The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius

Rating:
Summary: A Slave Serves as a Spiritual Mentor to an Emperor
Review: During the best years of the Roman empire, a man wrote down his meditations on how one might live a good life. This man, Marcus Aurelius, was also the Emperor of Rome, and, indirectly, his greatest influence was a Greek slave named Epictetus who practiced the philosophy known as Stoicism. So here we have a philosophy that unites an emperor and a slave, thus demonstrating its power to unite beings across manufactured boundaries.

In short, Stoicism is not the dreary, morose way of life that some have portrayed it as. It is, actually, a way of getting the best out of one's 'short time under the sun'. Desires, for instance, seem a normal part of human existence, but according to Stoic philosphy, the act of desiring does nothing more than to magnify the sense of 'lack' in one's life. This magnified sense of lack causes a man to desire still more, and his increasing desires further magnify his sense of lack. But by being grateful for his existence now, and for what he does have and can effectively influence, a man magnifies that which is good and abundant in him. Again, Stoicism is not the stern, 'abstain from all things fun until death' philosophy it has been mistakenly characterized as, but instead is the opposite, a means of preparing for dying by learning how to live a good and righteous life; not by ideological morals, but by real and present values found 'here-and-now' within one's conscience.

Here are two beautiful quotes from the book, the first which is widely known, and the second which can be, but isn't:

Marcus Aurelius: 1) "I fear not dying, but of never having lived."

Epictetus thought that good people would say to God when they were dying,

2) "I leave full of gratefulness to you, for you have judged me worthy of celebrating the festival with you, of contemplating your works, and of following together with you the way in which you govern the world."

Important to note, is the fact that Aurelius did not write his meditations down in order to be famous, or to seek converts. He wrote them down for himself, as a sort of spiritual diary. Interestingly, many of his meditations were written while discharging his duty as commander-in-chief of the armed forces during several war campaigns against invading barbarian armies. The clarity and composure in his writings during these otherwise grave and treacherous times is a compelling case for his authenticity.

The author, Mark Forstater, takes from Aurelius' meditations and weaves in anectdotes, historical facts, and fine quotes from like-minded philosophers so as to make an otherwise serious discipline into something that any sincere person can touch, appreciate and most importantly, apply in his moment-to-moment life. I will leave you with a final example, and a wish that you have been served well by this review:

Against Nature--

"Begin each day by saying to yourself, 'Today I shall meet people who are interfering, ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, and selfish.' They are made this way because of their ignorance of what is good and evil.

"But I, who have seen the nature of good and its beauty, and of evil and its ugliness, know that the inner nature of the man who does evil is the same nature as mine (not that we are brothers, but we possess the same mind and the same share of spirit); therefore I can't be harmed by any of these men, for no one can impose on me what is degrading.

"I shouldn't be angry with my brother or hate him. For we are made to work in harmony, like a man's two feet or hands, eyelids, or the rows of upper and lower teeth. To work against one another is against Nature; and it is acting against Nature to be angry and to turn away."

-- Marcus Aurelius

Rating:
Summary: A Slave Serves as a Spiritual Mentor to an Emperor
Review: During the best years of the Roman empire, a man wrote down his meditations on how one might live a good life. This man, Marcus Aurelius, was also the Emperor of Rome, and, indirectly, his greatest influence was a Greek slave named Epictetus who practiced the philosophy known as Stoicism. So here we have a philosophy that unites an emperor and a slave, thus demonstrating its power to unite beings across manufactured boundaries.

In short, Stoicism is not the dreary, morose way of life that some have portrayed it as. It is, actually, a way of getting the best out of one's 'short time under the sun'. Desires, for instance, seem a normal part of human existence, but according to Stoic philosphy, the act of desiring does nothing more than to magnify the sense of 'lack' in one's life. This magnified sense of lack causes a man to desire still more, and his increasing desires further magnify his sense of lack. But by being grateful for his existence now, and for what he does have and can effectively influence, a man magnifies that which is good and abundant in him. Again, Stoicism is not the stern, 'abstain from all things fun until death' philosophy it has been mistakenly characterized as, but instead is the opposite, a means of preparing for dying by learning how to live a good and righteous life; not by ideological morals, but by real and present values found 'here-and-now' within one's conscience.

Here are two beautiful quotes from the book, the first which is widely known, and the second which can be, but isn't:

Marcus Aurelius: 1) "I fear not dying, but of never having lived."

