Welcome to Perennial Meditations (Saturday Review) — A weekly recap and reflection of ancient lessons for modern life. Below you’ll find links, notable quotes, transcript summaries, and a Saturday Meditation.
1. The True Joy of Philosophy (Listen here)
In a letter known today as On the True Joy Which Comes from Philosophy, Seneca wrote to Lucilius,
Do you suppose that I shall write you how kindly the winter season has dealt with us—a short season and a mild one—or what a nasty spring we are having—cold weather out of season—and all the other trivialities which people write when they are at a loss for topics of conversation? No, I shall communicate something which may help both you and myself. And what shall this “something” be, if not an exhortation to the soundness of mind? Do you ask what is the foundation of a sound mind? It is not to find joy in useless things. I said that it was the foundation; it is really the pinnacle. […]
2. Reading and the Good Life (Read here)
In our Monday Meditation (The PATH), we searched for ancient lessons on Reading and the Good Life (Reading, Thinking, and the Good Life).
Reading — In my interview with Karen Swallow Prior, she explained, “Reading well is, in itself, an act of virtue, or excellence, and a habit that cultivates more virtue in return.” […]
Thinking — Seneca said, “Be careful not to read many authors and every type of book. It may be that there is something wayward and unstable in it.” […]
Good Life — The point is not to see how many books you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you, wrote the American philosopher Mortimer Adler. […]
Are you interested in starting (or continuing) a reading practice focused on the good life? How about finding a space for connection, contemplation, and conversations on the art of living?
If so, consider joining me and other curious minds every Friday at 12:00 pm EST for a free weekly meetup I’m calling: Reading and the Good Life in collaboration with The Walled Garden.
3. The Way of Contemplation (Read here)
In the opening chapter of New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton wrote,
Contemplation is the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is a spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness, and for being.
Similarly, in his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle concluded that the activity of wisdom is contemplation, so, therefore, “contemplation is the highest activity of human life.” […]
4. Dancing with Wisdom (Listen here)
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Sunil Raheja, the author of Dancing with Wisdom. Dr. Sunil is a Psychiatrist, Coach, and wisdom seeker. The Wisdom Notes from the episode captured three insights on (1) Living an Examined Life, (2) How to Live with Imperfection, and (3) Only Sharing One Lesson.
5. The Way of Paradox (Read here)
Have you ever felt stuck? Maybe you’ve found yourself challenged by a complex decision. If so, odds are you were dealing with a paradox. Soren Kierkegaard observed, “The thinker without a paradox is like a lover without a feeling.” Although paradoxes are sometimes challenging to see, they are inevitable and have a way of making us feel an internal tug of war. […]
6. Zen Wisdom for Daily Life (Listen here)
How practical is your philosophy of life? The Zen Master D.T. Suzuki wrote that there is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. When it comes to Zen — the whole point is to be practical.
In his Introduction to Zen Buddhism, Suzuki explained,
Being practical and directly to the point, Zen never wastes time or words in explanation. Its answers are always curt and pithy; there is nothing added in Zen.
Zen teachings are presented from the accessible, familiar, and approachable side.
7. Everything Belongs (Saturday Meditation)
It is interesting to imagine Marcus Aurelius writing to himself in Meditations nearly two thousand years ago. Take this passage, for example, from Book VI, Marcus wrote,
We’re all working together toward a single end, some consciously and knowingly, others in ignorance—like Heraclitus’s sleepers, I think, whom he described as laborers, working together at what happens in the universe. Everyone makes a different contribution; there’s room even for the man who doesn’t like what’s happening and tries to resist it and make it not happen. The universe needs him too. So all you need to do is determine which camp you’ll join. The director of the universe will make good use of you in either case and will incorporate you in his workforce, but you need to make sure that the part you play doesn’t resemble the worthless and ridiculous verse in the comedy, which Chrysippus mentions. — Meditations, 6.42
Take a few moments to contemplate the above passage:
What would lead a person to write this in their journal?
How might this insight influence someone’s daily life?
In the following passage of Meditations (6.43), Marcus explains, “Does the sun take on the work of the rain? Does Asclepius take on the work of the Lady of the Harvest? What about the heavenly bodies? Each of them is different, but they still work together toward the same end.”
Although we have different roles, skills, or callings — we are all working together. How do we remember to play our role(s)? How do we find the patience to allow others to discover their rhythm? At times, it isn’t easy to accept the notion that everything belongs. The theologian Thomas Merton once observed, “Music is pleasing not only because of the sound but because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence, there would be no rhythm.”
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Thank you for reading this week; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or make recommendations!