https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hw4z4-1b4df60

This week Matt and Michael dive into Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the Nobel Prize-winning author’s short but famously dense 1922 novel following a Brahmin’s son through asceticism, wealth, fatherhood, and, eventually, enlightenment.

We get into why Siddhartha’s arrogance and restless seeking might be his defining trait rather than his wisdom, how the book’s ending draws directly on the Heart Sutra, and why “the seeker as identity” can become its own kind of trap, one that keeps you from ever actually arriving anywhere. We also talk personal history: what draws someone to Buddhism in the first place, what a decade of meditation practice actually feels like, and why asceticism and self-destructive habits might be doing the same psychological job.

Also featuring our new co-host, Solana the puppy (see her on YouTube if you’re listening in audio).