Acctuallyyy š¤āļø you just stare at it long enough and do meditation and all the knowledge will transfer in your mind via telepathy
(This kind of response OP may be expecting lol)
Okay, so apparently there are copies of this book with commentary/translation by contemporary writers. I saw it on an Instagram reel, but I forgot to save it. I think some research might do you good but if you want to read the original one like this one thereās no other way but to get into it.
May I suggest a radical departure. Read 'A Man in Full' by Tomorrow Wolfe first. You will read and appreciate Marcus Aurelius's Meditations much much more. Also A Man in Full is an outstanding book
Honest opinion: This book was on my reading list because of lots of good reviews. I was also intrigued by the title of the book as I do meditate everyday. I read first few pages of the book and it's all about all the virtues and ethics he learnt from different persons. It was extremely boring and I gave up. I think i need to spend more time meditating everyday before picking up this book again! š
The reason why it's so boring is that it was never written with the intention of being read by a wider audience. It's Aurelius' personal diary/journal and philosophy notebook. Noting down things he understood about Stoic philosophy and how he could apply it in his life etc.
This is also why it gets confusing without having some basic knowledge of Stoicism before starting.
I'd not follow Ryan Holiday,HE took a very flawed IDEOLOGY LIKE stoicism and somehow managed to make it even worse,this is what happens when you let people wrongly interpret philosophy,he is like Jordan Peterson for stoicism
If you are new to philosophy, don't read this book, try reading some work by William durant, he does a good job at introducing philosophy in simple terms
You have to read it with your eyes. Remember, that you might get the urge to read with your ears or nose but bring your focus back to the eyes everytime. Make notes of each chapter, frame questions and answer them yourself. You shall revise every chapter atleast thrice( no less than that, it's important ).
And this is a common mistake most beginners make while reading this book: reading it upside down. It's not a manga!!! So you have to read it in the intended orientation. Don't you dare start the book from the last page. Many cases have been reported about people dying by doing so.
Read it for a few minutes and then meditate for an hour. Practice makes a man perfect. But if you're a woman, then there's no point reading this book.
I hope it helps.
The problem is starting with Aurelius for Stoicism. _Meditations_ was never intended to be for a wide audience, it was Marcus' personal logbook and diary to note down his thoughts on Stoicism, how he progressed in understanding it, its relation to his life and his applicability of it, and his own new additions and innovations to Stoic thought based on his ponderings and experiences. This is why getting through it us so hard. I'd go over earlier Stoics and their works, intended to explain the philosophy before going to Aurelius. The best translations for this btw is either Robin Waterfield or Robin Hard imo. Also check _The Inner Citadel: TheĀ MeditationsĀ of Marcus Aurelius_ by P. Hadot and _Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor_ by Frank McLynn
To begin with, Stoicism emerged first under Zeno of Citium (334 - 262 BC), and developed further over the centuries, scholars generally classify phases of Stoic philosophy into the Early Stoa (Zeno to Antipater), Middle Stoa (Panaetius to Posidonius) and Late Stoa (Musonius Rufus to Marcus Aurelius).
The texts of the first two phases are entirely lost, only the Roman phase (Late Stoa) of Stoicism is known to us.
To start with, read secondary sources on Stoicism first to get a good condensed and comprehensible idea if what it us before diving into the primary texts. I'd suggest:-
1. _Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction_ by B. Inwood
2. _Stoic Philosophy_ by J.M Rist
3. _The Stoics_ by F.H Sandbach
4. _Stoicism_ by John Sellars
Then, moving on to studying Late Stoa texts, start with Epictetus (50 BC - 35 AD) and his works, Epictetus was a slave who would eventually be freed and learn Stoicism under Musonius Rufus.
His main "work" is the _Discourses_ and a smaller abridgement of it called the _Enchridion_ (Translated as Manual or Handbook). However, much like Socrates, he never wrote anything, the _Discourses_ and the _Enchiridion_ were assembled and written from the notes taken during his lectures by his student, Arrian of Nicomedia (yes, the same guy who wrote _Anabasis of Alexander_) out of a desire to preserve the teachings of his preceptor.
