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Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse: A Journey to Enlightenment and Self-Discovery
Embark on a transformative quest for enlightenment with Siddhartha as Hermann Hesse crafts a timeless tale of self-discovery.Siddhartha by Hermann Embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and enlightenment with the bestseller book "Siddhartha" by the revered author Hermann Hesse. In this timeless novel, readers follow the titular character, Siddhartha, as he navigates a path of spiritual exploration and seeks to uncover the ultimate truths of existence.
Hesse's evocative prose and exploration of Eastern philosophy and spirituality offer readers a transformative narrative that resonates with themes of identity, enlightenment, and the quest for inner peace. "Siddhartha" stands as a testament to the human desire to understand the nature of life and the soul's journey towards self-realization.
Hermann Hesse, a Nobel Prize-winning author and philosopher, penned "Siddhartha" to explore the spiritual and philosophical journey of an individual seeking enlightenment. His ability to weave introspective narratives and engage with profound themes has earned him a place among the most influential literary figures.
Embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and enlightenment with the timeless classic "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. This bestseller transcends the boundaries of time, guiding readers through the spiritual odyssey of Siddhartha, a young man on a quest for meaning and purpose.
Set against the backdrop of ancient India, join Siddhartha as he navigates the river of life, seeking wisdom and transcending the material world. Hesse's poetic prose and philosophical insights create a narrative that resonates with the universal search for identity and enlightenment.As you delve into the pages of this literary masterpiece, experience the transformative power of self-discovery and the profound lessons Siddhartha learns on his journey. Hesse's exploration of Eastern philosophy and spirituality captivates the mind and nourishes the soul.
But here's the contemplative Can Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment inspire your own journey of self-discovery? Is there a universal wisdom in the pages of this bestseller that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries?In a narrative that unfolds like a sacred parable, "Siddhartha" invites readers to reflect on their own paths and the pursuit of a meaningful existence. The book becomes a mirror, encouraging introspection and a deeper connection with the profound truths of life.
So, are you ready to embark on a quest for self-discovery and enlightenment? "Siddhartha" is not just a bestseller; it's a guide to understanding the mysteries of existence and finding your own path to fulfillment.Take the first step. Immerse yourself in the profound teachings of "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Let the
Hesse's evocative prose and exploration of Eastern philosophy and spirituality offer readers a transformative narrative that resonates with themes of identity, enlightenment, and the quest for inner peace. "Siddhartha" stands as a testament to the human desire to understand the nature of life and the soul's journey towards self-realization.
Hermann Hesse, a Nobel Prize-winning author and philosopher, penned "Siddhartha" to explore the spiritual and philosophical journey of an individual seeking enlightenment. His ability to weave introspective narratives and engage with profound themes has earned him a place among the most influential literary figures.
Embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and enlightenment with the timeless classic "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. This bestseller transcends the boundaries of time, guiding readers through the spiritual odyssey of Siddhartha, a young man on a quest for meaning and purpose.
Set against the backdrop of ancient India, join Siddhartha as he navigates the river of life, seeking wisdom and transcending the material world. Hesse's poetic prose and philosophical insights create a narrative that resonates with the universal search for identity and enlightenment.As you delve into the pages of this literary masterpiece, experience the transformative power of self-discovery and the profound lessons Siddhartha learns on his journey. Hesse's exploration of Eastern philosophy and spirituality captivates the mind and nourishes the soul.
But here's the contemplative Can Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment inspire your own journey of self-discovery? Is there a universal wisdom in the pages of this bestseller that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries?In a narrative that unfolds like a sacred parable, "Siddhartha" invites readers to reflect on their own paths and the pursuit of a meaningful existence. The book becomes a mirror, encouraging introspection and a deeper connection with the profound truths of life.
So, are you ready to embark on a quest for self-discovery and enlightenment? "Siddhartha" is not just a bestseller; it's a guide to understanding the mysteries of existence and finding your own path to fulfillment.Take the first step. Immerse yourself in the profound teachings of "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Let the
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 8, 2026
I added this book to my reading list because it was one of those recommended in “The Literature book”. But I’ve taken the cheat’s way out and read it in the Blinkist summary version. As a consequence, I’m sure that I have missed a lot of the nuances. But on the positive side I’ve actually been able to get the gist of the story....and I’d heard a lot about the book. I must confess that I’d confused it with an actual life of the Buddha...because it sounds very similar. And I’m still a bit confused. Maybe I need to do a bit more research. [Well I've done a bit more research and, sure enough, It's not really about Buddha but more about Herman Hesse's quest for enlightenment. But there are very clear parallels or overlaps with the Buddha's life story. Ultimately, Hesse rejects the Buddhist doctrines with the idea that one has to find your own way....not absorb it from a teacher. This has been attributed to German Romanticism].
