiness, sadness, life, death, and they're a reminder that we're all on our own individual journeys, striving for the same thing, fulfilment. The story follows Siddhartha's (Buddha's) journey to finding enlightenment. Hesse's beautiful prose, follows Siddhartha through the trials and errors he comes up against during his journey of self-discovery. I particularly liked how this was done naturally through story telling, rather than each stage of his journey being explicitly stated through chapter titles. The only thing that I didn't totally love about the book, was that it became quite sexual in parts, which I wasn't expecting and found to be quite random. I'm no prude, but I personally don't think it added much to the overall story, and didn't need to be such a big part of his journey. Overall, however, I really enjoyed the book and Hesse's evocative writing style, as it makes you reflect on your own life. The book is also obviously written through a Western lens, given that Hesse was German-Swiss, however, it still makes for an impactful read. "...all sin already carries the divine forgiveness in itself, all small children already have the old person in themselves, all infants already have death, all dying people the eternal life." Would highly recommend this Penguin India edition as the cover art is beautiful and it's a good quality paperback (9780143456872).

This is a simply stunning and beautiful book. The story is that of Siddarthar, a Brahimn's [near holy person] son who as he approaches the age of adulthood, decides to start a journey. It's a small book and yet it is a story that is simply told and spiritually uplifting. Sometimes you can read books and they have impact for different reasons. Siddartha is a book that stays with you for quite a while because it teaches you a lot in a very short period of time. It amazes me that a story from Herman Hesse, has such talent and beauty as I've only heard of his name before mentioned in a vague but knowledgeable manner. This is well worth reading as it would seem to be one of the most important books ever written. Many thanks Mr. Hesse. xx

`Siddhartha' is one of those books that is both simple to read and yet powerful and profound at the same time. Following a young Brahmin's son as he tries to find his spiritual path in life, this book manages to weave a tale that is both captivating and enlightening. This book is so good I could read the first 30 pages alone and put the book down a happy man, the remainder is purely icing on the cake! Hesse manages to write in a deceptively simple style that belies the depth to the message he shows us and the skill behind his writing. He won the nobel prize for good reason. This may be a short book, but it is one that will stay with you long after you have read it and will bring you back to rediscover it's delights at regular intervals. Beautiful prose, beautiful message and highly recommended indeed. Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

Having read this myself several times - I purchased this for a friend. A must read if you have any interest in self-enlightenment. Beautiful and powerful story.

After being a Buddhist all my life this beautifully written book has been an eye opener, and strong influence on the onward spiritual journey for me. The author questions the essence of what it is to be a Buddhist and how to practice buddhism. Using the parallel lives of siddhartha and Gautama, Hesse questions whether following a structured path and removing one's self from mainstream society is the only way to enlightenment or like siddhartha whether to live life to its fullest in order to experience the full range of emotion and physical and sensory existence on order to appreciate and gain wisdom to reach enlightened viewpoint of the connectivity and oneness of the universe as suggested in hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Hesse has studied buddhism thoroughly in order to pose this essential question..... which has haunted me all my life. As someone born into buddhism and struggled to follow it in its proscribed form, is renouncing every day life, family, work the only path to enlightenment? or can we reach our goals as a Buddhist whilst being compelled to lead a worldly life?

It shows us that we are all at different places in our spiritual journey. It also shows that some of us have different places where we are comfortable and none of this is wrong.

A nice book that has a good message to tell, tells it and does not overstay its welcome. Though it can feel a bit preachy at times this was quite rare and I did greatly enjoy the experience overal

