"Siddhartha" is not the story of Buddha. It tells the life of a person, a life that millions of ordinary people will also experience.
The high-spirited young man often thinks that he is the one chosen by fate. Leave the past behind, follow the stumbling steps, find the voice in your heart, chase fame and fortune, experience friendship, and taste love. The difference is that what Siddhartha pursues throughout his life is the harmony and unity of life. Although it seems grand, it is indeed an unavoidable issue for everyone.
Hesse's language is full of poetry, just like the subtitle of this book "An Indian Poem". For unknown reasons, this subtitle has been avoided in previous editions. In order to express Hesse's poetic feeling as much as possible, we chose to translate it literally from German. Although our translation cannot fully realize this poetic feeling, the nature and spirit of his poetry are obvious.
The status of this book has been repeatedly emphasized in previous editions - Henry Miller's favorite; it influenced many celebrities including Radiohead; there was a craze for reading Hesse in the United States in the 1960s, and every college student had a copy, etc.
But as Siddhartha, who became the ferryman in the book, said, wisdom cannot be shared, it can be discovered and experienced.
So if you happen to come across this little book, please read the words carefully.
I hope that after reading Siddhartha's story, you will also gain some insights and begin to experience your own life.
Reader comments
Reading Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha" is like embarking on a pilgrimage across time, space and soul. This novel uses a unique narrative to tell the life of Siddhartha, an aristocratic young man from ancient India. His exploration of himself and the meaning of life is like a bright light, penetrating the surface of life and illuminating the many confusions about life deep in my heart.
Siddhartha's story begins with his questioning of Brahminical teachings. Despite his privileged birth and abundant spiritual nourishment, there was always a voice calling deep in his heart - a desire for true "self" and ultimate wisdom. So he bid farewell to everything he knew and embarked on an unknown journey. He walked with ascetics, tempered his will in extreme self-denial, and tried to get closer to the truth by abandoning material and desires. This experience allowed me to see the tenacity and persistence in pursuing spiritual improvement. However, Siddhartha soon realized that asceticism was not the only way to inner peace. This brave questioning of traditional ways of practice made me understand that on the road to pursuing ideals, I cannot blindly follow but must maintain independent thinking.
When Siddhartha plunged into secular life, learned about love from famous prostitutes, and learned about business from wealthy businessmen, I saw the struggle of human nature between desire and reason. He was lost in wealth and pleasure, and woke up in emptiness and confusion. This made me deeply realize that worldly success and material satisfaction cannot satisfy the deep desire for spiritual wealth. We often run around in fame and wealth, thinking that is the source of happiness, but we often ignore the true needs of our hearts. Siddhartha's experience is like a mirror, reflecting the confusion and loss we face in real life.
Siddhartha's awakening by the river is the most shocking part of the book. By listening to the sound of the river, he realized the true meaning of all things flowing and cyclical. He also understood that the meaning of life lies in accepting and experiencing every moment. At this moment, Siddhartha completed his transformation from confusion to awakening. He was no longer obsessed with finding a fixed answer, but learned to discover wisdom in every bit of life. This profound understanding of life makes me understand that life is not a race to the end, but a journey full of scenery. Every experience and every feeling is a gift of life.
In Siddhartha, I saw my own reflection. We have all been wandering at the crossroads of life, full of confusion about the future; we have all been distracted by external voices on the road to pursuing our dreams, and have forgotten our inner direction. "Siddhartha" made me understand that no matter what life gives us, we must bravely experience and feel it. In every setback and success, we must continue to understand ourselves and find the meaning of life.
After reading "Siddhartha", my heart couldn't be calm for a long time. It is not only a novel, but also a revelation about life. It allowed me to see various possibilities in life in Siddhartha's story, and also made me believe more firmly that as long as we maintain our love for life and self-exploration, we can find our own world of tranquility and wisdom in this complicated world.
Reading Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha" is like embarking on a pilgrimage across time, space and soul. This novel uses a unique narrative to tell the life of Siddhartha, an aristocratic young man from ancient India. His exploration of himself and the meaning of life is like a bright light, penetrating the surface of life and illuminating the many confusions about life deep in my heart. Siddhartha's story begins with his questioning of Brahminical teachings. Despite his privileged birth and abundant spiritual nourishment, there was always a voice calling deep in his heart - a desire for true "self" and ultimate wisdom. So he bid farewell to everything he knew and embarked on an unknown journey. He walked with ascetics, tempered his will in extreme self-denial, and tried to get closer to the truth by abandoning material and desires. This experience allowed me to see the tenacity and persistence in pursuing spiritual improvement. However, Siddhartha soon realized that asceticism was not the only way to inner peace. This brave questioning of traditional ways of practice made me understand that on the road to pursuing ideals, I cannot blindly follow but must maintain independent thinking. When Siddhartha plunged into secular life, learned about love from famous prostitutes, and learned about business from wealthy businessmen, I saw the struggle of human nature between desire and reason. He was lost in wealth and pleasure, and woke up in emptiness and confusion. This made me deeply realize that worldly success and material satisfaction cannot satisfy the deep desire for spiritual wealth. We often run around in fame and wealth, thinking that is the source of happiness, but we often ignore the true needs of our hearts. Siddhartha's experience is like a mirror, reflecting the confusion and loss we face in real life. Siddhartha's awakening by the river is the most shocking part of the book. By listening to the sound of the river, he realized the true meaning of all things flowing and cyclical. He also understood that the meaning of life lies in accepting and experiencing every moment. At this moment, Siddhartha completed his transformation from confusion to awakening. He was no longer obsessed with finding a fixed answer, but learned to discover wisdom in every bit of life. This profound understanding of life makes me understand that life is not a race to the end, but a journey full of scenery. Every experience and every feeling is a gift of life. In Siddhartha, I saw my own reflection. We have all been wandering at the crossroads of life, full of confusion about the future; we have all been distracted by external voices on the road to pursuing our dreams, and have forgotten our inner direction. "Siddhartha" made me understand that no matter what life gives us, we must bravely experience and feel it. In every setback and success, we must continue to understand ourselves and find the meaning of life. After reading "Siddhartha", my heart couldn't be calm for a long time. It is not only a novel, but also a revelation about life. It allowed me to see various possibilities in life in Siddhartha's story, and also made me believe more firmly that as long as we maintain our love for life and self-exploration, we can find our own world of tranquility and wisdom in this complicated world.