Comments on: Meditations http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/ How to use meditation to improve your life Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:17:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Erol Esen http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/comment-page-1/#comment-273 Erol Esen Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:17:35 +0000 http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/#comment-273 I've been living on this Earth for decades now and I have, naturally, wondered about God. I studied the different religions and learned to respect them all. For this reason I have proclaimed myself for more than ten years: A Jewish Muslim practicing Christianity as a Budhist in Nature. It is my self discovery, so I like to think, as to what my religion is. Then, recently, I read the book, "Meditations", by Marcus Aurelius. <br /> <br />In this book you see the transformation of a man, who begins as a believer of "the gods" and ends in believing in one God, which he points to as being the one Soul, one Universe, that encapsulates everything in it. Aurelius wrote all this right around when Christianity was forming, but there is no mention of it anywhere in this book. Nor is there any mention of Judaism. <br /> <br />Aurelius wrote the book more than 1900 years ago, yet it is as fresh as the birth of a baby... of an idea. Idea of one God. Although this wasn't anyting new at the time, it did get legitimized when a Roman Emperor began the self-discovery for the world to follow. Anything before that, so it seems, was merely the incubation period. <br /> <br />A very large portion of the book, however, is about practical life on Earth. An how-to book, if you will. About life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Clearly the Founding Fathers of the United States of America were influenced by this book; or other works inspired by the Meditations. <br /> <br /> I’ve been living on this Earth for decades now and I have, naturally, wondered about God. I studied the different religions and learned to respect them all. For this reason I have proclaimed myself for more than ten years: A Jewish Muslim practicing Christianity as a Budhist in Nature. It is my self discovery, so I like to think, as to what my religion is. Then, recently, I read the book, “Meditations”, by Marcus Aurelius.

In this book you see the transformation of a man, who begins as a believer of “the gods” and ends in believing in one God, which he points to as being the one Soul, one Universe, that encapsulates everything in it. Aurelius wrote all this right around when Christianity was forming, but there is no mention of it anywhere in this book. Nor is there any mention of Judaism.

Aurelius wrote the book more than 1900 years ago, yet it is as fresh as the birth of a baby… of an idea. Idea of one God. Although this wasn’t anyting new at the time, it did get legitimized when a Roman Emperor began the self-discovery for the world to follow. Anything before that, so it seems, was merely the incubation period.

A very large portion of the book, however, is about practical life on Earth. An how-to book, if you will. About life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Clearly the Founding Fathers of the United States of America were influenced by this book; or other works inspired by the Meditations.

]]> By: Anonymous http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/comment-page-1/#comment-272 Anonymous Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:46:03 +0000 http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/#comment-272 I have owned this title for a number of years and enjoyed it when I first read it. The emperor sought to be a living model of the philosopher-ruler typified by Plato in "The Republic". Had Marcus Aurelius lived the totality of what he wrote in his "Meditations",he would have been great indeed! History tells of him being a fierce persecutor of the Christians. Many innocent people died by his orders since they would not renounce their faith. A leader-philosopher can also be judged on his treatment of the most defenseless of the citizenry (or subjects). He fancied to be a Stoic at heart but certainly was not a genuine humanitarian. I have owned this title for a number of years and enjoyed it when I first read it. The emperor sought to be a living model of the philosopher-ruler typified by Plato in “The Republic”. Had Marcus Aurelius lived the totality of what he wrote in his “Meditations”,he would have been great indeed! History tells of him being a fierce persecutor of the Christians. Many innocent people died by his orders since they would not renounce their faith. A leader-philosopher can also be judged on his treatment of the most defenseless of the citizenry (or subjects). He fancied to be a Stoic at heart but certainly was not a genuine humanitarian.

]]> By: Anonymous http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/comment-page-1/#comment-271 Anonymous Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:17:42 +0000 http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/#comment-271 This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the "under the sun" part of King Solomon's Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says "The world is chaotic, but you're powerless so be a man and do right", Solomon says "The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it's all part of God's righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation." Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come. This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the “under the sun” part of King Solomon’s Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says “The world is chaotic, but you’re powerless so be a man and do right”, Solomon says “The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it’s all part of God’s righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation.” Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come.

]]> By: Anonymous http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/comment-page-1/#comment-270 Anonymous Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:23:56 +0000 http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/#comment-270 This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the "under the sun" part of King Solomon's Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says "The world is chaotic, but you're powerless so be a man and do right", Solomon says "The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it's all part of God's righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation." Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come. This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the “under the sun” part of King Solomon’s Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says “The world is chaotic, but you’re powerless so be a man and do right”, Solomon says “The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it’s all part of God’s righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation.” Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come.

]]> By: Paul Emslie (emsliepd@aol.com) http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/comment-page-1/#comment-269 Paul Emslie (emsliepd@aol.com) Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:49:57 +0000 http://learnaboutmeditation.com/2010/02/23/meditations/#comment-269 This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the "under the sun" part of King Solomon's Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says "The world is chaotic, but you're powerless so be a man and do right", Solomon says "The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it's all part of God's righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation." Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come. This second-century book of advice reflects its stoic deistic/atheist tradition. In a word, his goal is to encourage the reader toward good works and inner peace disregarding personal circumstances. He ends up sounding much like Confucius, and much like the “under the sun” part of King Solomon’s Ecclesiastes. The arguments he gives for us to be at peace despite the continual thriving of evil around us center around its chaos and our own inability to change anything. Such a view is profoundly unsatisfying, and leaves us in perplexity over the purpose of it all, anchorless and hopeless. Whereas Aurelius says “The world is chaotic, but you’re powerless so be a man and do right”, Solomon says “The world is chaotic because man is inwardly evil, but take heart because it’s all part of God’s righteous and sovereign plan and part of that plan is our salvation.” Life against God is meaningless, no matter how many nice things you do; life under His loving care is meaningful, because we have a sure hope of redemption and life to come.

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