'Siddhartha', written by Herman Hesse in 1992, is a timeless novel that narrates the spiritual journey of a young man named 'Siddhartha' during the time of the Buddha. The story is set in ancient India and follows Siddhartha as he embarks on a quest of self-discovery and enlightenment.
Dissatisfied with the conventional teachings of his time, Siddhartha leaves behind his comfortable life as the son of a Brahmin (the highest caste within Hindu society — the traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood at Hindu temples) to explore different paths to spiritual fulfilment.
Throughout his journey, he experiences the extremes of asceticism (severe self-discipline), indulgence, and meets influential and interesting characters.
The story provides a profound insight into the human quest for meaning, but also beautifully integrates elements of Eastern philosophy in a Western narrative style. Hesse’s lyrical prose and deep philosophical exploration have made this a classic for me.
In this post, I’ll be highlighting my favourite passages, and share the lessons I've drawn from this tale. By reflecting on Siddhartha’s experiences and insights, I believe you can better understand the universal question of self-discovery and the inner peace that comes from embracing one’s own path.
I'm confident that as I grow older and re-read "Siddhartha," my interpretation and perspective of the novel will likely evolve.
With the Samanas
The Samanas are a group of wandering ascetics that Siddhartha meets at the beginning of his quest. They practice extreme self-discipline and renunciation to attain spiritual enlightenment.
Siddhartha learned a lot when he was with the Samanas, many ways leading away from the self he learned to go. He went the way of self-denial by means of pain, through voluntary suffering and overcoming pain, hunger, thirst, tiredness. He went the way of self-denial by means of meditation, through imagining the mind to be void of all conception.
However, after a period of rigorous practice, Siddhartha becomes disillusioned. He realises that although the Samanas’ way offers valuable insights into detachment and self-control, it does not lead to the ultimate enlightenment that he seeks. Therefore, he decides to leave the Samanas and continue his quest for true wisdom elsewhere.
Lesson taken: the practices of the wandering ascetics were extraordinarily strict. For instance, they would eat a single grain of rice a day. Siddhartha did not dismiss the Samanas' way of life. Instead, he approached these practices with an open mind, refraining from immediate judgment. He fully committed himself to their practices, living the life of a Samana wholeheartedly. Through this deep immersion, he eventually arrived at his own conclusion—a conclusion that resonated with his unique individuality.
The key lesson here is the importance of fully experiencing a way of life that is different from our own. To live it, breathe it, and feel its pain and joys. In doing so, we can make an informed decision about whether this lifestyle is right for us.
Awakening
After leaving the Samanas, feeling disillusioned and empty, Siddhartha crosses a river and falls into deep sleep. Upon waking, he experiences a profound sense of clarity and renewal. He realises that true enlightenment cannot be found through teachers or strict practices alone but must come from within and through personal experiences.
This awakening marks a turning point in Siddhartha’s journey, as he decides to embrace life fully, accepting both its pleasures and pains as an essential part of his path to self-discovery.
“How deaf and stupid have I been!” he thought. “When someone reads a text, wants to discover its meaning, he will not scorn the symbols and letters and call them deceptions, coincidence, worthless structure, but he will read them, he will study and love them, letter by letter.
But I, who wanted to read the book of the world and the book of my own being, I have, for the sake of a meaning I had anticipated before I even start to read, scorned the symbols and letters, I called the visible world a deception, called my eyes and tongue coincidental and worthless forms without substance.
No, this is over, I have awakened, I have indeed awakened and have not been born before this very day”.
Lesson learned: at the beginning of his search for enlightenment, Siddhartha held pre-conceived notions about whom he should follow, and which practices might lead him to his goal. During his awakening, Siddhartha became acutely self-aware and realised he had dismissed numerous ideas and ways of living that were considered ‘non-spiritual’.
Ignoring his desires and interests, he adhered to a pre-conceived path to enlightenment that was construed based on his beginnings, as the son of a Brahmin.
How can one find oneself or achieve enlightenment if they are deaf to their own interests and desires? Siddhartha's extreme self-discipline did not lead him to his goal. Now, Siddhartha has fully committed to listening to his desires as part of his journey.
With the childlike people
After his awakening by the river, Siddhartha enters a city where he meets Kamala, a courtesan, and a wealthy merchant. Siddhartha learns of the art of love from Kamala and the ways of commerce from the merchant.
During their first meeting, the merchant asked Siddhartha,
“what do you give? What is it that you learned, what are you able to do?
Siddhartha: I can think. I can wait. I can fast
Merchant: And what’s the use of that? For example, the fasting – what is it good for?
Siddhartha: When a person has nothing to eat, fasting is the smartest thing he could do. If I hadn’t learnt to fast, I would have to accept any kind of service before this day is up, whether it may be with you or whomever, because hunger would force me to do so. But like this, I can wait calmly, I know no impatience, I know no emergency. For a long time I can allow hunger to besiege me, and I can laugh about it. This, sir, is what fasting is good for.
Merchant: can you write?
Siddhartha took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote on the paper and gave it to the merchant.
The merchant read:
“writing is good, thinking is better. Being smart is good, being patient is better”.
From Kamala, the courtesan,
Much he learned from her red, smart mouth. Much he learned from her tender, supple hand. Him, who was, regarding love, still a boy and had a tendency to plunge blindly and insatiably into lust, like into a bottomless pit.
Him she taught, thoroughly starting with the basics, about that school of thought which teaches that pleasure cannot be taken without giving pleasure, and that every gesture, every caress, every touch, every look, every spot of the body, however small it was, had its secret, which would bring happiness to those who know about it and unleash it.