Did I like it? Well no. I’m always slightly puzzled by “sages” who seek enlightenment yet willy nilly abandon any responsibilities ...in Siddhartha’s case to family, to lover, to son....in order to seek wisdom/enlightment. They seldom seem to show regrets...their enlightenment obviously doesn’t extend to the people they have left by the wayside or destroyed. I just find it strange....and it doesn’t seem like true enlightenment to me.
There is also the lingering question in my mind about whether there IS any true enlightenment to find. What if there is not. Why should there be any more meaning in life than there is meaning in magnetic attraction, or in the colour blue, or in oxygen, or in a rock. I think it’s ok to ask what causes these things...how did they come into being and how do they persist, interact or decay. But “meaning”? Really!!
And so Siddhartha found his meaning in the river....”ever flowing but always the same”. Well even that seems an oversimplification. Surely the river responds to snowmelt, to floods to drought to monsoons etc., to cyclones, and is not always the same. And over geologic time it eats its way through mountains etc. So not the same. The Todd River in Alice springs, Australia is normally dry...so they hold a "spoof" regatta each year where people run along the river bed with boat replicas. But once every few years the river floods and it lasts for a few weeks. So certainly the Todd River is not always the same. Therefore Hesse's metaphor doesn’t work. Likewise, to argue that Siddhartha (or anyone) is the same through all the stages of life even though they may change physically etc., seems contradicted by dementia in old age, by drugs at any age, and by the ravages of diseases that affect the brain.
So a nice story....seemingly modelled on the life of the Buddha himself......but I think the philosophy emerging from it is shaky at best. Poetic certainly....but demonstrably inadequate and probably wrong. I give the book 4 stars because I found it interesting ...somewhat challenging and a good story line.
I’ve extracted some passages below to try and help me remember the main story and arguments throughout . I’ve tended to ignore the various sections labelled “Analysis” because to a large extent they simply repeat the actual text and arguments of the book. But also, because a critic’s analysis is not MY analysis ...and I like to think about things for myself. I think the critics here are far too accepting and sympathetic to Hesse’s line of thought.
“The beautiful son of a respected brahman, Siddhartha grew up beloved by all.....His best friend Govinda grew alongside Siddhartha in these beautiful surroundings, admiring his friend immensely....Yet Siddhartha felt none of this admiration for himself. The daily rituals of prayers and offerings to the gods felt hollow....His reading of the sacred texts felt similarly dull.
But a group of Samanas, wandering ascetics, passed through his village one day. Encouraged by what he saw, Siddhartha and Govinda leave to join the wandering Samanas.
Siddhartha and Govinda meditate until they transcend the physical, annihilate their hunger and fatigue, and even experience death.....But with his eyes always open....These holy men,
are no closer to wisdom. He confides in Govinda his desire to leave this path, finding it, too, empty.
Then, news of another teacher, an enlightened one, reaches the two friends in the forest. Once again they leave everything behind to seek wisdom from this new source...Govinda and Siddhartha set off to find the new teacher....Already resolved that any teaching that can be spoken cannot be a real teaching, Siddhartha listens with a heart unmoved by Gotama’s words.
But Govinda is enrapt...Leaving his friend....Siddhartha seeks out the Buddha to bid the holy man farewell instead......Walking away, Siddhartha experiences his first awakening....His error was thinking that the voice of the divine was somehow hindered by the body when all of nature around him sang and declared that Atman, the spark of the divine, was everywhere.
Encountering an old ferryman by the river, Siddhartha tells him of his plan to go to the city and embrace life.....Slowly, Siddhartha builds a city life apprenticed to a successful merchant and lover to the charming Kamala.....But his indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh, in wine and gambling and fine living, begin to erode his character.....Thus the author, too, has drawn the limits of worldly success or romantic love to bring meaning and value to life. In Siddhartha’s struggle to find peace on his own terms, he has embraced many paths, played many parts, won and lost in business and at the gambling table, and watched his soul grow heavy and weak in the process.
Siddhartha is disgusted with himself. Once again, he flees this comfortable life with no more than the clothes on his back.[ Hmm...what happened to his beautiful lover....simply abandoned?].....He finds himself once again at the river he’d crossed with the humble ferryman decades ago....As it did decades before, the river filled Siddhartha’s senses. Long ago, it was with awakening. This time, with the echo of his despair.
