"To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation."

This means chasing your big dream or life purpose. The book says it's super important to figure out what you really want to do with your life and go for it. It's not just a nice idea, but something you should feel you have to do.

Following Your Personal Legend

You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say.

The book talks a lot about trusting your gut feelings. It's saying that deep down, you often know what's right for you. So pay attention to those inner feelings - they're trying to guide you.

The Importance Of Listening To Your Heart

When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it.

This is a big idea in the book. It means that when you really commit to your goals, good things start happening to help you. It's like the world is cheering you on and giving you a hand.

The Universe Conspires To Help You Achieve Your Dreams

Everything in life is an omen. There is a language that exists beyond words.

This is about noticing little signs or hints in your everyday life. The book says these can be like clues helping you on your journey. It's telling you to keep your eyes open for these helpful hints.

Learning To Read The Omens Along Life's Path

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

Sometimes we look really far for what we want, but it might be right under our nose. This part of the story reminds us to appreciate what we already have nearby.

The Treasure You Seek Is Often Closer Than You Think

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.

While going after your goals is great, don't forget to enjoy the ride. All the stuff that happens while you're working towards your dream is important too. It's where you learn and grow.

The Journey Is As Important As The Destination

Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present.

This is about focusing on what's happening right now. Don't get too caught up worrying about the future or feeling bad about the past. The book says the best way to live is to really pay attention to what's going on in the moment.

Embracing The Present Moment

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Discover the Alchemist's Formula for Turning Your Life into Pure Gold!

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

mindfulness

Mindfulness

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

books

Books

Paulo Coelho de Souza is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel The Alchemist became an international best-seller and he has published 30 more books since then.

Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The chapter frames the battle for preserving Sanskrit non-translatables as a modern-day "Kurukshetra."</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra argues that Western Universalism poses a threat by digesting and distorting Indian knowledge systems, including language.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Terms like "cultural genocide" highlight this assimilation, which erases cultural identities while allowing individuals to physically survive under new cultural frameworks.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Sanskrit terms carry deep philosophical and experiential meanings that are lost in translation.</li></ul>

Chapter 1:  the case for Sanskrit non-translatables

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">In Indian tradition, Kurukshetra refers to the battleground from the Mahabharata, symbolizing a fight for righteousness (dharma).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra invokes this metaphor to describe the current cultural struggle, where Sanskrit-based dharma faces erosion through the forces of Western universalism and Islamic influence.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This "battle" isn’t fought with weapons but with language, culture, and philosophy—targeting the foundational concepts of dharma.</li></ul>

Kurukshetra (Cultural Battlefield):

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Translations dilute the original meaning of Sanskrit terms, failing to capture their profound implications.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">English, rooted in Judeo-Christian and Hellenistic traditions, cannot adequately represent the spiritual and ontological dimensions of Sanskrit.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Terms like "yoga," "dharma," and "samadhi" have been reduced to mere approximations, removing the essence of lived experience and philosophical depth.</li></ul>

2. Inadequacies of Translation

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra introduces the concept of "digestion," where a dominant civilization (Western culture) absorbs Indian traditions but removes their dharmic core (strips it of its original context and meaning)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This leads to a hybrid form where the original meaning is erased.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He draws parallels between the digestion of Sanskrit terms and the absorption of yoga and Ayurveda into Western frameworks without retaining their spiritual or philosophical essence.</li></ul>

3. The Concept of "Digestion"

The digestion process unfolds in four phases:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Fragmentation: The dominant culture dissects the target culture into digestible parts.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Repackaging: Chosen elements are adapted and "scrubbed" of their source meanings, secularizing or Judeo-Christianizing them (e.g., yoga stripped of its spiritual roots).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Erasure: The original context is either erased or diminished.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Assimilation: The dominant civilization assimilates these parts to strengthen itself, often discarding the weaker culture as irrelevant or obsolete.</li></ol>

Digestion Model:

Supremacy of Western Universalism<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Western thought has always positioned itself as the global standard, viewing its cultural, religious, and philosophical framework as the default for human civilization.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">By digesting non-Western traditions, the West aims to bolster this universalism.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra emphasizes that this is not just about superiority but about eliminating "difference anxiety"—the discomfort the West feels towards systems that cannot be easily reconciled with its own worldview.</li></ul>