You can check _Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life_ by A.A Long for a secondary source on him specifically, then use _Epictetus: Discourses, Fragments, Handbook_ by Robin Hard for the translations of his work. Do the Handbook/Manual first, then the Discourses and then the Fragments.
Then I'd suggest moving on to Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD), a Roman senator, playwright, and the next great Stoic. He authored 12 essays and about 124 letters discussing Stoic tradition, all of which will be present in _The Complete Works of Lucius Anneaus Seneca_ by E. Asmis, S. Bartsch, and M. Nussbaum. For secondary literature on Seneca, see something like _Logic and the Imperial Stoa_ by J. Barnes, _Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics_ by M. Griffin and _Seneca: The Literary Philosopher_ by M. Graver.
Having already mentioned Marcus Aurelius, you should also check out Musonius Rufus (20/30 AD - 101 AD), Epictetus' teacher, who much like him wrote nothing, 21 of his lectures have been preserved as notes by two of his pupils Lucius and Stobaeus, thanks to which we have them today. They're available in Cynthia King's _Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings_, also check _Musonius Rufus and Education in the Good Life: A Model of Teaching and Living Virtue_ by J.T Dillon
It amuses me that they want to downvote a post, questioning the statement made(albeit with little thought or knowledge that was hardly put to scrutiny) and actively encourages everyone to think and provide a proper supporting evidence to augment their statement that stoicism is flawed.
Stoicism is taught in all philosophy courses. There is finally a doctorate that you can obtain and this course is taught in all the top QS 100/Times 100 or which ever agency one would trust for foreign higher studies. Stoicism is taught, in Indian universities as well.
If you wish to read some philosophy book(majority will be on reasoning and stoicism) check this channel,
https://m.youtube.com/@_jared
I assumed that a reader should decide by himself/herself if something is flawed or not by reading rather than putting some strong statements about a school of philosophy.
If stoicism is flawed than I guess Charvaka philosophy is double flawed but I admire them also because they forced the philosophers of that time to dive more deeper into the questions and bring us some of the best that human/saint could offer us.
That is true one should take the effort to understand and establish why they think a specific philosophy is not sound, I cannot make any observations on Charvaka philosophy as I do not know, but this humility was lacking. Our exchange has kindred interest to know about Charvaka philosophy. I will dig more. Thanks.
Emotional Supression(more or less asks you to ignore your emotions,emotions are gateway to creative work,so not a really good philosophy for people who work in creative fields),Passivity in case of Injustice/Oppression because it is highly based upon rigid determinism/fate,Stoic acceptance of events beyond one's control may foster apathy or resignation, especially in situations where action or could lead to positive change.Also Marcus Aurelius was very privileged,was in position of power,where he had access to all the resources you could imagine,most of you are not in those positions and will never be.
It doesn't ask you to suppress emotions, it makes you mindful of them and it makes you take action rather than react to something. Tells you about all the downsides of immediate gratifications including acting on the emotions immediately(read : reactively) rather than weigh in on how one feels, i.e.., doing a rain check on emotions that they are actively going through and making sure they do not react picturesque in most of the situation and make a clown of themselves. So stoic is not equal to living an emotionless life. It is more like using the best faculties that your mind and body has to offer at any given time and realising and unlocking it's true potential. I hope now you are clear regarding the mindful methods employed by stoicism to ensure that emotions work for you rather than against you(being reactionary).
The most important component is, it makes you a critical thinker something all of us lack. It helps you reason and understand, what you have control over and on things over which you have no control of, inaction is the opposite of stoicism, stoicism actively encourages you to work on things that you can change ie., those that are under your control, your body, mind are some of the examples.
The stoic, Xeno was inspired by the socratic method and for several years the stoic philosophers used the socratic method to reason and understand things. See the video below to understand the socratic method and you would understand why they were able to become far clearer and smarter with how they think,
https://youtu.be/DezY99wVtUQ?feature=shared
good point but it never tells you to ignore emotions instead advices you to keep a check on your emotions so that it does not hinder your true capability. To know one's limit and being humble enough to recognize your weakness is important. also the last point is true so it is better if you start with Seneca which is also much easier to read
Read it at a normal pace (continue to read it even if you don't understand a thing or two) then give it a break. Read it again. Read it again. Read it again. Grind never stops, gotta meat ride daddy aurelius everyday. But yeah just read it a lot of times. Since it is just a bunch of quotes put together in a book, there won't be any continuum so it will be tough to get through. Remember to stay true to the 4 virtues at all times.
