No Subject

[Bharat]

It is an extra-ordinary book. I stumbled upon this innocuous looking novel in the library and got hooked on to it in no time. Later I read several essays and commentaries on this book on the net and found that most of them were misinterpreted. Even though, as Hesse says "Wisdom is incommunicable" and one should try to look beyond "conflicting opinions and confusing words", I neverthless dare to make a few points clear.<br><br>Siddhartha was not anti-Buddha. He has no doubt that Buddha experienced enlightenment but that experience could not be communicated. Siddhartha understood that Buddha's teachings were applicable only to the "Sansara" and not to "Nirvana". In fact Siddhartha's awakening began after his meeting with the Illustrious One.<br><br>Siddhartha found that by "striving for goal (enlightenment)" one can never reach the destination. In the first two stages of life he moved from offering sacrifices to gods to living an ascetic life, both of which were filled with "seeking the Brahman." Then he decides to listen to his own voice and spends time with "Kamaswamis and Kamalas of samsara" to balance his life, and walk through middle-path. <br><br>The enlightenment is attained not through thoughts but by ceasing the mind. Mind is the creation of soicety, its rules and regulations. One has to still the mind to reach the self. It can be done in several ways and Siddhartha learnt the method of "listening" from Vasudeva. The river was a terrific symbol. It existed all the time - in the past,present and future - but its water was not same. It teaches people to live in the moment and forget about missed opprtuinities and future anxities. <br>