Finally, when he could hear all the voices the river contained at once, he heard in it the primal sound that began the universe–the sacred om......He awakens to a familiar face watching over him. Govinda, not recognizing his former friend, watches over him.
Siddhartha wishes Govinda a peaceful journey.......Soon after, he again encounters the ferryman.......Giving the ferryman his fine clothes in exchange for a ride, Siddhartha begins his new journey. This time to live in the simple surroundings of the ferryman’s hut, listening to the river, and ferrying people across.
This river is teacher, friend, and confidant. Slowly, Siddhartha’s silence lets the river fill him more and more, and his soul begins to understand the wisdom in it.....And finally, Siddhartha was ready to listen.......This time it is Siddhartha that wishes Govinda a good journey onward, while he remains. The recurring cycles of separation and reunion play a crucial role in Siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment, as will be evident in the concluding chapters.
In that simple hut along the river, Siddhartha begins to find peace.
The river, ever-changing, is always the same. Just like the pampered boy, the Samana, the wealthy merchant, and the simple ferryman are all Siddhartha, too. And every incarnation of Siddhartha, every future of Siddhartha, they were all present like the river–ever flowing, yet ever the same.
Kamala, his former lover,....find their way to the ferryman’s hut before she dies [how was she surviving in the meantime....there seems to be no responsibility taken here]. He bids a fond farewell to Kamala and brings her peace in her passing.
Now reconnected with his own pampered Brahmin child, Siddhartha struggles to parent his defiant boy......In letting him go, Siddhartha breaks the cycle. In releasing this final struggle, he finds peace with his past. Sensing that Siddhartha is now ready, his humble ferryman departs, too. He had patiently waited for Siddhartha’s final awakening before dying....Now alone again at the river, the elderly monk Govinda once again wanders past Siddhartha, once again not recognizing his old friend.
Govinda asks Siddhartha for his teaching. Humbly, Siddhartha explains that he has learned from the river. That time is the illusion, not the world. And that all things in nature and the world have wisdom to impart, and have value. That all things resound with the sacred om.
Govinda nonetheless stoops to kiss his friend in thanks. In this moment, Govinda sees all the past incarnations of Siddhartha,
Feeling this awareness pierce his heart like an arrow, he saw in his friend’s face the exalted one, the Buddha. In it, every revelation he had sought, every teaching he had ever heard. With this revelation, Govinda wept.
It is in his shining smile that Siddhartha finally reveals himself to his friend as an enlightened one. For Govinda, seeing this in the face he loved most dearly in all the world, the experience brings him the enlightenment he has so longed for, in a poetic moment of closure, and joy.
This poetic narrative subtly critiques contemporary Western religion and capitalism, highlighting the emptiness of life spent chasing externalities. However, it suggests that through patience, compassion, and courage, all things, even enlightenment, are attainable.”
Did I like it? Well no. I’m always slightly puzzled by “sages” who seek enlightenment yet willy nilly abandon any responsibilities ...in Siddhartha’s case to family, to lover, to son....in order to seek wisdom/enlightment. They seldom seem to show regrets...their enlightenment obviously doesn’t extend to the people they have left by the wayside or destroyed. I just find it strange....and it doesn’t seem like true enlightenment to me.
There is also the lingering question in my mind about whether there IS any true enlightenment to find. What if there is not. Why should there be any more meaning in life than there is meaning in magnetic attraction, or in the colour blue, or in oxygen, or in a rock. I think it’s ok to ask what causes these things...how did they come into being and how do they persist, interact or decay. But “meaning”? Really!!
And so Siddhartha found his meaning in the river....”ever flowing but always the same”. Well even that seems an oversimplification. Surely the river responds to snowmelt, to floods to drought to monsoons etc., to cyclones, and is not always the same. And over geologic time it eats its way through mountains etc. So not the same. The Todd River in Alice springs, Australia is normally dry...so they hold a "spoof" regatta each year where people run along the river bed with boat replicas. But once every few years the river floods and it lasts for a few weeks. So certainly the Todd River is not always the same. Therefore Hesse's metaphor doesn’t work. Likewise, to argue that Siddhartha (or anyone) is the same through all the stages of life even though they may change physically etc., seems contradicted by dementia in old age, by drugs at any age, and by the ravages of diseases that affect the brain.
So a nice story....seemingly modelled on the life of the Buddha himself......but I think the philosophy emerging from it is shaky at best. Poetic certainly....but demonstrably inadequate and probably wrong. I give the book 4 stars because I found it interesting ...somewhat challenging and a good story line.
I’ve extracted some passages below to try and help me remember the main story and arguments throughout . I’ve tended to ignore the various sections labelled “Analysis” because to a large extent they simply repeat the actual text and arguments of the book. But also, because a critic’s analysis is not MY analysis ...and I like to think about things for myself. I think the critics here are far too accepting and sympathetic to Hesse’s line of thought.
“The beautiful son of a respected brahman, Siddhartha grew up beloved by all.....His best friend Govinda grew alongside Siddhartha in these beautiful surroundings, admiring his friend immensely....Yet Siddhartha felt none of this admiration for himself. The daily rituals of prayers and offerings to the gods felt hollow....His reading of the sacred texts felt similarly dull.
But a group of Samanas, wandering ascetics, passed through his village one day. Encouraged by what he saw, Siddhartha and Govinda leave to join the wandering Samanas.
Siddhartha and Govinda meditate until they transcend the physical, annihilate their hunger and fatigue, and even experience death.....But with his eyes always open....These holy men,
are no closer to wisdom. He confides in Govinda his desire to leave this path, finding it, too, empty.
Then, news of another teacher, an enlightened one, reaches the two friends in the forest. Once again they leave everything behind to seek wisdom from this new source...Govinda and Siddhartha set off to find the new teacher....Already resolved that any teaching that can be spoken cannot be a real teaching, Siddhartha listens with a heart unmoved by Gotama’s words.
But Govinda is enrapt...Leaving his friend....Siddhartha seeks out the Buddha to bid the holy man farewell instead......Walking away, Siddhartha experiences his first awakening....His error was thinking that the voice of the divine was somehow hindered by the body when all of nature around him sang and declared that Atman, the spark of the divine, was everywhere.
Encountering an old ferryman by the river, Siddhartha tells him of his plan to go to the city and embrace life.....Slowly, Siddhartha builds a city life apprenticed to a successful merchant and lover to the charming Kamala.....But his indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh, in wine and gambling and fine living, begin to erode his character.....Thus the author, too, has drawn the limits of worldly success or romantic love to bring meaning and value to life. In Siddhartha’s struggle to find peace on his own terms, he has embraced many paths, played many parts, won and lost in business and at the gambling table, and watched his soul grow heavy and weak in the process.
Siddhartha is disgusted with himself. Once again, he flees this comfortable life with no more than the clothes on his back.[ Hmm...what happened to his beautiful lover....simply abandoned?].....He finds himself once again at the river he’d crossed with the humble ferryman decades ago....As it did decades before, the river filled Siddhartha’s senses. Long ago, it was with awakening. This time, with the echo of his despair.
Finally, when he could hear all the voices the river contained at once, he heard in it the primal sound that began the universe–the sacred om......He awakens to a familiar face watching over him. Govinda, not recognizing his former friend, watches over him.
Siddhartha wishes Govinda a peaceful journey.......Soon after, he again encounters the ferryman.......Giving the ferryman his fine clothes in exchange for a ride, Siddhartha begins his new journey. This time to live in the simple surroundings of the ferryman’s hut, listening to the river, and ferrying people across.
This river is teacher, friend, and confidant. Slowly, Siddhartha’s silence lets the river fill him more and more, and his soul begins to understand the wisdom in it.....And finally, Siddhartha was ready to listen.......This time it is Siddhartha that wishes Govinda a good journey onward, while he remains. The recurring cycles of separation and reunion play a crucial role in Siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment, as will be evident in the concluding chapters.
In that simple hut along the river, Siddhartha begins to find peace.
The river, ever-changing, is always the same. Just like the pampered boy, the Samana, the wealthy merchant, and the simple ferryman are all Siddhartha, too. And every incarnation of Siddhartha, every future of Siddhartha, they were all present like the river–ever flowing, yet ever the same.
Kamala, his former lover,....find their way to the ferryman’s hut before she dies [how was she surviving in the meantime....there seems to be no responsibility taken here]. He bids a fond farewell to Kamala and brings her peace in her passing.
Now reconnected with his own pampered Brahmin child, Siddhartha struggles to parent his defiant boy......In letting him go, Siddhartha breaks the cycle. In releasing this final struggle, he finds peace with his past. Sensing that Siddhartha is now ready, his humble ferryman departs, too. He had patiently waited for Siddhartha’s final awakening before dying....Now alone again at the river, the elderly monk Govinda once again wanders past Siddhartha, once again not recognizing his old friend.