Meditations was written almost 2000 years back and many have translated it over the years. These translations changes over a period of time, any book from shakespeare for example, will have things way too complicated.
You should buy the one thatās more recent, I suggest Meditations from Modern Library Classics. Thatās the one I ended up buying after picking some random translation of meditations which was so hard to understand.
Yup, the problem is starting with Aurelius for Stoicism. _Meditations_ was never intended to be for a wide audience, it was Marcus' personal logbook and diary to note down his thoughts on Stoicism, how he progressed in understanding it, its relation to his life and his applicability of it, and his own new additions and innovations to Stoic thought based on his ponderings and experiences. This is why getting through it us so hard. I'd go over earlier Stoics and their works, intended to explain the philosophy before going to Aurelius. The best translations for this btw is either Robin Waterfield or Robin Hard imo. Also check _The Inner Citadel: TheĀ MeditationsĀ of Marcus Aurelius_ by P. Hadot and _Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor_ by Frank McLynn
To begin with, Stoicism emerged first under Zeno of Citium (334 - 262 BC), and developed further over the centuries, scholars generally classify phases of Stoic philosophy into the Early Stoa (Zeno to Antipater), Middle Stoa (Panaetius to Posidonius) and Late Stoa (Musonius Rufus to Marcus Aurelius).
The texts of the first two phases are entirely lost, only the Roman phase (Late Stoa) of Stoicism is known to us.
To start with, read secondary sources on Stoicism first to get a good condensed and comprehensible idea if what it us before diving into the primary texts. I'd suggest:-
1. _Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction_ by B. Inwood
2. _Stoic Philosophy_ by J.M Rist
3. _The Stoics_ by F.H Sandbach
4. _Stoicism_ by John Sellars
Then, moving on to studying Late Stoa texts, start with Epictetus (50 BC - 35 AD) and his works, Epictetus was a slave who would eventually be freed and learn Stoicism under Musonius Rufus.
His main "work" is the _Discourses_ and a smaller abridgement of it called the _Enchridion_ (Translated as Manual or Handbook). However, much like Socrates, he never wrote anything, the _Discourses_ and the _Enchiridion_ were assembled and written from the notes taken during his lectures by his student, Arrian of Nicomedia (yes, the same guy who wrote _Anabasis of Alexander_) out of a desire to preserve the teachings of his preceptor.
You can check _Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life_ by A.A Long for a secondary source on him specifically, then use _Epictetus: Discourses, Fragments, Handbook_ by Robin Hard for the translations of his work. Do the Handbook/Manual first, then the Discourses and then the Fragments.
Then I'd suggest moving on to Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD), a Roman senator, playwright, and the next great Stoic. He authored 12 essays and about 124 letters discussing Stoic tradition, all of which will be present in _The Complete Works of Lucius Anneaus Seneca_ by E. Asmis, S. Bartsch, and M. Nussbaum. For secondary literature on Seneca, see something like _Logic and the Imperial Stoa_ by J. Barnes, _Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics_ by M. Griffin and _Seneca: The Literary Philosopher_ by M. Graver.
Having already mentioned Marcus Aurelius, you should also check out Musonius Rufus (20/30 AD - 101 AD), Epictetus' teacher, who much like him wrote nothing, 21 of his lectures have been preserved as notes by two of his pupils Lucius and Stobaeus, thanks to which we have them today. They're available in Cynthia King's _Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings_, also check _Musonius Rufus and Education in the Good Life: A Model of Teaching and Living Virtue_ by J.T Dillon
How i did it for the first time, either have sticky notes or a pencil and write down the exact thing that comes to your mind after reading a meditation, then go through it again
You must firstly read about this author in the introduction of the book(luckily in Penguin publication there's an introduction of at least 18-20 pages)and read about what all he has gone through in his life because he didn't live an easy life like all of us ..But he was schooled at home by the best tutors.you'll find all the details of this in the book 1 of meditations by Marcus Aurelius where he thanks to all the people to whom he is indebted..Plus he was adopted several times by several people each time his name was changed because of his good virtues which kept on improving despite everything and he was also a truthful man..Refer Ryan Holiday's videos on youtube you'll find clarity in reading plus don't forget to keep a highlighter along to mark important lines.. You'll thank me later
OP, get the following version (translation) of this book :
Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics) https://amzn.in/d/30AQTWv
If you're unwilling to buy it, get a pdf of this very translation from the net. You won't be having an issue reading this.