She taught him that lovers must not part from one another after celebrating love, without one admiring the other, without being just as defeated as they have been victorious, so that none of them should start feeling fed up or bored and get that evil feeling of having abused or having been abused.
During this phase of Siddhartha’s quest, he indulges in material wealth, sensual pleasures, and the lifestyle of ordinary people, whom, at one point, referred to them as “childlike” due to their preoccupation with trivial concerns.
Eventually, just like with the Samanas, Siddhartha becomes disillusioned with this life as well. He realises that these pursuits do not bring him true happiness or enlightenment.
He envied them. He envied them just the more, the more similar he became to them. He envied them for the one thing that was missing from him and that they had, the importance they were able to attach to their lives, the amount of passion in their joys and fears, the fearful but sweet happiness of being constantly in love.
The emptiness and dissatisfaction led him to leave this phase behind and return to the river.
Lesson learned: during this phase of his quest, Siddhartha fully succumbed to his desires, yet he remained unhappy and unenlightened. Does this mean it was pointless to follow his desires? I don't think so. He gained valuable insights into himself, business, love, and the world around him. He actively engaged in life rather than merely observing it. Siddhartha descended from his lofty ideals and immersed himself in the experiences of 'ordinary people'.
By the river
When Siddhartha returns to the river, he experiences a deep sense of despair and contemplates ending his life. However, he falls asleep and awakens with a renewed sense of clarify and peace. He encounters the ferryman, Vasudeva, who once helped him cross the river.
Vasudeva becomes his mentor and friend. He teaches Siddhartha to listen to the river, which symbolises the flow of life and the unity of all existence.
During his time with the ferryman, Siddhartha learns to find wisdom and serenity in the natural rhythms of the river. He realises that enlightenment is not a distant goal but a continuous, ever-present process.
Siddhartha begins to understand the interconnectedness of all things and achieves a sense of inner peace and fulfilment.
Lesson learned: enlightenment, Siddhartha realises, is not a final destination, nor a state of eternal bliss. Among all the individuals he encountered, it is the humble ferryman who becomes his true mentor.
The ferryman, living a simple life, is neither wealthy nor bound by extremes of self-discipline or indulgence. He guides souls across the river and listens to its whispers, teaching Siddhartha to live in the present.
Unlike living creatures constantly striving for something or inanimate rocks that stand still, the river symbolises the unity of all existence. Hesse’s choice of the river is a stroke of genius.
To understand why, I believe it’s important to dive a little bit into Arthur Schopenhauer’s concept of the “will of life” (WoL).
Schopenhauer believed that the fundamental essence of all reality is the “will” or WoL.
This WoL is an irrational, blind force that drives all beings. It is not a conscious or deliberate will, but a primal, inherent drive present in all living beings.
This WoL manifests itself through the desires and actions of all life forms. From humans to animals, plants and insects. All driven by this will to survive, reproduce, and strive for various goals.
According to Schopenhauer, the WoL leads to a perpetual cycle of striving and desire. Since desires are never truly fully satisfied forever and new desires continuously arise, this cycle results in constant suffering. Life, therefore, is characterised by an endless pursuit of goals (attainable and unattainable), leading to frustration and pain.
Schopenhauer argues that the sense of individuality is an illusion. The WoL operates universally, and individual beings are merely different manifestations of the same underlying WoL.
The river, therefore, is a silent observer, it has not goals or ambitions, flowing endlessly, untouched by the relentless drive of life surrounding it.
The Son
Kamala, Siddhartha's former lover, visits the river with her young son, who is also Siddhartha's son. Kamala is bitten by a snake and dies shortly after, leaving the boy in Siddhartha's care. Siddhartha, filled with love and a sense of responsibility, tries to bond with and guide his son.
However, the boy is resistant and resentful, longing to return to the city and the life he knew. Despite Siddhartha's efforts to provide a loving and patient environment, his son rebels against the simple, contemplative life by the river. This causes Siddhartha great pain, as he realises he cannot control or change his son's desires.
Eventually, the boy runs away, and Siddhartha is heartbroken. Through this experience, Siddhartha learns important lessons about love, attachment, and letting go.
He understands that true love involves allowing others to follow their own paths, even if it leads to pain and separation.
Lesson taken: the role of a parent is to be a guide. Siddhartha could not control his son; he had to learn to let him go, to discover the world for himself. He had to release him, just as his own father, the Brahmin, had let him embark on his journey of self-discovery and enlightenment, never to see his son again.
OM
After the emotional turmoil of the Son phase, Siddhartha returns to the river, where he continues to live with the ferryman, Vasudeva. In his deep contemplation and listening to the river, Siddhartha experiences a profound spiritual awakening. He hears the sound of the river as the sacred word 'Om', which symbolises the unity of all things and the essence of the universe.
In this moment of enlightenment, Siddhartha perceives the interconnectedness of all life and the timeless nature of existence. He understands that all experiences — joy and sorrow, love and loss, life and death — are part of a greater whole. This realisation brings Siddhartha a deep sense of peace and fulfilment.
Vasudeva, recognizing Siddhartha's enlightenment, quietly leaves to live out his remaining days in the forest, leaving Siddhartha as the new ferryman. Siddhartha, now fully at peace, continues to guide travellers across the river, embodying the wisdom and serenity he has attained.
Lesson taken: in becoming the new ferryman, Siddhartha transforms into an observer of the WoL. He helps others cross the river, travellers who are chasing their set goals and desires, echoing his own past. Yet, he now stands apart from that ceaseless quest for the next thing.
You can find the full book on amazon here.
Comments