悉达多讲的什么 名著精读:《悉达多》-和儿童般的俗人在一起(3)

名著精读:《悉达多》-和儿童般的俗人在一起(3)  

"Surely
" Siddhartha laughed
"surely I have travelled for my amusement. For what else? I have gotten to know people and places
I have received kindness and trust
I have found friendship. Look
my dear
if I had been Kamaswami
I would have travelled back
being annoyed and in a hurry
as soon as I had seen that my purchase had been rendered impossible
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 uping harvest
or for whatever purpose it might be
friendly people will receive me in a friendly and happy manner
and I will praise myself for not showing any hurry and displeasure at that time. So
leave it as it is
my friend
and don't harm yourself by scolding! If the day will e
when you will see: this Siddhartha is harming me
then speak a word and Siddhartha will go on his own path. But until then
let's be satisfied with one another."
Futile were also the merchant's attempts
to convince Siddhartha that he should eat his bread. Siddhartha ate his own bread
or rather they both ate other people's bread
all people's bread. Siddhartha never listened to Kamaswami's worries and Kamaswami had many worries. Whether there was a business-deal going on which was in danger of 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 everything he knew from him
he replied: "Would you please not kid me with such jokes! What I've learned from you is how much a basket of fish costs and how much interests may be charged on loaned money. These are your areas of expertise. I haven't learned to think from you
my dear Kamaswami
you ought to be the one seeking to learn from me."
Indeed his soul was not with the trade. The business was good enough to provide him with the money for Kamala
and it earned him much more than he needed. Besides from this
Siddhartha's interest and curiosity was only concerned with the people
whose businesses
crafts
worries
pleasures
and acts of foolishness used to be as alien and distant to him as the moon. However 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 trough life in a childlike or animallike manner
which he loved and also despised at the same time. He saw them toiling
saw them suffering
and being gray for the sake of things which seemed to him to entirely unworthy of this price
for money
for little pleasures
for being slightly honoured
he saw them scolding and insulting each other
he saw them plaining about pain at which a Samana would only smile
and suffering because of deprivations which a Samana would not feel.
He was open to everything
these people brought his way. Wele was the merchant who offered him linen for sale
wele was the debtor who sought another loan
wele was the beggar who told him for one hour the story of his poverty and who was not half as poor as any given Samana. He did not treat the rich foreign merchant any different than the servant who shaved him and the street-vendor whom he let cheat him out of some small change when buying bananas. When Kamaswami came to him
to plain 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. And there were many who came to him
many to do business with him
many to cheat him
many to draw some secret out of him
many to appeal to his sympathy
many to get his advice. He gave advice
he pitied
he made gifts
he let them cheat him a bit
and this entire game and the passion with which all people played this game occupied his thoughts just as much as the gods and Brahmans used to occupy them.