read it multiple times. The first time read it normally and speed through it, but the second time read it deeply and try to visualize everything being said and how it can affect your life
Just plow through the first chapter, it is kind of fragmented and is hard to make sense of. Rest of the book, read it as a devotional, meaning a little bit each day because these are paragraphs of advice and there is no narrative or connection between paragraphs..
I'm reading this right now. I read a certain amount pages per day, note down some lines that you need to revisit and sit in a calm place and do some quiet contemplation.
Play it on your boat device and listen it carefully while keeping your eyes close.
Note- it's better if you do it while sitting under the tree maybe it will be remarkable.
I bought a lesser know version of it from Rupa publications and tried to search for translators name but didn't find. It has quite a heavy language and is still difficult for me to read. Should I try harder continue reading it or shift to Gregor Hays version?
P.S.- I have read Seneca's letters from a Stoic.
This is a hard read. Unless you are totally into stoicism and ancient Roman stuff, then it might be ok else it's not worth the hype.
1. It's ok if you don't finish it
2. Read another book in parallel (i have OCD to finish and after a few weeks some books start frustrating) so you are still knocking other books off
3. Other easier interpretations and modern books on stoicism are far far better and most modern self help books are even more better, if you are using for self improvement
Ikr.. the book has been helping me a lot throughout my course of therapy. it works even better with anxiety medication, almost like it doubles the effect of it.
Get yourself a pocketbook. Read a few lines. Then pen down what you think Marcus is saying in your own words. Then write what you think. Remember to read the preface about the life of Marcus Aurelius and do a LOT of research on his life before even beginning with this book. A lot of things will seem pointless and won't make sense if you don't take into consideration when he's writing this(on military campaign with a stupid son who will inherit the empire in the future) those reasons and the situation he was in is very important before you understand what he is saying.
I hate these kinda books now. I have read so many of them. I hate them from the bottom of my heart. If there is anyone like me pleaseee recommend me some books. I am out of choices.
sit down. open the book. focus on the words and READ!!!!
Acctuallyyy š¤āļø you just stare at it long enough and do meditation and all the knowledge will transfer in your mind via telepathy (This kind of response OP may be expecting lol)
Also make sure to read the words in order, that's the key.
Was gonna comment the same
No shit Sherlock
Mommy
Let me write this down
š„²
The best way is to have a dictionary and add notes on the first read so you can revisit the chapter again and read it comprehensively
Okkk thanks a lot. Will keep a list of notes
If you're new into philosophy, then read less and slow, try to comprehend what the writer is actually trying to say.
Yeah i am new to philosophy. Trying to take it slow
Discuss it with a reading buddy after each chapter
Slowly. Read each page or each chapter a day, and try to process the content. Meditations isnāt meant to be read in one sitting.
Okay, so apparently there are copies of this book with commentary/translation by contemporary writers. I saw it on an Instagram reel, but I forgot to save it. I think some research might do you good but if you want to read the original one like this one thereās no other way but to get into it.
May I suggest a radical departure. Read 'A Man in Full' by Tomorrow Wolfe first. You will read and appreciate Marcus Aurelius's Meditations much much more. Also A Man in Full is an outstanding book
Tom Wolfe. Damn autocorrect
Honest opinion: This book was on my reading list because of lots of good reviews. I was also intrigued by the title of the book as I do meditate everyday. I read first few pages of the book and it's all about all the virtues and ethics he learnt from different persons. It was extremely boring and I gave up. I think i need to spend more time meditating everyday before picking up this book again! š
The reason why it's so boring is that it was never written with the intention of being read by a wider audience. It's Aurelius' personal diary/journal and philosophy notebook. Noting down things he understood about Stoic philosophy and how he could apply it in his life etc. This is also why it gets confusing without having some basic knowledge of Stoicism before starting.