Why the West 'Digests' Other Cultures

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The Judeo-Christian missionary mandate—particularly Christianity's emphasis on evangelism—has long sought to subsume other traditions into itself.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">By "digesting" the spiritual and philosophical aspects of other cultures, the West can absorb useful elements, while erasing the indigenous systems that pose a theological threat to Christian doctrines.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra argues that this process helps maintain Christian dominance while appearing to embrace pluralism.</li></ul>

Religious Motivation

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Western identity is built on a coherent narrative of progress, rationality, and superiority.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Indigenous traditions, particularly those from India, are often seen as too complex or "alien" to integrate fully.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Thus, the West breaks down these systems into digestible parts that can be assimilated without threatening the coherence of Western thought.</li></ul>

Need for Coherence

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra argues that the digestion process serves to neutralize threats from non-Western civilizations.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">By fragmenting and reinterpreting other cultures, the West ensures that these cultures do not challenge its own global dominance.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">For example, elements of yoga and meditation are assimilated into Western frameworks, but their dharmic roots are either secularized or erased​.</li></ul>

Civilizational Competition

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Some Western scholars claim that digestion results in mutual enrichment rather than domination.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They argue that Western civilization evolves by absorbing foreign influences, extending the life and creativity of both the host and the digested cultures.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">However, Malhotra dismisses this as a façade, highlighting the permanent erasure of the source culture's identity and agency​.</li></ul>

Counterarguments:

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The concept of "sameness" in Vedanta refers to the idea that the ultimate reality is One, but this "One" manifests in a multiplicity of forms.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Vedanta teaches that the relative world is real but contingent upon the absolute. Hence, differences in the relative world are essential for ethical distinctions (such as dharma vs. adharma).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The idea of complete "sameness," or the denial of these differences, violates dharma's principles by ignoring the need to distinguish truth from falsehood.</li></ul>

The problem of 'sameness'

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The West, through postmodernism, distorts this notion of "oneness" by promoting the idea that all identities should be blurred or dismantled.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Postmodernism critiques Western "grand narratives" but also pushes for a flattening of cultural distinctions, implying that strong cultural identities are oppressive.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This erases valuable differences, allowing for the dilution and eventual digestion of non-Western traditions into the Western framework.</li></ul>

Western seekers often project their prior conditioning from Judeo-Christian, secular, or scientific frameworks onto it — with assumptions that align it with their native traditions, ignoring key differences.This leads to several distortions:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Oneness Misunderstood: Westerners often conflate Vedantic "oneness" with the idea that everything is equal and no distinctions are needed. Vedanta, however, asserts that the absolute reality is One, but this does not negate relative differences essential to karma and dharma. Ethics & morality still require acknowledging distinctions between right & wrong​.</li></ul>

Why western seekers (unknowingly) misinterpret Vedanta

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Relativity Misinterpretation: Another common error is the belief that since the world is not absolute, it doesn't matter. This is a misreading of Vedanta. While the world is transient, Vedanta encourages responsible action without attachment to outcomes. Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita stress action in the relative world without escapism.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Simplified Concepts: Western seekers may reduce profound spiritual practices into mere physical or mental exercises. For example, Yoga is often reduced to a health routine, ignoring its spiritual dimensions.</li></ul>

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra stresses the importance of regaining "adhikara" or the authority to define and protect Sanskrit's meaning within its original context.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">He believes that only those rooted in the dharmic tradition have the right to interpret these terms, and external perspectives lead to distortion and loss of authenticity.</li></ul>

5. Call to Regain Adhikara (Authority)

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Malhotra uses the concept of "poison pills" as a defense mechanism against digestion.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">These are non-negotiable cultural or philosophical elements that, if absorbed by the dominant culture, would disrupt or destroy its internal coherence.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">For example, concepts like karma and reincarnation (central to Hindu philosophy) challenge Abrahamic doctrines of salvation and linear time. </li></ul>

6. Poison Pills

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">When intact, these "poison pills" make it difficult for Western universalism to fully digest Hindu thought, as they provoke fundamental contradictions within Western frameworks. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">As a result, these concepts resist Western digestion, forcing the West to either reject or misinterpret them, as full assimilation would require altering fundamental Western principles​.</li></ul>

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Apart from Western universalism, Malhotra identifies Islam's historical impact on Sanskrit through Persian influence on Hindi-Urdu, and Christianity’s influence through colonization.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Both are seen as forces that have led to the decline of Sanskrit in India, replacing dharmic terms with Abrahamic equivalents.</li></ul>

7. Threats from Islam and Christianity

The chapter underlines the inseparability of Sanskrit and dharma. According to Malhotra, Sanskrit’s grammar and vocabulary are inextricably tied to cosmic principles of dharma, meaning the loss of Sanskrit directly affects the practice and understanding of dharma itself.

