The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now

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aimlessness is the third door of liberation. what is aimlessness? arriving in the present moment, discover you already are what you want to be, not putting cravings before, chasing, reaching for- not doing nothing but doing only as required, eating breakfast and not all your regrets, anticipations, worries, thoughts. learning to stop. present moment is alone real, neither past nor future, so rest in now. past is no more than memory. future is no more than abstraction... to wait for something is to lose the present... Cuerpo último (el más profundo nivel cósmico: la naturaleza de la realidad en sí, más allá de toda percepción, forma, signo o idea).

In every affair consider what precedes and follows, and then undertake it. Otherwise you will begin with spirit; but not having thought of the consequences, when some of them appear you will shamefully desist. "I would conquer at the Olympic games." But consider what precedes and follows, and then, if it is for your advantage, engage in the affair. You must conform to rules, submit to a diet, refrain from dainties; exercise your body, whether you choose it or not, at a stated hour, in heat and cold; you must drink no cold water, nor sometimes even wine. [...:] When you have evaluated all this, if your inclination still holds, then go to war. Otherwise, take notice, you will behave like children who sometimes play like wrestlers, sometimes gladiators, sometimes blow a trumpet, and sometimes act a tragedy when they have seen and admired these shows. Thus you too will be at one time a wrestler, at another a gladiator, now a philosopher, then an orator; but with your whole soul, nothing at all. Like an ape, you mimic all you see, and one thing after another is sure to please you, but is out of favor as soon as it becomes familiar. If you ever happen to turn your attention to externals, so as to wish to please anyone, be assured that you have ruined your scheme of life. Thich Nhat Hanh, the world's most renowned Zen master, turns his mindful attention to the most important subject of all - the art of living. The art of living, embodies the teachings of Epictetus whose original material were presented in his works: "The Discourses" and "Enchiridion" while the translator aims at simplifying the language to capture the modern audience.

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Nu căuta ca lucrurile să se înfăptuiască după cum vrei, ci să vrei să se împlinească după firea lor și tu să-ți găsești liniștea." emptiness is the first door of liberation. what is emptiness? that nothing, no one, ever, is filled with presence or being, that all is part of everything else: the tree is the rain, the soil, the sunshine, the gardener, the hill, the countryside, the planet and so on. it and we are not separate. there are two levels of truth, one of convenient, conventional, designation such as man, woman, boy, girl, baby. there is the ultimate truth of no designation, no symbol, no words, no discrimination. we interbe with so much it is impossible to name or divide ourselves as separate. at this point he finds parallels with Henri Bergson, life-force as equivalent to elan vital...

He shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth' -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama When you are mindful and compassionate, your presence will influence the people around you. Everyone you meet will be a continuation of you. Your practice is a practice not only for you, but for your siblings, parents, children, neighbors, and the rest of your community. I will definitely re-read this book many times in the future just to refresh and to remind myself that life is so precious.Rațional pot concepe acest fapt, emoțional mi-e însă imposibil. Întrucât atunci când pierzi un om drag nici un curent filosofic nu e capabil să-ți curme suferința... Printr-un hazard, deținem preceptele lui Epictet. Unul dintre auditorii lui, Flavius Arrian, le-a consemnat. Deși oriental (din Asia Mică), Epictet a trăit multă vreme la Roma, l-a ascultat pe filosoful Musonius Rufus, îl citise cu siguranță pe Seneca. Pentru el limba filosofiei a rămas, totuși, greaca. Manualul ( encheiridion de la substantivul feminin χείρ, χειρός, ἡ = mînă) e redactat în grecește. Just as certain capacities are required for success in a particular area, so too are certain sacrifices required. If you wish to become proficient in the art of living with wisdom, do you think that you can eat and drink to excess? Do you think you can continue to succumb to anger and your usual habits of frustration and unhappiness? No. If true wisdom is your object and you are sincere, you will have work to do on yourself. You will have to overcome many unhealthy cravings and knee-jerk reactions. You will have to reconsider whom you associate with. Are your friends and associates worthy people? Does their influence—their habits, values, and behavior—elevate you or reinforce the slovenly habits from which you seek escape? The life of wisdom, like anything else, demands its price. You may, in following it, be ridiculed and even end up with the worst of everything in all parts of your public life, including your career, your social standing, and your legal position in the courts.

din timpul lui Nero, în Roma s-a constituit o „opoziție stoică”. Reacția lui Nero n-a întîrziat. Gînditorii stoici au fost exilați (ca Musonius Rufus) sau condamnați la moarte (ca Seneca ori Thrasea Poetus). Nici Vespasian nu a fost mai blînd. În fine, printr-un decret celebru (semnat în anul 94 e.n.), Domitian i-a alungat pe toți filosofii din oraș. Epictet s-a retras în Epir (Grecia) și a înființat o „școală” la Nikopolis. Ucenicii nu plăteau nici o taxă. Fiecare contribuia cu ce putea. Epictet păstra pentru sine, o saltea de paie și o băncuță. Pentru a fi senin și împăcat, nici nu ai nevoie de mai mult. Dacă e să mă exprim mai exact "Manualul" lui Epictet este un ghid de supraviețuire psiho-emotională într-o lume plină de angoasă. Don’t attach to one view of life and claim that is the best view to have. When you cling to your beliefs and refuse to open to what is happening, you will suffer. Your dogmatism will cause other beings to suffer too. If someone were to casually give your body away to any old passerby, you would naturally be furious. Why then do you feel no shame in giving your precious mind over to any person who might wish to influence you? Think twice before you give up your own mind to someone who may revile you, leaving you confused and upset. When we agree with the truth of impermanence we have to behave according to that truth. You do everything you can and you do it now. Make the person you love happy, live the kind of life you would like to live. Make it a living insight that is with us every day.Don't be afraid of verbal abuse or criticism. Only the morally weak feel compelled to defend or explain themselves to others. Let the quality of your deeds speak on your behalf. We can't control the impressions others form about us, and the effort to do so only debases our character. So, if anyone should tell you that a particular person has spoken critically of you, don't bother with excuses or defenses. Just smile and reply, "I guess that person doesn't know about all my other faults. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned only these." Există cărți de citit (cele mai multe) și există cărți de re-citit (foarte puține). Manualul lui Epictet face parte, neîndoielnic, din grupul cărților de re-citit.

Look for lessons in what is already an intimate part of you. There is more wisdom in a crumbling leaf than in a thousand words about impermanence. Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people's weaknesses. Avoid being one of the mob who indulges in such pastimes. Your life is too short and you have important things to do. Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest. It is the easiest thing in the world to slide imperceptibly into vulgarity. But there's no need for that to happen if you determine not to waste your time and attention on mindless pap.First clearly understand that every event is indifferent, and nothing to you, for it is always in your power to make right use of it, and this no one can hinder.