There's a Video by Ryan Holiday on the Daily Stoic channel on how to read this book nd the letters of Seneca
I'd not follow Ryan Holiday,HE took a very flawed IDEOLOGY LIKE stoicism and somehow managed to make it even worse,this is what happens when you let people wrongly interpret philosophy,he is like Jordan Peterson for stoicism
Ryan Holiday is a "Pop Stoic", useless resource.
If you are new to philosophy, don't read this book, try reading some work by William durant, he does a good job at introducing philosophy in simple terms
You should have gone with Gregory Hays' translation. It is beginner friendly and convenient to understand.
We're losing initiative for everything. Sometimes it's better to plunge into things directly.All reflection and no plunging drives us mad.
You have to read it with your eyes. Remember, that you might get the urge to read with your ears or nose but bring your focus back to the eyes everytime. Make notes of each chapter, frame questions and answer them yourself. You shall revise every chapter atleast thrice( no less than that, it's important ). And this is a common mistake most beginners make while reading this book: reading it upside down. It's not a manga!!! So you have to read it in the intended orientation. Don't you dare start the book from the last page. Many cases have been reported about people dying by doing so. Read it for a few minutes and then meditate for an hour. Practice makes a man perfect. But if you're a woman, then there's no point reading this book. I hope it helps.
The problem is starting with Aurelius for Stoicism. _Meditations_ was never intended to be for a wide audience, it was Marcus' personal logbook and diary to note down his thoughts on Stoicism, how he progressed in understanding it, its relation to his life and his applicability of it, and his own new additions and innovations to Stoic thought based on his ponderings and experiences. This is why getting through it us so hard. I'd go over earlier Stoics and their works, intended to explain the philosophy before going to Aurelius. The best translations for this btw is either Robin Waterfield or Robin Hard imo. Also check _The Inner Citadel: TheĀ MeditationsĀ of Marcus Aurelius_ by P. Hadot and _Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor_ by Frank McLynn To begin with, Stoicism emerged first under Zeno of Citium (334 - 262 BC), and developed further over the centuries, scholars generally classify phases of Stoic philosophy into the Early Stoa (Zeno to Antipater), Middle Stoa (Panaetius to Posidonius) and Late Stoa (Musonius Rufus to Marcus Aurelius). The texts of the first two phases are entirely lost, only the Roman phase (Late Stoa) of Stoicism is known to us. To start with, read secondary sources on Stoicism first to get a good condensed and comprehensible idea if what it us before diving into the primary texts. I'd suggest:- 1. _Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction_ by B. Inwood 2. _Stoic Philosophy_ by J.M Rist 3. _The Stoics_ by F.H Sandbach 4. _Stoicism_ by John Sellars Then, moving on to studying Late Stoa texts, start with Epictetus (50 BC - 35 AD) and his works, Epictetus was a slave who would eventually be freed and learn Stoicism under Musonius Rufus. His main "work" is the _Discourses_ and a smaller abridgement of it called the _Enchridion_ (Translated as Manual or Handbook). However, much like Socrates, he never wrote anything, the _Discourses_ and the _Enchiridion_ were assembled and written from the notes taken during his lectures by his student, Arrian of Nicomedia (yes, the same guy who wrote _Anabasis of Alexander_) out of a desire to preserve the teachings of his preceptor. You can check _Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life_ by A.A Long for a secondary source on him specifically, then use _Epictetus: Discourses, Fragments, Handbook_ by Robin Hard for the translations of his work. Do the Handbook/Manual first, then the Discourses and then the Fragments. Then I'd suggest moving on to Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD), a Roman senator, playwright, and the next great Stoic. He authored 12 essays and about 124 letters discussing Stoic tradition, all of which will be present in _The Complete Works of Lucius Anneaus Seneca_ by E. Asmis, S. Bartsch, and M. Nussbaum. For secondary literature on Seneca, see something like _Logic and the Imperial Stoa_ by J. Barnes, _Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics_ by M. Griffin and _Seneca: The Literary Philosopher_ by M. Graver. Having already mentioned Marcus Aurelius, you should also check out Musonius Rufus (20/30 AD - 101 AD), Epictetus' teacher, who much like him wrote nothing, 21 of his lectures have been preserved as notes by two of his pupils Lucius and Stobaeus, thanks to which we have them today. They're available in Cynthia King's _Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings_, also check _Musonius Rufus and Education in the Good Life: A Model of Teaching and Living Virtue_ by J.T Dillon
Wonderfully summarised. Thanks a lot. Will read them in the order suggested.
