Shabbos Table

Siddhartha is a novel by German author, Hermann Hesse, first published in 1922. The book follows the journey of a young Indian man, Siddhartha, as he seeks enlightenment.

I connect with this story deeply from the first time I read it at the age of 29 because it was a time when I was unhappy and desperate to find peace. Through this book and first learning of Buddha, I realized that I too could find my path to detachment, unconditional love, and peace.

The story of Siddhartha is set in ancient India and is influenced by the Hindu and Buddhist traditions prevalent in the region during that time. The book starts with Siddhartha and his childhood friend, Govinda, embarking on a journey to find enlightenment.

As the story progresses, Siddhartha, dissatisfied with the religious teachings available to him, decides to seek enlightenment through personal experience. He learns valuable lessons from different teachers and explores various paths, including a life of wealth as a successful businessman, and eventually finds himself becoming a spiritual leader and guru.

Throughout the book, Hesse explores the ideas of self-discovery, belonging, and the quest for meaning in life. The themes of the book also discuss the nature of time, personal identity, and the importance of finding our own path in life.

Siddhartha also touches on the concept of the cyclical nature of human existence, as Siddhartha himself begins experiencing different stages of life, including love and fatherhood, before finding his way back to a sense of self-awareness and spiritual enlightenment.

Overall, Siddhartha is a beautifully written novel that offers readers an invitation to explore the power of personal experience, self-discovery, and the importance of finding one’s path in life. Through this story, we are forced to reflect on our own lives and consider what it means to find genuine fulfillment and meaning in life.

It has been a joy reading this book for a second time and summarizing it while extrapolating its moral lessons. It kind of reminded me of liturature summary workshops in high school.

I hope you enjoy this but importantly, I hope you find your path too.