Epictetus thought that good people would say to God when they were dying,

2) "I leave full of gratefulness to you, for you have judged me worthy of celebrating the festival with you, of contemplating your works, and of following together with you the way in which you govern the world."

Important to note, is the fact that Aurelius did not write his meditations down in order to be famous, or to seek converts. He wrote them down for himself, as a sort of spiritual diary. Interestingly, many of his meditations were written while discharging his duty as commander-in-chief of the armed forces during several war campaigns against invading barbarian armies. The clarity and composure in his writings during these otherwise grave and treacherous times is a compelling case for his authenticity.

The author, Mark Forstater, takes from Aurelius' meditations and weaves in anectdotes, historical facts, and fine quotes from like-minded philosophers so as to make an otherwise serious discipline into something that any sincere person can touch, appreciate and most importantly, apply in his moment-to-moment life. I will leave you with a final example, and a wish that you have been served well by this review:

Against Nature--

"Begin each day by saying to yourself, 'Today I shall meet people who are interfering, ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, and selfish.' They are made this way because of their ignorance of what is good and evil.

"But I, who have seen the nature of good and its beauty, and of evil and its ugliness, know that the inner nature of the man who does evil is the same nature as mine (not that we are brothers, but we possess the same mind and the same share of spirit); therefore I can't be harmed by any of these men, for no one can impose on me what is degrading.

"I shouldn't be angry with my brother or hate him. For we are made to work in harmony, like a man's two feet or hands, eyelids, or the rows of upper and lower teeth. To work against one another is against Nature; and it is acting against Nature to be angry and to turn away."

-- Marcus Aurelius

Rating:
Summary: An uninformed, trivial cash-in on the self-help market
Review: Forstater's book is either an uninformed and trivial glance at one of the masterworks of Western philosophy or a quick-and-dirty attempt to cash in on the self-help market.

Forstater says, in the third paragraph of the preface, "Marcus Aurelius wrote a book of "spiritual exercises" for himself that was in effect the first self-help book ever written." This demonstrates that he never studied Epictetus's Encheiridion; the title itself meaning "ready at hand" or "handbook" in contemporary speech.

This disappointing book is written in two parts. Part One, as said, is a trivial glance at the history and meaning of the Stoa. Part Two consists of some selections from the adequate, Victorian era translation by George Long. These selections have been transliterated into colloquial American with Forstarter's own subjective, subject titles and no references to the original work, such as "Med. XII.1."

Save your money and download the G. Long translation from the net or buy the C. R. Haines translation from Harvard (Loeb Classical Library,) or even the Penguin edition.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Bargain
Review: I almost didn't buy this audio cassette since many previous reviewers panned it. I'm very glad I did buy it. If you are looking for a scholarly work on Marcus Aurelius, this isn't it, sorry. Rather consider it more of a primer on the teachings or Marcus Aurelius. I particularly like to listen to it on the way to work. I didn't find it that different from what I had read in the Penguin classics edition, merely abridged. So, if you want a good taste of what The Stoic emperor was all about, give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A good book on self improvment
Review: Norman Vincent Peale often quoted Marcus Aurelius in his books, which is how I discovered his writings.

Marcus Aurelius was a deep thinker and he wrote down his own profound spiritual insights into the way to find joy and meaning in life.

We have many contemporary books that accomplish the same noble task but there is something compelling about seeing these same words written nearly 1800 years ago.

Also a little discouraging that we haven't mastered these life's lessons yet!

Marcus certainly was very wise and learned much from his time on earth. When I read this book, I found it so inspiring that I actually made copious notes of his insights and advice. Something I'd never done before. Then I strove to *live* those insights.

It's a good read and a very worthwhile book for anyone wanting to plumb beneath the surface of things and discover the keys to happiness and peace.

Rating:
Summary: Bleaches a masterpiece into a self-help guide for idiots.
Review: Sorry, folks, but if, like me, you truly admire the brilliance of Marcus Aurelius, this is the book you don't want to bother with. There are several very decent English translations of Marcus (my own collection includes seven different translators), and if you really want to get to the bottom of Aurelius, get Pierre Hadot's "The Inner Citadel."

Forstater's book is so thin (my British edition does not even cite the translator!) on the stoic underpinnings of Aurelius's thinking that one wonders if Forstater read one English translationand considered himself an authority on that alone...

Rating:
Summary: Bleaches a masterpiece into a self-help guide for idiots.
Review: The other reviewers have thoroughly covered the content of this wonderful work so I will simply add that listening to Derek Jacobi's reading of the text is a sublime experience in itself. It's somewhat like listening to a wise Dutch uncle and Jacobi's easy conversational tone (never hectoring or lecturing) makes you want to pay attention to what he's saying. After a hard day it's especially soothing to listen these tapes before retiring.