8. Sanskrit and Dharma

The solution lies in making Sanskrit non-translatables more prevalent in everyday discourse.Malhotra advocates for introducing these terms into English without translation, creating a richer and more accurate global understanding of Indian concepts:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Identifying and preventing the reframing of ideas.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Preserving the context of the evolution of the ideas.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">preventing the re-contextualization & re-packaging by those without adhikara.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">protecting the experimental basis of Indian Knowledge.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Preventing the mangling of texts, practices, symbols, artifacts.</li></ul>

9. A Call for Change

An audacious attempt at sanskritizing English!

Sanskrit Non-Translatables is a path-breaking and audacious attempt at Sanskritizing the English language and enriching it with powerful Sanskrit words. It continues the original and innovative idea of nontranslatability of Sanskrit, first introduced in the book, Being Different. For English readers, this should be the starting point of the movement to resist the digestion of Sanskrit into English, by introducing loanwords into their English vocabulary without translation.The book presents a thorough mechanism of the process of digestion and examines the loss of adhikara for Sanskrit because of translating its core ideas into English. The movement launched by this book will resist this and stop the programs that seek to turn Sanskrit into a dead language by translating all its treasures to render it redundant. It discusses fifty-four non-translatables across various genres that are being commonly mistranslated. It empowers English speakers with the knowledge and arguments to introduce these Sanskrit words into their daily speech with confidence. Every lover of India’s sanskriti will benefit from the book and become a cultural ambassador propagating it through routine communications.

history

History

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Rajiv Malhotra

Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji

Sanskrit Non-Translatables

In his first of three lectures, "Men Without Chests," C.S. Lewis begins by critiquing a secondary English textbook he calls The Green Book, and its authors, whom he dubs "Gaius and Titius." Lewis criticizes their treatment of emotion in literature, claiming they reduce all value statements to mere emotions or sentiments. He argues that this sends students the unintended message that all expressions of emotion are worthless.

Men Without A Chests

Lewis goes on to criticize another author, "Orbilius," for rejecting all anthropomorphic language as irrational, without distinguishing between good and bad uses of such literary devices. He believes both of these approaches deprive students of important elements of their literary heritage. According to Lewis, authors like Gaius and Titius are misguided in their excessive fear of sentimentalism. The real problem, he contends, is that modern students’ sentiments have not been properly trained.

Lewis believes this lack of training stems from modern educators no longer believing in objective value.The idea that objects like a beautiful waterfall intrinsically merit human responses. As a result, any expression of a human response is treated as merely a reflection of the speaker’s psychology, not as objective value.He cites a range of traditions Platonic, Aristotelian, Christian, Hindu, and Taoist which he sums up as "the Tao," a repository of beliefs that uphold objective value. This belief in objective value is the notion that certain attitudes are genuinely true or false.

Lewis argues that modern education, as exemplified by The Green Book, rejects the Tao. Moreover, it rejects the ancient Platonic conception of the human being, in which reason rules the appetites through emotions or sentiments — what Lewis describes as "the head rules the belly through the chest." Consequently, today’s educational system produces "men without chests."

In his second lecture, "The Way," Lewis argues that modern educators are dangerous for society because they try to go beyond the Tao to discover supposedly more basic values beneath traditional ones.

The Way

He presents the example, A hypothetical innovator who seeks a rational basis for the belief that it is good to die for one’s country.Lewis argues that even if the innovator proves it is more rational to die for society, he still needs to prove that society is worth preserving. Rationalism alone, Lewis contends, cannot take the innovator where he wishes to go. Similarly, the innovator cannot rely on instinct as a way of getting underneath traditional values because conflicting instincts must be reconciled by some external standard.

Since neither rationalism nor instinct provides a stable alternative to the Tao, the innovator can only select fragments of it, without being able to justify the elevation of one value over another—such as choosing between duty to one’s children and duty to one’s parents.

