Siddhartha

into a rich house, servants led him between precious carpet

ray hair, with very intelligent, cautious eyes, with a greedy

learned man, but that you seek to be in the service of a merchant. M

ave never been destitute. You should know that I'm coming

uld you be anything but destitute? Aren't

s what you mean. Surely, I am without possessions. But

ning to live of, being

n three years, I have been without possessions, a

d of the posses

After all, a merchant also li

ing from another person for nothing; h

d. Everyone takes, every

ng: being without possessions,

trength, the merchant gives merchandise, the tea

you've got to give? What is it that y

. I can wait

s ever

, that's e

at? For example, the fast

o accept any kind of service before this day is up, whether it may be with you or wherever, because hunger would force him to do so. But like this, Siddhartha can wait c

Samana. Wait

ith a scroll, which he handed to his g

ch a sales-contract had been written do

And would you write something

er and a pen, and Siddhartha

thinking is better. Being smart

im. "Many a thing we will still have to discuss with one another.

ink wine. Kamaswami told him about his trade, showed him the merchandise and storage-rooms, showed him calculations. Siddhartha got to know many new things, he heard a lot and spoke little. And thinking of Kamala's words, he was never subservient to the merchant, forced him to t

nto a bottomless pit, him she taught, thoroughly starting with the basics, about that school of thought which teaches that pleasure cannot be taken without giving pleasure, and that every gesture, every caress, every touch, every look, every spot of the body, however small it was, had its secret, which would bring happiness to those who know about it and unleash it. She taught him, that lovers must not part from one another after celeb

nt, in calmness and equanimity, and in the art of listening and deeply understanding previously unknown people. "This Brahman," he said to a friend, "is no proper merchant and will never be one, there is never any passion in his soul when he conducts our business. But he has that mysterious quality of those people to

or you a third of the profits, but let him also be liable for the same amo

en he made a profit, he accepted it with equanimity; when he made losses,

s for a drink, gave copper-coins to their children, joined in the celebration of a wedding, and returned extremely satisfied from his trip. Kamaswami held against him that he had not turned back right away, that he had wasted time and money. Siddhartha answered: "Stop scolding, dear friend! Noth

but in fact, you are a merchant after all, one ought to th

possible, and time and money would indeed have been lost. But like this, I've had a few good days, I've learned, had joy, I've neither harmed myself nor others by annoyance and hastiness. And if I'll ever return there again, perhaps to buy an upcoming harvest, or for whatever purpose it might be, friendly people will receive me in a friendly and

failing, or whether a shipment of merchandise seemed to have been lost, or a debtor seemed to be unable to pay, Kamaswami could never convince his partner that it would be useful to utter a few words of worry or anger, to have wrinkles on the forehead, to sleep badly. When, one day, Kamaswami held against him that he had learned everyth

ever easily he succeeded in talking to all of them, in living with all of them, in learning from all of them, he was still aware that there was something which separated him from them and this separating factor was him being a Samana. He saw mankind going through life in a childlike or animallike manner, which he loved and also despised at the same time. He saw them to

let cheat him out of some small change when buying bananas. When Kamaswami came to him, to complain about his worries or to reproach him concerning his business, he listened curiously and happily, was puzzled by him, tried to understand him, consented that he was a little bit right, only as much as he considered indispensable, and turned away from him, towards the next person who would ask for him. A

ound him, watched them, found amusement in them; with his heart, with the source of his being, he was not with them. The source ran somewhere, far away from him, ran and ran invisibly, had nothing to do with his life any more. And at several times he suddenly became scared on account of such thoughts and wished that he would also be gifted with the ability to participate in all of this childlike-naive occupations of the daytime with passion and wit

g else, and inside of you, there is a peace and refuge, to which you can go at every hour of the d

le are smart,

r, and wavers, and tumbles to the ground. But others, a few, are like stars, they go on a fixed course, no wind reaches them, in themselves they have their law and their course. Among all the learned men and Samanas, of which I knew many, there was one of this kind, a perfected one,

, you're talking about him," she said, "a

r and like the bow of a hunter; he who had learned from her how to make love, was knowledgeable of many forms of lust, many secrets. For a long time, she pla

ok a long look at his face, at

e willing. You've learned my art well, Siddhartha. At some time, when I'll be older, I'd want to bear your

o not love-how else could you practise love as a craft? Perhaps, people of our