Thoughts on this?

He finds enlightenment through other means though instead of following the way. There are many paths to enlightenment.

>writing in your books

Eraser pens tho..

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Read this
accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/rootsofbuddhistromanticism.html

It's not an accurate portrayal of the Buddha's life, which the name implies. Hence why it's not a book about real Buddhism.

That doesn't follow from what you said. But I'd propably agree that it isn't.

Buddhist India is literally just the setting, the backdrop for a completely non-Buddhist story to take place.

Is it a good read though? The site I usually use to buy books lists it at 177 pages, for some reason I expected it to be atleast 500.

Not to suggest that longer is better. I structured that paragraph pretty poorly; I meant to say I'm surprised at being relatively short.

I do find shorter books easier to read, mostly because I don't lose momentum like I might with proper tomes.

I don't get the ending.
Mostly because I can't see why e.g. driving a boat up and down a random river would not be painfully boring.
And yeah I get that seeking out pleasure as a principle is presumably not good way of living - but going 100% for the moot live is unrealistic and silly.

Someone enlighten me or at least share a genuine opinion in face of which this makes sense.

It doesn't have to represent Buddhism as a religion to be a good, comfy book

Yeah, I'm just looking for a good read, user.

Nice trips

Persons opinion:

Buddhism doesn’t discuss the meaning of life directly, but is about studying and dissecting sensory experience. Ajahn Chah, who was a Vietnamese Monk, says one has to let go of love and hate, which is hard to do because the heart is conditioned to sensory experience, to life. Once this is done, compassion and love flow naturally.

That passage in Siddhartha is very much about the love of life, at its many viccisitudes. I think Herman was aware of this. His exploration of truth was perhaps at the river scene.

You should try meditation.

This does reflect any teaching in Buddhism afaik. Buddhists believe concepts and perceptions of 'the world' as some objective existing thing are based on false, illusory premises. This includes words, letters, objects, things, time.

****does not

Didn't Hesse live as semi-reculse in order to gain enlightenment like Siddhartha? What the hell does enlightenment even entail? Is it just a spook?

Every contemplative tradition has a different definition of 'enlightenment.'

The way I understand it is bringing together all life experiences together only to realize that you're one with the universe. I think that's the way Hesse described it in Siddhartha but it has been many years since I touched the book. Maybe I'm just too young and inexperienced to understand?

This post just proves that youre a brainlet.

Dude... *coughs* what if time was like a river?

I really liked the prose and style, though I didn't really like the part about Kamala.

Yea if we're talking about Buddhism (with Buddhist India being the backdrop of the book), that doesn't fit their idea of 'enlightenment.' Oneness with everything isn't a thing in Buddhism. Interdependent arising is a part of it, but not oneness or "you are everything/one with a universe."

That definitely loosely fits the standard for enlightenment for some other traditions though.

It'll tell you more about Hinduism than Buddhism.

I don't see that. The main character is a Brahmin renunciate who decides not to follow the Buddha himself, he's different to Buddha in his background and philosophy.

Emergence is a big thing in it too. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Really strong themes about connection with the world and your place in the natural order.

Completely forgettable desu
Read it twice; once in high school a second time in university. Can't remember shit apart from when he was working in a city at one time, and was fucking some girl

Picked up Narcissus and Goldmund today. Only read Steppenwolf and Rosshalde. Hated Rosshalde but I liked Steppenwolf. Ideal read for next Hesse book?

Narcissus an Goldmund is better.

'I'm spiritual but not religious'-tier. Good for when you're 15, worthless beyond that.

Enlightenment is just seeing reality for how it is without mind interpretation or projection.

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Yeah that's how it goes until it doesn't

It’s a quick read.
Some background in Vedanta and Buddhism are neccesary to get the most out of its themes, since the story doesn’t go too deep into the details of these. Siddhartha is a book about desiring enlightenment, and the consequences of desire. I enjoyed it because the story is quick and easy to follow, and it doesn’t beat the reader over the head with moral prescriptions.

This book could be your life.