Lewis concludes that the Tao is the basis for all value systems and must be accepted or rejected as a whole. This does not mean the Tao is static it can develop from within, by someone who understands and accepts it, but innovation imposed from without is fundamentally different.

In his third and final lecture, "The Abolition of Man," Lewis considers what happens when people view the Tao as just one more aspect of nature that humanity has the power to conquer. He questions what it means to "conquer nature."

The Abolition Of Man

In the case of technologies like airplanes, the radio, or contraception, Lewis argues that power over nature really means power exercised by some men over others, with nature as the instrument. Ultimately, this will result in a select group of people shaping others—through methods like eugenics and propaganda into whatever they wish.While oppression has always existed, Lewis argues that modern governments and technologies possess far greater potential for oppression.

Unlike past generations, modern powers are not constrained by fidelity to the Tao. By stepping outside the Tao, these rulers become no longer recognizably human in any traditional sense.Their victory over humanity itself leads to "the abolition of man." Lewis warns that modern humanity cannot have it both ways: either we are rational beings subject to the Tao, or we are raw material to be manipulated by select masters driven by their impulses.

He suggests that perhaps modern science can still be salvaged, so it can harness the powers of nature without being consumed by them. However, he also posits that modern analytical methods might inherently destroy things by attempting to examine them.Lewis concludes with a metaphor: the purpose of seeing through something is to see what lies beyond, like a garden through a window. If we try to see through everything, including objective values, we end up in a world where everything is transparent—and seeing becomes the same as not seeing at all.

The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.

Full Summary of The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society.

politics

Politics

C. S. Lewis

The Abolition of Man

The sounds of the words you speak may lie on your own lips, but if you do not relinquish them entirely to a listener they never become words, and you say nothing at all.

MYTH PROVOKES explanation but accepts none of it. Where explanation absorbs the unspeakable into the speakable, myth reintroduces the silence that makes original discourse possible.

Explanations establish islands, even continents, of order and predictability. But these regions were first charted by adventurers whose lives are narratives of exploration and risk. They found them only by mythic journeys into the wayless open. When the less adventuresome settlers arrive later to work out the details and domesticate these spaces, they easily lose the sense that all this firm knowledge does not expunge myth, but floats in it.

When we look into a story to find its meaning, it is always a meaning we have brought with us to look at.

“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.” Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end. What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect the ways in which we live our lives? Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander. Carse has written a book rich in insight and aphorism. Already an international literary event, Finite and Infinite Games is certain to be argued about and celebrated for years to come. Reading it is the first step in learning to play the infinite game.

writing

Reading & Writing

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

teamwork

Teamwork

James Carse

Finite and Infinite Games

Explore how Kamina's iconic phrase "Don't believe in yourself, believe in me who believes in you" represents a powerful philosophy for personal growth. By trusting in others' belief in us, we can overcome self-doubt and achieve the seemingly impossible.

The Kamina Principle: Believing Beyond Yourself

Humans are often described as a meeting point between our base instincts (the "rising ape") and our higher consciousness (the "falling angel"). This internal conflict drives our evolution as a species and as individuals. By recognizing and balancing these two aspects of our nature, we can strive for personal growth and transcend our limitations, much like the characters in Gurren Lagann who fight to break free from their underground world.

Balancing Our Inner Ape and Angel: The Human Struggle

In Gurren Lagann, the phrase "Pierce the heavens with your drill!" serves as a rallying cry for the characters. This concept mirrors the use of mantras in real-life personal development. A personal mantra, whether drawn from pop culture or traditional sources, can act as a focusing tool, helping us push beyond our comfort zones and reminding us of our goals in challenging times

The Role of Mantras in Personal Development

The character Simon in Gurren Lagann starts by imitating his role model Kamina, but eventually develops his own leadership style. This progression reflects a common path in personal development: we often begin by emulating our heroes or mentors, but true growth comes when we internalize these lessons and adapt them to our unique personalities and situations. This journey from imitation to innovation is crucial for authentic personal growth.

"From Imitation to Innovation: The Journey of Personal Growth"

The four-minute mile was once considered physically impossible until Roger Bannister achieved it in 1954. Within a year, others followed suit. This real-world example, mirrored in the increasingly impossible feats achieved in Gurren Lagann, demonstrates how one person's breakthrough can reshape collective beliefs about what's possible. By pushing boundaries, we not only achieve our own goals but also inspire others to reach beyond their perceived limitations.

