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Deep Analysis of Siddharta: The Music of Life (Pt. II Ch. VII-VIII) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-09-09 16:14:49
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

We've come to the end of Hermann Hesse's Siddharta.

And, as every end is a beginning, we're framing the end of this great book with a return to the start.

The final few paragraphs are some of the most poignant in Modern Literature, so let's appreciate them intensely together.

We're talking about wisdom vs knowledge, achieving a bird's eye view of one's life, why we hurt those closest to us, what Jung, Frankl, and Fromm say about suffering, the music of life, and much more.

I'm ending this video with my personal response to Siddharta, and asking for you to share your thoughts on reaching the end.

We'll have a dedicated video engaging with your impressions to make a tapestry, a communal response to this work, so anything you might like to offer will be deeply appreciated. 

Video Timestamps

  • 0:00 coming full circle
  • 1:45 the motif of wounds, suffering, and the river
  • 3:30 Hesse is an intensely visual writer
  • 4:00 wisdom vs knowledge
  • 4:20 deep appreciation for a poignant passage
  • 6:00 how Hesse gives us a bird’s eye view of our life
  • 6:40 Siddharta has become his own father (inter-generational strife)
  • 7:15 why we hurt those closest to us
  • 8:30 is Siddharta a novella?
  • 10:45 Jung on treating suffering Catholics
  • 14:00 Erich Fromm on alienation
  • 15:00 Viktor Frankl on finding meaning in suffering
  • 17:00 is Siddharta worthy of his sufferings?
  • 19:00 one of the most resonant passages in Siddharta
  • 22:00 Nietzsche on having a “why” to live for
  • 24:00 Siddharta’s words now have meaning
  • 25:00 Hesse bloats his prose with repetition, forging a diamond of sense
  • 25:30 the music of life and Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’
  • 27:00 the unity, the great song of a thousand voices, om
  • 28:30 the value of vicarious experience
  • 29:00 Aristotle on the virtue of wisdom
  • 32:00 how to finish Siddharta
  • 33:00 finding vs seeking
  • 34:30 “wisdom is not communicable”
  • 36:50 “Time is not real, Govinda” (Cervantes and Proust tie-in)
  • 38:00 the ending of Siddharta
  • 42:19 my personal thoughts on the ending
  • 43:00 questions for you

What did Siddharta mean to you and this point in your life?

If there was just one passage you could spend time rereading, which would it be? Why?

Thank you so much for reading Siddharta together along with us - and congratulations for reaching the end!

Files

Previews only

Deep Analysis of Siddharta: The Music of Life (Pt. II Ch. VII-VIII)

0:00 coming full circle 1:45 the motif of wounds, suffering, and the river 3:30 Hesse is an intensely visual writer 4:00 wisdom vs knowledge 4:20 deep appreciation for a poignant passage 6:00 how Hesse gives us a bird’s eye view of our life 6:40 Siddharta has become his own father (inter-generational strife) 7:15 why we hurt those closest to us 8:30 is Siddharta a novella? 10:45 Jung on treating suffering Catholics 14:00 Erich Fromm on alienation 15:00 Viktor Frankl on finding meaning in suffering 17:00 is Siddharta worthy of his sufferings? 19:00 one of the most resonant passages in Siddharta 22:00 Nietzsche on having a “why” to live for 24:00 Siddharta’s words now have meaning 25:00 Hesse bloats his prose with repetition, forging a diamond of sense 25:30 the music of life and Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’ 27:00 the unity, the great song of a thousand voices, om 28:30 the value of vicarious experience 29:00 Aristotle on the virtue of wisdom 32:00 how to finish Siddharta 33:00 finding vs seeking 34:30 “wisdom is not communicable” 36:50 “Time is not real, Govinda” (Cervantes and Proust tie-in) 38:00 the ending of Siddharta 42:19 my personal thoughts on the ending 43:00 questions for you

Comments

Jonathon Glover

Thanks for this series Ben. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in here. And the novella sure packs a punch. I do find the spiritual teaching in here surprisingly individualistic. And that Siddhartha’s journey is primarily about his own journey, rather than a societal one. I also think that his inability to truly build relationships with others was solipsistic, and I think that understanding is found in relationships, and through teaching. However, I am struck by the differentiation between knowledge and wisdom. The Socratic idea that the more we know the more we realise how little we truly know. I was more inspired by the Ferryman, and probably would like to spend another novella with him. He reminded me of a Tolstoyian representation of the peasant, that there is truth and meaning to be found in manual tasks. And his relationship to the river was illuminating. The most profound part of the novel for me was the idea that I eventually have to let my daughters go and make their own path in this world. And that knowledge (and hopefully wisdom) can only come from experience - and thus, errors and suffering. Terrifying thought. However, it also means that they get to experience the joys of this world too. Their first love, their first independent travels, their first time reading their favourite book. I get that the world is filled with duality, and there is no light without shadow. But when I reflect on my life, it is not the suffering that I remember. It is the laughs of friends and family, or feeling of joy and elation too. Hopefully the girls have those experiences ahead of them too.

Sergey Taranenko

I don’t know. On the one hand this is a beautifully written book. The prose is simple, yet so intensely visual. Almost every word seems to be carefully selected and play its part in the overall narrative. Reading Siddhartha felt like a session of mediation, a spiritual experience. The idea of cyclicality also left a great impression on me. I think this is the first time I encounter a book which is constructed to be reread. There are plenty of great works that deserve to be read again and again over the course of your life, always presenting some new insight. When I re-visit such books, I get the feeling of experiencing something known, but in a new way. Siddhartha is different in this sense. It’s as if the act of rereading it is a continuation of the story itself. Metaphorically speaking, it is akin to the difference between walking on a familiar street versus walking in a circle, or maybe, running a circle, your vision blurring as everything merges into one. Did anyone else feel this? Was this Hesse’s intention? I wonder, from the technical point of view, what exactly achieves this effect. I guess another rereading is in order. On the other hand, when it comes to the philosophical message of the book, I found it somewhat basic. The unity of the universe, time as an illusion, the need to experience vice to understand virtue, none of this felt particularly unique or profound. Rather, it all seemed to be in a very introductory form and much better explored by various other writers and philosophers. Alluding to Joseph Campbell, Siddhartha (or rather Hesse) does not fulfill his mission of bringing the boon back to the people, of reinvigorating the world with the knowledge he discovered in the belly of the whale; Hesse falls victim to his own assertion that wisdom cannot be shared through words. This might be a somewhat odd comparison, but yesterday I’ve read Young Goodman Brown. The short story, only 12 pages or so, made me think and reflect for the rest of the day. It commented on such as small aspect of life—using others as a moral compass—yet it made me reevaluate my view on a variety of events I’ve going through. There are many other great works that have made me experience a sort spiritual/philosophical exultation, a moment of enlightenment, in different points in my life; Siddhartha just doesn’t do it for me. If I had to chose one specific aspect of the novel which I relate to, it would probably be the moment when Siddhartha realizes his contempt for the people is misplaced. There is something in my personality that makes me susceptible to a sort of arrogance towards people who chose to live in a way that is disagreeable to me. It often prevents me from learning from them and sometimes makes me an unpleasant person to be around. Siddhartha’s story made me reflect on this once again. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much else. There was too little explanation of this view of the world and how it impacts one’s life, just a surface level acknowledgement. I am intrigued to read more of Hesse, if only because I am fascinated with his technical skill. Thank you, Ben, for this wonderful lecture series! I will definitely be reading Viktor Frankl, his philosophy as explored in this video is very appealing to me. You have also inspired me to read William Blake and to re-visit one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost.