Description:
Wisdom Bible is a collection of the greatest spiritual and philosophical classics from ancient Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Platonism, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Whole texts are included, but only selections from the Qur’an. The four Gospels are synthesized into one narrative combining all the elements.

About the Author:
Sanderson Beck earned a B.A. in Dramatic Art from UC Berkeley, an M.A. in Religious Studies from UCSB, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from World University. He has taught dozens of college courses in philosophy, psychology, world civilization, etc. He is the author of numerous books, including the HISTORY OF PEACE and the ETHICS OF CIVILIZATION series as well as translating and editing the WISDOM BIBLE. He has been active in the world peace movement since 1982 and is president and founder of World Peace Communications. He was a presidential candidate in 2003 until he endorsed Dennis Kucinich.

Paperback/Hardback: 920 pages

Publisher: World Peace Communications

Publishing Date: May 2002

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This is the second  part of yesterday’s guest post “An In-Depth Review: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius – Part 1” written by Adam Isom, which can be read here.

How To Live and The Work in Life

But then the question is, how should you go about living? Firstly, always do your duty and live according to reason and nature, according to Marcus the Stoic. Don’t conjecture what others are thinking of you, but only care that what you do is just, sincere, consistent, and not to serve fame, pleasure, or pain. Rather than saying to someone that you are determined to be fair to them, be fair and good and it will show. Rather than thinking or talking about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, be a good man (or woman), without affectation, and others will see your virtue. In other words, do your duty and reveal yourself through action rather than words.

As for what you work at, Marcus recommends that you occupy yourself with few things while still doing what is necessary. He also exhorts you to never be too busy for someone, and to examine things calmly as if you had all the time in the world. In this latter aspect, he perhaps unwittingly repeats yet another one of the 48 Laws of Power, formulated by Robert Greene two thousand years later.

Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic, and that is why he insists that nothing, even sickness, should deflect you from your duty. Your inner work should be on shaping your character daily with contentment, simplicity, and modesty to achieve a ‘tranquillity that another man cannot upset’, unlike anything physical (which implies the possibility of degrading).

Finally, if you are genuinely wrong, then you should gladly change. For if you really seek the truth, you won’t allow your ego to get in the way—something scientists and philosophers in particular appreciate.

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Today, I will be running a guest post by a precocious young man named Adam Isom of adamisom.com. Adam’s blog is fairly new and currently ranges between philosophy and marketing, reflective “meditations” and in-depth analyses. He has given much thought to The Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, and has written a thoughtful and insightful analysis that he would like to share with the world – and I’m more than happy to have him post it here.

First, I thought I’d dig up a few old posts on Marcus Aurelius and Stoic Philosophy in general — For a nice introduction to Stoicism please read ‘Use Stoic Philosophy to Achieve Total Joy and Untroubling Equanimity’, and in the following post ‘Practical Wisdom: ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius’ I write my own shorter review on ‘Meditations’.   Adam’s analysis takes a different tack, however, distilling the book down to its essence, thematically speaking. Due to its length, it will appear in two parts.

If you’re interested in writing on the subjects of philosophy and wisdom, or you wish to do a review on any philosophical self-help book you’re passionate about please contact me here about the possibility of a guest post.

So without further ado, I give you…

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Adam Isom

Ask yourself: how many journals of campaigning emperors have I read this year? If the answer is none, you’re in for a treat: The Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, also happens to be one of the most celebrated expositions of Stoic philosophy.

Today, we peek inside the secret journals, never meant to be read by anyone else, of the last Good Emperor of the Roman Republic. Despite their origin, the journals have been read, and continue to be read, by countless individuals seeking insight into living better.

This post does not replace actually reading the book, but it is intended to inform you what it’s all about before you even crack open the first page. The idea being, that leaves you free to focus on the subtle details and pithy expressions found therein.

How I approached reading The Meditations was to ask myself “what is he trying to say?” What follows is my multi-pronged answer to this question, examined through the concept of “themes”.

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Manly P. Hall is a man who has featured more than once on this blog, and with good reason.

Hall’s enlightening lectures filled with common sense, mysticism and wisdom has helped me somewhat to look at a life with more insight and to elevate my mind toward a higher plane of consciousness.

Hall, who was a 33rd degree Mason, possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the occult, philosophy and the mystery schools of ancient Egypt and Greece, which was gained by years of exhaustive research and reading (as well as collecting) the many rare books in history on the same subjects.

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Description

Tao Te Ching, which can be translated from the traditional chinese to The Book of the Way and its Virtue, is an important classic Chinese text.

Written around 600 bce by Taoist Lao Tzu (or Lao Tsu, Lauzi), who was a sage and keeper of records at the court of the Zhou Dynasty.

The Tao Te Ching is an important compilation of maxims from a significant period in the history of Taoist Chinese philosophy, and has strongly influenced Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism.

Tao Te Ching has often been used by Chinese poets, painters, and calligraphers as a major source of inspiration.

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Description

A long-standing classic in the field of self-help, this book is a must read for anyone interested in bettering themselves.

The human mind is more powerful than most people know and this book provides readers with a major key in teaching us how to use it properly.

Thoughts are what truly control your life, and this book can well be considered a kind of “owner’s manual” for the mind.

The teachings are simple but powerful. Chapters include Thought and Character, Effect of Thought on Circumstances, Effect of Thought on Health and the Body, Thought and Purpose, The Thought-Factor in Achievement, Visions and Ideals, and Serenity.

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