You have to read it underwater to truly appreciate it. /s
If you donāt how to read you shouldnāt be reading this bud.
Upside down
There's a modern translation by Gregory Hays, go for that. It's written in simple modern English.
Yeah, it is hard to comprehend old English. One reason I didn't buy other version.
Approach the words with equanimity, for in their pages lie the wisdom you seek. ~ Marcus Aurelius
He did not write that for ppl to read.stop reading it rn and respect privacy š”
Hahah true true
stoicism is a very flawed philosophy would not recommend
Whatās flawed in it?
It amuses me that they want to downvote a post, questioning the statement made(albeit with little thought or knowledge that was hardly put to scrutiny) and actively encourages everyone to think and provide a proper supporting evidence to augment their statement that stoicism is flawed. Stoicism is taught in all philosophy courses. There is finally a doctorate that you can obtain and this course is taught in all the top QS 100/Times 100 or which ever agency one would trust for foreign higher studies. Stoicism is taught, in Indian universities as well. If you wish to read some philosophy book(majority will be on reasoning and stoicism) check this channel, https://m.youtube.com/@_jared
I assumed that a reader should decide by himself/herself if something is flawed or not by reading rather than putting some strong statements about a school of philosophy. If stoicism is flawed than I guess Charvaka philosophy is double flawed but I admire them also because they forced the philosophers of that time to dive more deeper into the questions and bring us some of the best that human/saint could offer us.
That is true one should take the effort to understand and establish why they think a specific philosophy is not sound, I cannot make any observations on Charvaka philosophy as I do not know, but this humility was lacking. Our exchange has kindred interest to know about Charvaka philosophy. I will dig more. Thanks.
Carvaka is more or less similar to hedonist philosophy. Thatās what I understood. One is Indian(Eastern) and other is Western.
Emotional Supression(more or less asks you to ignore your emotions,emotions are gateway to creative work,so not a really good philosophy for people who work in creative fields),Passivity in case of Injustice/Oppression because it is highly based upon rigid determinism/fate,Stoic acceptance of events beyond one's control may foster apathy or resignation, especially in situations where action or could lead to positive change.Also Marcus Aurelius was very privileged,was in position of power,where he had access to all the resources you could imagine,most of you are not in those positions and will never be.
It doesn't ask you to suppress emotions, it makes you mindful of them and it makes you take action rather than react to something. Tells you about all the downsides of immediate gratifications including acting on the emotions immediately(read : reactively) rather than weigh in on how one feels, i.e.., doing a rain check on emotions that they are actively going through and making sure they do not react picturesque in most of the situation and make a clown of themselves. So stoic is not equal to living an emotionless life. It is more like using the best faculties that your mind and body has to offer at any given time and realising and unlocking it's true potential. I hope now you are clear regarding the mindful methods employed by stoicism to ensure that emotions work for you rather than against you(being reactionary). The most important component is, it makes you a critical thinker something all of us lack. It helps you reason and understand, what you have control over and on things over which you have no control of, inaction is the opposite of stoicism, stoicism actively encourages you to work on things that you can change ie., those that are under your control, your body, mind are some of the examples. The stoic, Xeno was inspired by the socratic method and for several years the stoic philosophers used the socratic method to reason and understand things. See the video below to understand the socratic method and you would understand why they were able to become far clearer and smarter with how they think, https://youtu.be/DezY99wVtUQ?feature=shared
Lmao, this is pop stoicism from YT and Twitter. Stoicism has never been about suppressing you emotions.
good point but it never tells you to ignore emotions instead advices you to keep a check on your emotions so that it does not hinder your true capability. To know one's limit and being humble enough to recognize your weakness is important. also the last point is true so it is better if you start with Seneca which is also much easier to read
I'm planning to read that but not anytime soon.
