Siddhartha: A journey of self-discovery

The most beautiful lesson that this book unveils is that the presence of your soul is nothing but an illusion.

Book: Siddhartha

Genre: Spiritual Literature

Author: Hermann Hesse

Publisher: Bantam Books

Excerpt

“Yes, he thought breathing deeply; I will no longer try to escape from Siddhartha. I will learn from myself, be my own pupil; I will learn from myself the secret of Siddhartha.”

Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is a tale of finding Nirvana. The beauty of this book lies in the simplicity of the language. It is a book about a spiritual man, Siddhartha, who leaves his home, family and friends in search of enlightenment. He grows with every passing page and so does the reader. In his spiritual journey, he also gets a taste of the worldly pleasures and how it just sucks you in deeper and deeper until you forget your purpose and yourself. He is a man who refuses to learn from others no matter how learned or holy someone may be. Instead he learns from his own experiences.

After leaving home, Siddhartha becomes a Samana for three years and that is when he ignores his body and enriches his soul and mind. He then does the complete reverse by asking a courtesan to teach him the art of love. Eventually he enters into a world of greed and selfishness and becomes a rich man.

The worldly pleasures take him down for a while and he loses his way, which was supposed to lead him to enlightenment. However, years later he realises he is nothing but a hollow man and he loathes himself and his life for being so empty. He then leaves it all behind and finally becomes a ferryman and lets the river become his teacher.

The river, Siddhartha’s final mentor, teaches him a lot. He learns about the unity of the world and how his life is a part of the grand cycle of nature, of all things around, of Om. And that is when he understands the true meaning of Om - oneness and unity. Spending time by the river makes him realise that Om is but the unification of the spiritual world, the physical world and time. He understands that only “now” exists and the past and future exist only in our minds and thus he transforms into a man who has finally found Nirvana.

The most beautiful lesson that this book unveils is that of our souls; the presence of your soul is nothing but an illusion. It teaches how we keep trying to feed our soul but in turn are only feeding an illusion and how it is only in the human mind where you can find Nirvana. In religion, in worldly status, amongst friends and family, only one of many you are characters, but in your mind, you are the creator. In your mind, you create your world and that is how only you will find Nirvana in your mind. It is not your soul that pushes you to reach your goal but your thoughts and ideas that do. Your mind is the sole motivator to give you what you want: happiness. It is only through your mind that you can become one with the world, with yourself and with God.

Siddhartha is no doubt a masterpiece. It’s sheer art in the form of words and ideas. It teaches you a lot and is definitely a great pleasure to read. Everyone should read this book as it helps in understanding the quest for enlightenment and wisdom that we all thirst for.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2010.