According to Wikipedia, the name Siddhartha means “he who has attained his goals” or “every wish fulfilled”, so it was sort of clear from the beginning that he would find what he was looking for. It was an interesting read though, especially as Siddhartha himself went through a lot of changes, some quite unexpected.

I was very intrigued by the part where Siddhartha finds and leaves Gotama (Buddha). This Gotama is an interesting character too, it is clear that he has reached enlightenment just by looking at him, as calmness and happiness are oozing from his every pore. Nevertheless Siddhartha refuses to become his follower as he believes that one cannot reach anything via teachings, one needs to find whatever there is to find by one’s self. I don’t know whether I should agree with this or not, as I definitely feel that one might need some guidance (what else is teaching but guidance?) even on the path to Nirvana.

I really envied Siddhartha when he first took up being a merchant. The way he looked at people not understanding why they worry so much for, the way he didn’t feel any loss too hard, the way he never had trouble socializing with all kinds of people.

What I liked most: I had fun identifying what different parts of the story reminded me of. For example, the part when Siddhartha first sees Kamala and abandons his former holy life in order to be with her reminded me of one of our poems (Luceafarul), where a princess asks a star up in the sky to come to her and he actually comes, leaving the immensity of the skies behind him only to be with that girl. The part where Siddhartha becomes a wealthy merchant, leading a life of pleasures and then ends up despising himself, reminded me of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible – a book where the writer says he had tried a lot of stuff in life and has found them to be nothing more than thin air. Perhaps Siddhartha just had to try that life of leisure, only to see for himself there is nothing to it, that everything, even wealth, is only thin air. There was even a part in the book that reminded me of Slaughterhouse Five, the part where Siddhartha realizes that time is not running and all the moments coexist :)

What I liked least: I must confess I know very little things about the Eastern Religions, and that I understand very little of them too. As such I was a bit confused when Om was mentioned, especially in the river scene when Siddhartha lets go of the tree he was holding onto and his mind is filled with Om. I do understand its purpose and the reactions it gets but I cannot properly resonate with it.

Recommend it? Yes – especially if you’re into Eastern Philosophy.

Written by the same author:
Steppenwolf

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