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/lit/ - Literature

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1217326 No.1217326 [Reply] [Original]

Sup, bodh/lit/sattvas. I read this book yesterday.

It is motherfuckingly good /lit/. It is earth shatteringly amazing /lit/. It will make you feel so at peace with the world and will change your outlook on things. You will love everyone after reading this book. You will fucking talk to rivers. You will fuck so many courtesans. You will FUCKING ACHIEVE ENLIGHTENMENT.
FUCKING READ THIS MOTHERFUCKING GODDAMN BOOK /LIT/ I FUCKING DARE YOU.

>> No.1217331

>read everything touched by Hermann Hesse
fixed that for you op

>> No.1217355 [DELETED] 

I read that book in less than a day. It was very good, but in retrospect I think I read it too fast for anything to stick.

>> No.1217354

>>1217331
I had a similar response to OP's after reading Siddartha, only minus the faggotry. I've also got Steppenwolf sitting on my shelf unread. Does it really compare? Might just bump that one up my list.

>> No.1217383

I just bought Steppenwolf for a dollar today. I also could have bought Siddartha for a dollar, but I didn't.

>> No.1217392

>>1217326

I read this in my high school Mythology class. Really did open my eyes to the Buddhist faith.

Siddhartha was far more of an admirable man than Jesus or Muhammad. He improved lives by intelligence and meditation, not magic zombie powers.

>> No.1217408

The book does reek of spiritualism, but I ask myself if it even is religious. Siddhartha does acknowledge enlightenment, but he opposes teaching of it, as "it can't be taught". And if it can't be tough, what of the teachers? Buddha, Jesus, Mohamed, are they faking their teachings or are they foolish of teaching?

>> No.1217409

Read it last week. Wasn't terribly impressed. Maybe I'm just not mature enough. There was something in the book about "all wisdom seems silly until you experience it yourself." Oh well.

>> No.1217414

>>1217326
Yeah, no. I'd rather read the Waste Books.

>> No.1217417

>>1217354
it depends on what else is on your list, but yeah, Steppenwolf is short and very good. Unlike other of his books it's set in Germany (I think?, well, somewhere in europe) and the protagonist is an old man, so it will give you the feeling that you are reading an old book (1927) but it just gets better and better and by the end your head will explode. You should give it a try.

Also, one of my favorite books ever written is Narcissus and Goldmund, and I would recommend that to every person in the world, but yeah, start with what you already got.

>> No.1217420

>>1217408
Did you read the book? Siddhartha rejects the Buddha, taking his own path.

>> No.1217424

>>1217408
I feel like Siddhartha thinks that everyone's path to enlightenment is unique and while many may benefit from the teachings of Buddha to help them along the way, that kind of thing just wasn't for him.

>> No.1217427

For the people wondering about Steppenwolf:
Although a lot of Hesse's novels share the same vein of thought, I assure you these two novels are different enough that you will be disappointed going from Siddhartha to Steppen looking for more of the same. Steppenwolf is more along the teen angst line, only the protagonist (if you can call him that) is a 50 year old man. I suggest reading Narcissus and Goldmund next. Take on Steppenwolf later in your Hesse career.

>> No.1217433

>>1217427
Agh why you do this. I just bought Steppenwolf for $2. I've only read Siddhartha before.

>> No.1217436

>>1217417
see this guy knows.
>>1217427 here

>> No.1217448

>>1217433
It's still good, and I still recommend it, but it's a lot more complex than SIddhartha. It would be a shame if you didn't like such a good book only because you didn't know what you were getting into. Protip: read the introduction to this one.

>> No.1217452

MAGIC THEATRE
(FOR MADMEN ONLY)

>> No.1217490 [DELETED] 

Although it's a beautiful book I found Siddhartha dissatisfying because his path to enlightenment seems to be to forget himself and 'waste' his time building a life he'll rejecting thanks to a state of grace that feels more like something bestowed on him externally than a result of his meditational practice.

Even though Demian has a darker ending, I found it a more inspiring book because his spiritual progress seems to be something internal, focused and self-directed rather than based on being saved by a riverboat or a jazz saxophonist. The only time I really liked Harry Haller was when he asked "what if I refuse?"

>> No.1217506

This book is grossly overrated. It's nothing but cut and paste of the traditional story of Siddhartha Gautama.

>> No.1217507

Although it's a beautiful book I found Siddhartha dissatisfying because his path to enlightenment seems to be to forget himself and 'waste' his time building a life he'll end up rejecting thanks to a state of grace that feels more like something bestowed on him externally than a result of his meditational practice.

Even though Demian has a darker ending, I found it a more inspiring book because his spiritual progress is something internal, focused and self-directed rather than based on being saved by a riverboat or a jazz saxophonist. The only time I really liked Harry Haller was when he asked "what if I refuse?"

>> No.1217523

Steppenwolf is pretty great, I'd say on average Siddhartha is better most of the way through but the end of Steppenwolf is just glorious.

>> No.1217538

>>1217506

No shit bro.

>> No.1217544

>>1217506
Who is the Buddha figure in that story?

>> No.1217550

>>1217326
Haha, OP, I had the same reaction back when I read it in 8th grade. Was cruising through a steady relationship with Taoism at the time and it fucking blew my mind.

Now I'm a bit more into Huxley, and such, but I still enjoy Hesse, even if all of his books are about existentialism and dualism.

>> No.1217551

>>1217506
That's why the book ends with him sitting under a Bodhi tree for years, right? Oh, wait...

>> No.1217555

A Hesse thread!? Have I died and gone to heaven?

I picked up Siddhartha just on a whim as a teenager when I was reading into Eastern philosophy. While this is by no means a guidebook for Eastern thought, it's one of the only books that truly touched me. It was the first book that made me feel like my sensibilities, my personal ethics and view of the world weren't all that weird. It spoke to me personally.

Since then I've read a handful of Hesse's books and I have some more waiting on the shelf. Demian is equally mindblowing. Narcissus and Goldmund didn't make as much impact on me because it felt so similar to Demian that it didn't do much for me. Journey to the East was a weird little novella. It wasn't a fun read but it pays off in the end.

Siddhartha may have meant less to me if I read it at a later age, but it will always stick with me.

>> No.1217762

>>1217555

yeah- stuck with me due to the age at which i read it too. trouble is...i didn't like it. my father insisted that i read it and steppenwolf. neither appealed to me. couldn't pin-point the source of my distaste---but i think that vonnegut's essay "why they read hesse" may have hit the nail on the head...

still, my dad loved hesse and the majority of my friends are enthusiasts as well. i feel like the only kid in japan who can't stomach squid ink ice cream.

>> No.1217874

>>1217762
I'm going to have to look into that Vonnegut essay. Thanks e/lit/ist.

Maybe you just don't agree with his view on the individual? There's nothing wrong with that. For me, I'm an INFJ and so Intuition is the most important source of knowledge for me. Seeing an intelligent, capable figure realize that he had to find his own way, that you can't be "taught" the path to enlightenment was like MINDBLOWN.

>> No.1217908

Love this book.

Interestingly enough, Franny and Zooey touched me in a way similar to Siddhartha? Am I foolishly unfounded with this statement?

>> No.1218672

Go back to Burning Man you hippie scum.