Govinda asks Siddhartha for his teaching. Humbly, Siddhartha explains that he has learned from the river. That time is the illusion, not the world. And that all things in nature and the world have wisdom to impart, and have value. That all things resound with the sacred om.
Govinda nonetheless stoops to kiss his friend in thanks. In this moment, Govinda sees all the past incarnations of Siddhartha,
Feeling this awareness pierce his heart like an arrow, he saw in his friend’s face the exalted one, the Buddha. In it, every revelation he had sought, every teaching he had ever heard. With this revelation, Govinda wept.
It is in his shining smile that Siddhartha finally reveals himself to his friend as an enlightened one. For Govinda, seeing this in the face he loved most dearly in all the world, the experience brings him the enlightenment he has so longed for, in a poetic moment of closure, and joy.
This poetic narrative subtly critiques contemporary Western religion and capitalism, highlighting the emptiness of life spent chasing externalities. However, it suggests that through patience, compassion, and courage, all things, even enlightenment, are attainable.”
July 12, 2025
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, divine author of Glasperlenspiel aka The Glass Beads Game – my note on this is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/...
10 out of 10
“Time. Time. What is time? Swiss manufacture it, French hoard it, Italians squander it, Americans say it is money. Hindus say it does not exist. Know what I say? I say time is a crook.” This is attributed to Truman Capote and it came to my mind because of the Hindu say it does not exist part, which appears in this magnum opus
It is interesting to find that Herman Hesse has three books on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, the aforementioned Glasperlenspiel, Steppenwolf https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/... and Narziss and Goldmund, but not Siddhartha, which seems to be the best known work of his
Indeed, I plan to read Narciss and Goldmund again, for I remember it was such a delight when taken the first time, I was about twenty-five – so we are talking about some 35 years ago – and could not leave the book, I even took it at the sauna, and that was in Austria, if I remember well, and there were naked women within
That is the way over there, here there are men who protest if the males do not have something on at the…sauna, few, admittedly, but still, it shows such a difference of attitude, albeit I have read in The Economist that nudity on the beaches and elsewhere is losing its appeal, in what were once bastions with nude beaches
Narciss and Goldmund https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/... has some aspects that we find in Siddhartha, most importantly, the friendship between men, mainly Siddhartha and Govinda, but we should also include Vasudeva, although the latter is seen as a saint, ultimately
‘The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language: siddha (achieved) + artha (what was searched for), which together means "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals" which is very interesting, and I see two features here, one, how he talked about seeking
Govinda was a seeker, but Gotama tells him that he may be too fervent, obsessed with this seeking, and that reminds me of Harvard Professor Tal Ben Shahar https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/... who spoke in his positive psychology lectures, the most popular in the history of Harvard about the road
The rat race is the trap on which we climb, we learn in school because we want good grades, then for exams, which are for admittance in a good university, which is for a good job, in which we work for promotions, but without enjoying it, and thus missing the point, seeking an illusion aka maya the world with its distractions
We have to enjoy the journey, positive psychology demonstrates and Siddhartha has said millennia ago – in the first place, he is a privileged, rich son of a brahmin, and all the pain of the world is hidden from him, until he has the chance to see it, and then he decides to leave his home, wife and family and become an ascetic
His father is against this project, and later on, Gotama will remember this, as he faces his own son, and his tantrums, the rejection that Freud https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... will translate into the desire to kill your father, the Oedipus Complex, which includes the wish to copulate with the mother
Siddhartha leaves with his friend, Govinda, and they join the Enlighted one, Gautama, the famous Buddha, by the way, as far as I knew it, we reach Nirvana when we have no more cravings, we desire for nothing more, or as the ascetics, hermits, and especially the stoics would insist ‘wish for what you already have’
It is interesting that one of the most prominent, outstanding Stoics was Seneca https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/09/... and he was also one of the richest men of his time (actually, of all time, because we have to put things in perspective) and preached abstinence
We could see this as either the wealthy teaching the rest how good it is to ignore fortune, easy to say when you have so much, or, he was one who knew what he was talking about, and then again, this piece of wisdom was confirmed in our time, when psychology has looked at what happens when we get rich and win money
I would first say look at Elon musk, Orange Jesus and other such clowns and monsters, the list is long, and it includes tyrants in dictatorships, those who basically have power over all that that poor state has, Putin, Kim of north Korea, but getting back, there is a fabulous classic of psychology called Stumbling On Happiness