Rating:
Summary: A superb reading of a superb text
Review: The other reviewers have thoroughly covered the content of this wonderful work so I will simply add that listening to Derek Jacobi's reading of the text is a sublime experience in itself. It's somewhat like listening to a wise Dutch uncle and Jacobi's easy conversational tone (never hectoring or lecturing) makes you want to pay attention to what he's saying. After a hard day it's especially soothing to listen these tapes before retiring.

Rating:
Summary: an intro to Aurelius and Stoicism in light of Gladiator
Review: The popularity of the historically inaccurate but popular film, GLADIATOR, may ignite a new interest in the writings of the Roman Emperor-Philosopher Marcus Aurelius. This is ironic, since Aurelius wrote that one should emulate the boxer rather than the gladiator, since the boxer need only clench is fists (self reliance), while the gladiator required a sword. Forstater provides a very good introduction to the historic period and Aurelius's Stoic writings. Marcus Aurelius, of whom one Emperor was quite fond, ruled from 161 to 180. He died in what is now Vienna, most likely the victim of poisoning in a plot by his son Commodus (one of the Empires worst rulers). Marcus Aurelius, trained in the Stoic tradition by the former Greek slave Epictetus, wrote on themes dealing with death, change, being at one with nature, the control of quick tempers and anger, and about courage, hope, greed, avarice, virtue, justice, and peace. At a time when the Pax Roman collapsed, Aurelius wrote about peace, not power or fame. Spending eight winters on the Danube, fighting off the Eastern hordes and Germans, he used Stoicism for strength and comfort. Stoicism is not gloom and doom. Stoics can enjoy life, just seriously. The writings help the reader to understand how to concern oneself with what one is rather than what one possesses. Based on the teachings of Zeno, the Semitic Cypriot, it counsels you to be free of slavery to passions, to be self-reliant, and to control your goals, aversions, judgements, and desires.

Part 1 of the book (the first third) explains the life of Aurelius, Roman history, and the history of Greek Philosophy and the Stoics. Forstater also very briefly compares Aurelius' writing to those of Asian, Newtonian, and Hassidic philosophers. Part 2, in eight chaptered themes, presents segments of Aurelius's spiritual exercises (from his Ta Eis Heauton, which was first published in the 16th Century). Unfortunately, Aurelius's son did not learn any of the lessons. The book is best read like olive oil; dip into it periodically for sustenance.

Rating:
Summary: an intro to Aurelius and Stoicism in light of Gladiator
Review: The popularity of the historically inaccurate but popular film, GLADIATOR, may ignite a new interest in the writings of the Roman Emperor-Philosopher Marcus Aurelius. This is ironic, since Aurelius wrote that one should emulate the boxer rather than the gladiator, since the boxer need only clench is fists (self reliance), while the gladiator required a sword. Forstater provides a very good introduction to the historic period and Aurelius's Stoic writings. Marcus Aurelius, of whom one Emperor was quite fond, ruled from 161 to 180. He died in what is now Vienna, most likely the victim of poisoning in a plot by his son Commodus (one of the Empires worst rulers). Marcus Aurelius, trained in the Stoic tradition by the former Greek slave Epictetus, wrote on themes dealing with death, change, being at one with nature, the control of quick tempers and anger, and about courage, hope, greed, avarice, virtue, justice, and peace. At a time when the Pax Roman collapsed, Aurelius wrote about peace, not power or fame. Spending eight winters on the Danube, fighting off the Eastern hordes and Germans, he used Stoicism for strength and comfort. Stoicism is not gloom and doom. Stoics can enjoy life, just seriously. The writings help the reader to understand how to concern oneself with what one is rather than what one possesses. Based on the teachings of Zeno, the Semitic Cypriot, it counsels you to be free of slavery to passions, to be self-reliant, and to control your goals, aversions, judgements, and desires.

Part 1 of the book (the first third) explains the life of Aurelius, Roman history, and the history of Greek Philosophy and the Stoics. Forstater also very briefly compares Aurelius' writing to those of Asian, Newtonian, and Hassidic philosophers. Part 2, in eight chaptered themes, presents segments of Aurelius's spiritual exercises (from his Ta Eis Heauton, which was first published in the 16th Century). Unfortunately, Aurelius's son did not learn any of the lessons. The book is best read like olive oil; dip into it periodically for sustenance.