"Breaking Perceived Limits: The Ripple Effect of Achievement"

I especially love this video because I have a deep love and respect for this anime! I think the philosophy behind it is incredible and something that a lot of us could use when faced with challenges that seem insurmountable! I hope you guys enjoy it and give the show a try!

Underneath the masculine silliness that is Gurren Lagann lies an overwhelming amount of philosophical maturity.  Here, we will highlight one of those concepts; Believing in something bigger than yourself to become the person you can believe in.

This is technically the 2nd video I've ever made, but I managed to finally escape Youtube Copyright hell.

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Science Fiction

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Videos

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We do anime commentaries, let's plays, tea videos (coming soon), and whatever else within this sphere of fun!


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DON'T Believe In Yourself!  The Philosophy of Gurren Lagann!

"And he came back after an hour, he came back after two hours, looked through the small window, saw Siddhartha standing, in the moon light, by the light of the stars, in the darkness."

Lesson 1: Patience

"A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a self any more, to find tranquility with an emptied heart, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal. Once all of my self was overcome and had died, once every desire and every urge was silent in the heart, then the ultimate part of me had to awake, the innermost of my being, which is no longer my self, the great secret."

Lesson 2: Letting Go Of The Self

"What is meditation? What is leaving one’s body? What is fasting? What is holding one’s breath? It is fleeing from the self, it is a short escape of the agony of being a self, it is a short numbing of the senses against the pain and the pointlessness of life."

Lesson 3: Meditation

"It took me a long time and am not finished learning this yet, oh Govinda: that there is nothing to be learned! There is indeed no such thing, so I believe, as what we refer to as ‘learning’. There is, oh my friend, just one knowledge, this is everywhere, this is Atman, this is within me and within you and within every creature. And so I’m starting to believe that this knowledge has no worser enemy than the desire to know it, than learning."

Lesson 4: Learning

"[Salvation] has come to you in the course of your own search, on your own path, through thoughts, through meditation, through realizations, through enlightenment. It has not come to you by means of teachings! [...] nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings! You will not be able to convey and say to anybody [...] in words and through teachings what has happened to you in the hour of enlightenment! [...] This is why I am continuing my travels—not to seek other, better teachings, for I know there are none, but to depart from all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal by myself"

Lesson 5: Finding Your Own Path

"It was the self, the purpose and essence of which I sought to learn. It was the self, I wanted to free myself from, which I sought to overcome. But I was not able to overcome it, could only deceive it, could only flee from it, only hide from it. Truly, no thing in this world has kept my thoughts thus busy, as this my very own self, this mystery of me being alive, of me being one and being separated and isolated from all others, of me being Siddhartha! And there is no thing in this world I know less about than about me, about Siddhartha!"

Lesson 6: Knowing Yourself

"I do not want to kill and dissect myself any longer, to find a secret behind the ruins. Neither Yoga-Veda shall teach me any more, nor Atharva-Veda, nor the ascetics, nor any kind of teachings. I want to learn from myself, want to be my student, want to get to know myself, the secret of Siddhartha."

Lesson 7: Being Your Own Student

"He looked around, as if he was seeing the world for the first time. Beautiful was the world, colourful was the world, strange and mysterious was the world! Here was blue, here was yellow, here was green, the sky and the river flowed, the forest and the mountains were rigid, all of it was beautiful, all of it was mysterious and magical, and in its midst was he, Siddhartha, the awakening one, on the path to himself. […] The purpose and the essential properties were not somewhere behind the things, they were in them, in everything."

Lesson 8: The Purpose Of Everything

"When someone reads a text, wants to discover its meaning, he will not scorn the symbols and letters and call them deceptions, coincidence, and worthless hull, but he will read them, he will study and love them, letter by letter."

Lesson 9: Looking Deeper

"Both, the thoughts as well as the senses, were pretty things, the ultimate meaning was hidden behind both of them, both had to be listened to, both had to be played with, both neither had to be scorned nor overestimated, from both the secret voices of the innermost truth had to be attentively perceived. He wanted to strive for nothing, except for what the voice commanded him to strive for, dwell on nothing, except where the voice would advise him to do so. [...] To obey like this, not to an external command, only to the voice, to be ready like this, this was good, this was necessary [...]"

Lesson 10: Listening To Yourself

"[A] very beautiful river, I love it more than anything. Often I have listened to it, often I have looked into its eyes, and always I have learned from it. Much can be learned from a river. […] This too, I have learned from the river: everything is coming back! You too, Samana, will come back."

