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This was the Product of the Month for June 2008. It wasn’t available here so I’ve uploaded the audio version. I don’t know who the author is.Credit to Kas for the review.From the forums:The Meditations of Marcus AureliusA review by Kashttp://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.htmlMarcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher. There are actually 12 books, and they are composed in this 1 work. He wrote them as a kind of diary, writing down his thoughts for his own self-improvement. This version includes a description of the man and his philosophy. It is a little old-fashioned in use of words with sentences like “when thou hast”. This makes it tough to listen to, especially for a person whose mother tongue is not English, but even if you opt for a translation in modern English, you will have a hard time understanding some of his writings simply because it was written almost 2 millennia ago.For more information on The Meditations, Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism I would like to refer to their Wikipedia pages (click the links).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aureliushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StoicismA warning to people who are looking for techniques and routines: you will find neither in this book. This is all inner game. As said, it’s hard to listen to and hard to digest because a lot of ideas will be a 180 of what you are used to believe, especially for guys new to the community. Some will find it very strict and rigid and will discard the ideas because of that. I think it’s actually a very forgiving philosophy. It’s also unlike most of the teachings of today gurus. This does not mean it is bad. However, some may find it to be too much of a step from their current view of life. Before I continue I would like to quote some parts from the book:”Labour not unwillingly, nor without regard to the common interest, nor without due consideration, nor with distraction; nor let studied ornament set off thy thoughts, and be not either a man of many words, or busy about too many things. And further, let the deity which is in thee be the guardian of a living being, manly and of ripe age, and engaged in matter political, and a Roman, and a ruler, who has taken his post like a man waiting for the signal which summons him from life, and ready to go, having need neither of oath nor of any man’s testimony. Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.” (iii, 5)”If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgement about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgement now. But if anything in thy own disposition gives thee pain, who hinders thee from correcting thy opinion? And even if thou art pained because thou art not doing some particular thing which seems to thee to be right, why dost thou not rather act than complain?- But some insuperable obstacle is in the way?- Do not be grieved then, for the cause of its not being done depends not on thee.- But it is not worth while to live if this cannot be done.- Take thy departure then from life contentedly, just as he dies who is in full activity, and well pleased too with the things which are obstacles.” (viii, 47)”Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is akin to me, not only of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in the same intelligence and the same portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him, For we are made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away.” (ii, 1)”Take away thy opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, “I have been harmed.” Take away the complaint, “I have been harmed,” and the harm is taken away.”(iv, 7)The stoic philosophy isn’t really known to many people in this time, perhaps because it advocates leading a simple, virtuous and humble life – while today most people try to accumulate as much of anything as possible.