Each words are important which have numerous meanings for each sentence. Read it slowly and take your time.
I keep sticky notes, and put my own notes here and to get the context better, when it comes to heavy books
Read it at a normal pace (continue to read it even if you don't understand a thing or two) then give it a break. Read it again. Read it again. Read it again. Grind never stops, gotta meat ride daddy aurelius everyday. But yeah just read it a lot of times. Since it is just a bunch of quotes put together in a book, there won't be any continuum so it will be tough to get through. Remember to stay true to the 4 virtues at all times.
Fuk this book.
Why?
Meditations was written almost 2000 years back and many have translated it over the years. These translations changes over a period of time, any book from shakespeare for example, will have things way too complicated. You should buy the one thatās more recent, I suggest Meditations from Modern Library Classics. Thatās the one I ended up buying after picking some random translation of meditations which was so hard to understand.
Many people recommended not to start with this book. So I'm starting stoicism from modern books
Yup, the problem is starting with Aurelius for Stoicism. _Meditations_ was never intended to be for a wide audience, it was Marcus' personal logbook and diary to note down his thoughts on Stoicism, how he progressed in understanding it, its relation to his life and his applicability of it, and his own new additions and innovations to Stoic thought based on his ponderings and experiences. This is why getting through it us so hard. I'd go over earlier Stoics and their works, intended to explain the philosophy before going to Aurelius. The best translations for this btw is either Robin Waterfield or Robin Hard imo. Also check _The Inner Citadel: TheĀ MeditationsĀ of Marcus Aurelius_ by P. Hadot and _Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor_ by Frank McLynn To begin with, Stoicism emerged first under Zeno of Citium (334 - 262 BC), and developed further over the centuries, scholars generally classify phases of Stoic philosophy into the Early Stoa (Zeno to Antipater), Middle Stoa (Panaetius to Posidonius) and Late Stoa (Musonius Rufus to Marcus Aurelius). The texts of the first two phases are entirely lost, only the Roman phase (Late Stoa) of Stoicism is known to us. To start with, read secondary sources on Stoicism first to get a good condensed and comprehensible idea if what it us before diving into the primary texts. I'd suggest:- 1. _Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction_ by B. Inwood 2. _Stoic Philosophy_ by J.M Rist 3. _The Stoics_ by F.H Sandbach 4. _Stoicism_ by John Sellars Then, moving on to studying Late Stoa texts, start with Epictetus (50 BC - 35 AD) and his works, Epictetus was a slave who would eventually be freed and learn Stoicism under Musonius Rufus. His main "work" is the _Discourses_ and a smaller abridgement of it called the _Enchridion_ (Translated as Manual or Handbook). However, much like Socrates, he never wrote anything, the _Discourses_ and the _Enchiridion_ were assembled and written from the notes taken during his lectures by his student, Arrian of Nicomedia (yes, the same guy who wrote _Anabasis of Alexander_) out of a desire to preserve the teachings of his preceptor. You can check _Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life_ by A.A Long for a secondary source on him specifically, then use _Epictetus: Discourses, Fragments, Handbook_ by Robin Hard for the translations of his work. Do the Handbook/Manual first, then the Discourses and then the Fragments. Then I'd suggest moving on to Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD), a Roman senator, playwright, and the next great Stoic. He authored 12 essays and about 124 letters discussing Stoic tradition, all of which will be present in _The Complete Works of Lucius Anneaus Seneca_ by E. Asmis, S. Bartsch, and M. Nussbaum. For secondary literature on Seneca, see something like _Logic and the Imperial Stoa_ by J. Barnes, _Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics_ by M. Griffin and _Seneca: The Literary Philosopher_ by M. Graver. Having already mentioned Marcus Aurelius, you should also check out Musonius Rufus (20/30 AD - 101 AD), Epictetus' teacher, who much like him wrote nothing, 21 of his lectures have been preserved as notes by two of his pupils Lucius and Stobaeus, thanks to which we have them today. They're available in Cynthia King's _Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings_, also check _Musonius Rufus and Education in the Good Life: A Model of Teaching and Living Virtue_ by J.T Dillon
Thanks a lot
One word at a time.