Lesson 11: Coming Back

"[L]ove can be obtained by begging, buying, receiving it as a gift, finding it in the street, but it cannot be stolen."

Lesson 12: Love

"This is how it is when Siddhartha has a goal [...]. Siddhartha does nothing, he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he passes through the things of the world like a rock through water, without doing anything, without stirring; he is drawn, he lets himself fall. His goal attracts him, because he doesn’t let anything enter his soul which might oppose the goal. [...] This is what fools call magic and of which they think it would be effected by means of the daemons. [...] Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast."

Lesson 13: Reaching A Goal

"She taught him, that lovers must not part from one another after celebrating love, without one admiring the other, without being just as defeated as they have been victorious, so that none of them should start feeling fed up or bored and get that evil feeling of having abused or having been abused."

Lesson 14: Admiring Each Other

"Too much knowledge had held him back [...] so much doing and striving for that goal! Full of arrogance, he had been [...]. Into this spirituality, his self had retreated, there it sat firmly and grew, while he thought he would kill it by fasting and penance. Now he saw it and saw that the secret voice had been right, that no teacher would ever have been able to bring about his salvation. Therefore, he had to go out into the world, lose himself to lust and power, to woman and money, [...] until Siddhartha the lustful, Siddhartha the greedy could also die."

Lesson 15: Embracing Your Path

"This was among the ferryman’s virtues one of the greatest: like only a few, he knew how to listen. Without him having spoken a word, the speaker sensed how Vasudeva let his words enter his mind, quiet, open, waiting, how he did not lose a single one, awaited not a single one with impatience, did not add his praise or rebuke, was just listening. Siddhartha felt, what a happy fortune it is, to confess to such a listener, to bury in his heart his own life, his own search, his own suffering."

Lesson 16: The Art Of Listening

"The river has taught me to listen, from it you will learn it as well. It knows everything, the river, everything can be learned from it.""But more than Vasudeva could teach him, he was taught by the river. Incessantly, he learned from it. Most of all, he learned from it to listen, to pay close attention with a quiet heart, with a waiting, opened soul, without passion, without a wish, without judgement, without an opinion."

Lesson 17: Learning From Nature

"Oh, was not all suffering time, were not all forms of tormenting oneself and being afraid time, was not everything hard, everything hostile in the world gone and overcome as soon as one had overcome time, as soon as time would have been put out of existence by one’s thoughts?"

Lesson 18: Time And Suffering

"And time after time, his smile became more similar to the ferryman’s, became almost just as bright, almost just as thoroughly glowing with bliss […]. There was something about this ferry and the two ferrymen which was transmitted to others, which many of the travellers felt. […] The curious people asked many questions, but they got no answers, and they found neither sorcerers nor wise men, they only found two friendly little old men, who seemed to be mute and to have become a bit strange and gaga."

Lesson 19: The Enlightened Smile

"For a long time he knew that there was nothing standing between Gotama and him any more, though he was still unable to accept his teachings. No, there was no teaching a truly searching person, someone who truly wanted to find, could accept. But he who had found, he could approve of any teachings, every path, every goal, there was nothing standing between him and all the other thousand any more who lived in that what is eternal, who breathed what is divine."

Lesson 20: Wisdom

"Kamala never stopped looking into his eyes. She thought about her pilgrimage to Gotama, which she wanted to take, in order to see the face of the perfected one, to breathe his peace, and she thought that she had now found him in his place, and that it was good, just as good, as if she had seen the other one."

Lesson 21: Divinity Is Everywhere

"[…] and the feeling of this both being present and at the same time real, the feeling of eternity, completely filled every aspect of his being. Deeply he felt, more deeply than ever before, in this hour, the indestructibility of every life, the eternity of every moment."

Lesson 22: Eternity

"'I sat here, I was listening to the river. A lot it has told me, deeply it has filled me with the healing thought, with the thought of oneness.' 'You’ve experienced suffering, Siddhartha, but I see: no sadness has entered your heart.' 'No, my dear, how should I be sad? I, who have been rich and happy, have become even richer and happier now. My son has been given to me.'"

Lesson 23: Happiness

"Kamala has died on the same bed on which my wife had died a long time ago. Let us also build Kamala’s funeral pile on the same hill on which I had then built my wife’s funeral pile."

