Siddhartha
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. Read by David Cross, with music by Kevin MacLeod. Unabridged CD audiobook.
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. Read by David Cross, with music by Kevin MacLeod. Unabridged CD audiobook.
In Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse conveys a very profound message for all those who seek meaning in their lives. Though set in India, the concerns of Siddhartha are universal, expressing Hesse's general interest in the conflict between mind, body, and spirit. It is a story of a Brahmin boy who follows his heart and ventures out into the world to experience life as a pious Brahmin, a Samana, a rich merchant, a lover, and ordinary ferryman to a father—each life bringing a new awakening, bringing him closer to the truth until he is finally one with Buddha.
Siddhartha and Hesse live on
I first read Siddhartha and other Hesse books in my early 20's during the early 70's while a student at the University of Iowa as well as during a tour with the US Army. For many, back then, Hesse seemed to strike a cord for helping you make sense of life and where your own life was headed. Over the years thoughts of these Hesse books would come back to me remembering perceived pearls of wisdom. So now these forty years later I decided to give Hesse's books another go. Now in my 60's and retired, Siddhartha still gives out a perspective on life. There is still life to be lived in the golden years. Reinforcing the thought that life is for the living, Siddhartha discusses that one shouldn't get too serious about the meaning of life, the challenge is to accept life as it is, with both the good and the bad, in the end it's all the same thing, a life. One interesting aspect listening to this now is that when I first read the book back in the day I was reading it from the perspective that I was a son and what impact did my own father have on the direction of my life. Considerable I suppose. But now I look at it from the perspective of the father, having a son of my own in his 20's. Accepting and letting him lead his own life isn't always easy but realizing that he will lead his own life is the challenge. Once you accept that, it gets a lot easier. It is amazing that almost 100 years after being written this book still has meaning, maybe now a maturity.
Report abuse