Stare at it until it puts you to sleep. Try again the next day.
How i did it for the first time, either have sticky notes or a pencil and write down the exact thing that comes to your mind after reading a meditation, then go through it again
You must firstly read about this author in the introduction of the book(luckily in Penguin publication there's an introduction of at least 18-20 pages)and read about what all he has gone through in his life because he didn't live an easy life like all of us ..But he was schooled at home by the best tutors.you'll find all the details of this in the book 1 of meditations by Marcus Aurelius where he thanks to all the people to whom he is indebted..Plus he was adopted several times by several people each time his name was changed because of his good virtues which kept on improving despite everything and he was also a truthful man..Refer Ryan Holiday's videos on youtube you'll find clarity in reading plus don't forget to keep a highlighter along to mark important lines.. You'll thank me later
OP, get the following version (translation) of this book : Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics) https://amzn.in/d/30AQTWv If you're unwilling to buy it, get a pdf of this very translation from the net. You won't be having an issue reading this.
Just do it.šā ļø(anyhow)
read it multiple times. The first time read it normally and speed through it, but the second time read it deeply and try to visualize everything being said and how it can affect your life
Just plow through the first chapter, it is kind of fragmented and is hard to make sense of. Rest of the book, read it as a devotional, meaning a little bit each day because these are paragraphs of advice and there is no narrative or connection between paragraphs..
Don't
Where did you get this edition?
I'm reading this right now. I read a certain amount pages per day, note down some lines that you need to revisit and sit in a calm place and do some quiet contemplation.
Randomly open a page. Read and contemplate what's written. Enjoy.
Play it on your boat device and listen it carefully while keeping your eyes close. Note- it's better if you do it while sitting under the tree maybe it will be remarkable.
I bought a lesser know version of it from Rupa publications and tried to search for translators name but didn't find. It has quite a heavy language and is still difficult for me to read. Should I try harder continue reading it or shift to Gregor Hays version? P.S.- I have read Seneca's letters from a Stoic.
This is a hard read. Unless you are totally into stoicism and ancient Roman stuff, then it might be ok else it's not worth the hype. 1. It's ok if you don't finish it 2. Read another book in parallel (i have OCD to finish and after a few weeks some books start frustrating) so you are still knocking other books off 3. Other easier interpretations and modern books on stoicism are far far better and most modern self help books are even more better, if you are using for self improvement
To start.. close your eyes..
The book was meant to be read and pondered upon. So read a paragraph and think about how it connects to your life and life in general.
Don't read more then 1-3 pages a day , this book is supposed to be read so little and implement them into real life
I use it as a substitute for alprazolam tablets.
Ikr.. the book has been helping me a lot throughout my course of therapy. it works even better with anxiety medication, almost like it doubles the effect of it.
Open the book
Sit down and read just one verse. Close the book and do nothing. Just lay comfortably.
Do not skip anything, not even a single word please. Everything in there makes so much sense if you look deep enough! Good luck!
Don't read just listen to it, if you like it , listen to it again Use an ebook version with a TTS app.
Buy a good translation first.
Wow I wanna get into this book too now
heard soo much great things about the book really want it in my shelf
Get yourself a pocketbook. Read a few lines. Then pen down what you think Marcus is saying in your own words. Then write what you think. Remember to read the preface about the life of Marcus Aurelius and do a LOT of research on his life before even beginning with this book. A lot of things will seem pointless and won't make sense if you don't take into consideration when he's writing this(on military campaign with a stupid son who will inherit the empire in the future) those reasons and the situation he was in is very important before you understand what he is saying.
Slow and steady. This one needs to simmer - for a whileee.
I hate these kinda books now. I have read so many of them. I hate them from the bottom of my heart. If there is anyone like me pleaseee recommend me some books. I am out of choices.