Lesson 24: Honouring The Dead

"You don’t force him, don’t beat him, don’t give him orders, because you know that ‘soft’ is stronger than ‘hard’, water stronger than rocks, love stronger than force. [...] Don’t you shackle him with your love? Don’t you make him feel inferior every day, and don’t you make it even harder on him with your kindness and patience? Don’t you force him [...] to live in a hut with two old banana-eaters, to whom even rice is a delicacy, whose thoughts can’t be his, whose hearts are old and quiet and beat in a different pace than his? Isn’t he forced, isn’t he punished by all this?"

Lesson 25: When Love Is Too Much

"Which father, which teacher had been able to protect him from living his life for himself, from soiling himself with life, from burdening himself with guilt, from drinking the bitter drink for himself, from finding his path for himself? Would you think, my dear, anybody might perhaps be spared from taking this path? That perhaps your little son would be spared, because you love him, because you would like to keep him from suffering and pain and disappointment? But even if you would die ten times for him, you would not be able to take the slightest part of his destiny upon yourself."

Lesson 26: Protecting Someone

"But now, since his son was here, now he, Siddhartha, had also become completely a childlike person, suffering for the sake of another person, loving another person, lost to a love, having become a fool on account of love. Now he too felt, late, once in his lifetime, this strongest and strangest of all passions, suffered from it, suffered miserably, and was nevertheless in bliss, was nevertheless renewed in one respect, enriched by one thing."

Lesson 27: The Feeling Of Love

"But him, you shall let run along, my friend, he is no child any more, he knows how to get around. He’s looking for the path to the city, and he is right, don’t forget that. He’s doing what you’ve failed to do yourself. He’s taking care of himself, he’s taking his course. Alas, Siddhartha, I see you suffering, but you’re suffering a pain at which one would like to laugh, at which you’ll soon laugh for yourself."

Lesson 28: Letting Your Children Go

"Siddhartha realised that his desire was foolish, which had made him go up to this place, that he could not help his son, that he was not allowed to cling to him. Deeply, he felt the love for the run-away in his heart, like a wound, and he felt at the same time that this wound had not been given to him in order to turn the knife in it, that it had to become a blossom and had to shine."

Lesson 29: Loving Someone From Afar

"From this petrified state, he was awoken by a hand touching his shoulder. Instantly, he recognised this touch, this tender, bashful touch, and regained his senses. He rose and greeted Vasudeva, who had followed him. And when he looked into Vasudeva’s friendly face, into the small wrinkles, which were as if they were filled with nothing but his smile, into the happy eyes, then he smiled too. Now he saw the bananas lying in front of him, picked them up, gave one to the ferryman, ate the other one himself."

Lesson 30: Support

"Though he was near perfection and was bearing his final wound, it still seemed to him as if those childlike people were his brothers, their vanities, desires for possession, and ridiculous aspects were no longer ridiculous to him, became understandable, became lovable, even became worthy of veneration to him."

Lesson 31: Loving Everything

"[...] there was nothing the knowledgeable one, the thinker, had to put him above them except for one little thing, a single, tiny, small thing: the consciousness, the conscious thought of the oneness of all life. And Siddhartha even doubted in many an hour, whether this knowledge, this thought was to be valued thus highly [...]. In all other respects, the worldly people were of equal rank to the wise men, were often far superior to them, just as animals too can, after all, in some moments, seem to be superior to humans in their tough, unrelenting performance of what is necessary."

Lesson 32: Noone Is Above Or Below You

A collection of my favourite quotes and lessons from the book – although no number of quotes could ever fully capture the magic of this inspiring masterpiece.

The classic novel of a quest for knowledge that has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers—a perennial favorite for graduation gifts. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Though set in a place and time far removed from the Germany of 1922, the year of the book’s debut, the novel is infused with the sensibilities of Hermann Hesse’s time, synthesizing disparate philosophies–Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism–into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man’s search for meaning. It is the story of the quest of Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege and comfort to seek spiritual fulfillment and wisdom. On his journey, Siddhartha encounters wandering ascetics, Buddhist monks, and successful merchants, as well as a courtesan named Kamala and a simple ferryman who has attained enlightenment. Traveling among these people and experiencing life’s vital passages–love, work, friendship, and fatherhood–Siddhartha discovers that true knowledge is guided from within.

Siddhartha

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