"Siddhartha" means "one who achieved his goals" or "every wish has been satisfied". The name of Buddha, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later after attaining enlightenment he came to be called as Gautama Buddha. The literal meaning of Buddha is one who has attained Bodhi; and bodhi is meant wisdom, so Buddha means “the enlighten one”— the knower. I had wanted to read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse for a long time. I am not very fond of spiritual literature, and even shun it many times, but still something in this book caught my attention. I had heard enough good things about this author to understand that giving Siddhartha a chance was worth it. So I started it, driven more by impulse than by something painstakingly deliberate and planned. So I bought this book in around 2018 and read the first two chapters in two weeks. This may not speak highly of the literary or spiritual content of Siddhartha, but I actually feel that I failed to advance at an adequate speed because at that time I had not "opened up" to what Hesse could tell me. However, in 2020 during the lockdown, I gave him a chance again and tried to embark on reading in a different way, perhaps more private or personal; and, as you will see, I have already finished it. And I must accept that it was an extraordinary journey, through which I traveled with the Sramana Siddhartha in his search for supreme wisdom and peace of the soul in a voyeuristic but no less authentic way. When it comes to Hesse, there is no need to talk about how well written his novel is, about the perfect approach he makes to nature, about the poetry that jumps off the pages when he talks about man and his tribulations. When it comes to Hesse all this is inherent, it is preferable, I think now, to speak of sensations. Siddhartha, speaks to us about many things, is very spiritual and deep in the sense of self, being and soul. It is a book that can be read quickly, in two days if you have time, but I think you have to take it gently, in order to understand it, at least try to understand it and I think that I had to read it often, to be able to give it meaning of words, although some are clearer than water. The many teachings that the book has is a mystery, because there are several, the philosophical sense, the venerable, cultured interior answer, depth of knowledge and knowledge. The plot is narrated from the perspective of Siddhartha, son of Brahmans (priestly caste of India), who cannot find through regulated religiosity a way to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, his desire to find the first cause of things. Therefore, he decides to leave and go his own way in search of the ultimate truth of life. In my view it is precisely the words of Hesse that make this novel such a delicacy. Its symbolism, its universality and the delicate simplicity when expressing Siddhartha's reflections, his fears and concerns, the questions inherent to the human condition. Making an interpretation of the work from its universal philosophical intentionality, I praise the quality of Hesse and I prefer what, for me, is the main message of the work; each one must trace his own path, we must be our own guide. In Siddhartha's words: “I will no longer allow Siddhartha to escape me! I will no longer occupy my thoughts and my life in the search for the Atman or with inquiries about the suffering of the world. I am not going to kill myself again and fragment myself to search for a mystery behind the ruins. I will no longer be instructed by the "Yoga-Veda", the "Atharva-Veda", the ascetics or any other doctrine. I want to learn about myself, be my own disciple, know myself and penetrate this enigma called Siddhartha " Words of Wisdom “Once you hear this phrase: you are wise when it is useless. He believed that only time and perseverance teach us.” “Premature knowledge is just a mere illusion of true knowledge that only arises in the middle of the years and the different experiences of life.” “I have needed time to learn, and I still have not managed to understand that nothing can be learned! How true!” “Words are harmful to the secret meaning of things; everything changes slightly when we express it, it seems a bit distorted, a bit silly ... " “The human does not know how to live and does not know what he lives for, he has erroneous dreams and vain goals, we despise what we should love and we love what we should hate. Little by little we move away from our humanity and meaning, but we do not get to see the ambiguous paths that we choose, we do not see the paths that society itself has implanted for us to follow.” Concluding thoughts As this story tells us, wisdom cannot be taught. Decomposing information into language may become feasible, but it is not so with experience. Wisdom is achieved through the inner being, from the outside to the inside, and it is highly personal. Similarly, Siddhartha, somewhat contradictorily, can make many ideas clear, some somewhat controversial and others revealing. It is a reading that I highly recommend, as long as it is read with an open mind. I cannot say more since this path must be traveled by oneself and discovered in private. So here you go, go ahead and let yourself go.

Incredible book about our spiritual journeys and how faith evolves over time. Beautiful cover on this edition!

After reading a few pages, you will get used to the style of the author. It seemed to me that his words contain a structure a language that is very pleasant to read. It is as if I am watching a river flowing in front of me. With recurrence, with hierarchical patterns, the patterns emerge and dissolve in the never-ending flow. You will experience a good feeling after every time you finish reading a page, there will be so much peace in your heart. There will be no rushing to finish it, no expectations, and no big twists in the story. But you will just listen to the story, like a child listening to a bedtime story. Good luck!

The book is perfect for people interested in philosophy. Also anyone on a road of self-discovery and looking of answers to the questions of life and love and inner peace should read. The narrative is slowly paced and very colorful.

I expected a high-quality, professionally set copy based on the description. Instead, I got a cheap reprint made with Calibri font, no page numbers, and awkward line breaks. Don't buy.