Daniel Gilbert https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/... looks at the myths of happiness and we also learn about lottery winners, those who get one million over night, and then they just experience Hedonic Adaptation, in other words, Siddhartha, the Buddha and the Stoics were right
Siddhartha tries to experience the normal life, meets Kamala – interesting how this is the name of a prostitute in the narrative -and she wants him to get nice clothes, shoes, gifts, and then she will teach him what she knows…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
10 out of 10
“Time. Time. What is time? Swiss manufacture it, French hoard it, Italians squander it, Americans say it is money. Hindus say it does not exist. Know what I say? I say time is a crook.” This is attributed to Truman Capote and it came to my mind because of the Hindu say it does not exist part, which appears in this magnum opus
It is interesting to find that Herman Hesse has three books on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, the aforementioned Glasperlenspiel, Steppenwolf https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/... and Narziss and Goldmund, but not Siddhartha, which seems to be the best known work of his
Indeed, I plan to read Narciss and Goldmund again, for I remember it was such a delight when taken the first time, I was about twenty-five – so we are talking about some 35 years ago – and could not leave the book, I even took it at the sauna, and that was in Austria, if I remember well, and there were naked women within
That is the way over there, here there are men who protest if the males do not have something on at the…sauna, few, admittedly, but still, it shows such a difference of attitude, albeit I have read in The Economist that nudity on the beaches and elsewhere is losing its appeal, in what were once bastions with nude beaches
Narciss and Goldmund https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/... has some aspects that we find in Siddhartha, most importantly, the friendship between men, mainly Siddhartha and Govinda, but we should also include Vasudeva, although the latter is seen as a saint, ultimately
‘The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language: siddha (achieved) + artha (what was searched for), which together means "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals" which is very interesting, and I see two features here, one, how he talked about seeking
Govinda was a seeker, but Gotama tells him that he may be too fervent, obsessed with this seeking, and that reminds me of Harvard Professor Tal Ben Shahar https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/... who spoke in his positive psychology lectures, the most popular in the history of Harvard about the road
The rat race is the trap on which we climb, we learn in school because we want good grades, then for exams, which are for admittance in a good university, which is for a good job, in which we work for promotions, but without enjoying it, and thus missing the point, seeking an illusion aka maya the world with its distractions
We have to enjoy the journey, positive psychology demonstrates and Siddhartha has said millennia ago – in the first place, he is a privileged, rich son of a brahmin, and all the pain of the world is hidden from him, until he has the chance to see it, and then he decides to leave his home, wife and family and become an ascetic
His father is against this project, and later on, Gotama will remember this, as he faces his own son, and his tantrums, the rejection that Freud https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... will translate into the desire to kill your father, the Oedipus Complex, which includes the wish to copulate with the mother
Siddhartha leaves with his friend, Govinda, and they join the Enlighted one, Gautama, the famous Buddha, by the way, as far as I knew it, we reach Nirvana when we have no more cravings, we desire for nothing more, or as the ascetics, hermits, and especially the stoics would insist ‘wish for what you already have’
It is interesting that one of the most prominent, outstanding Stoics was Seneca https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/09/... and he was also one of the richest men of his time (actually, of all time, because we have to put things in perspective) and preached abstinence
We could see this as either the wealthy teaching the rest how good it is to ignore fortune, easy to say when you have so much, or, he was one who knew what he was talking about, and then again, this piece of wisdom was confirmed in our time, when psychology has looked at what happens when we get rich and win money
I would first say look at Elon musk, Orange Jesus and other such clowns and monsters, the list is long, and it includes tyrants in dictatorships, those who basically have power over all that that poor state has, Putin, Kim of north Korea, but getting back, there is a fabulous classic of psychology called Stumbling On Happiness
Daniel Gilbert https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/... looks at the myths of happiness and we also learn about lottery winners, those who get one million over night, and then they just experience Hedonic Adaptation, in other words, Siddhartha, the Buddha and the Stoics were right
Siddhartha tries to experience the normal life, meets Kamala – interesting how this is the name of a prostitute in the narrative -and she wants him to get nice clothes, shoes, gifts, and then she will teach him what she knows…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
April 11, 2025
This is a story of a man is India who searches for the meaning of life. I read it because it is a classic, but this is not a story that interests me.
Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.
Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.
March 14, 2026
Maybe the most important book I have read in my current journey. A lot I do not understand. But I think it might help me.
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