Epictetus’s Enchiridion
This week we’ll be looking at the Stoic view of εὐδαιμονία (eudaimonia) by realizing your ἀρετή (arete). As we move from the Classical Greek period (e.g. with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) to the Hellenistic period (from the death of Alexander the Great [323 BCE] to the end of the Roman Republic in the establishment of the Roman Empire [31 BCE]) there is a shift in values or perspective, and the primary conception of εὐδαιμονία held by three of the four primary Hellenistic schools of thought is that εὐδαιμονία is best understood as ἀταραξία (ataraxia, best understood as “calm serenity,” “equanimity,” or “tranquility”). Part of this may be due to the changing status and fortune of the Greek city states following Alexander the Great’s conquest and unification of them under the Macedonian Empire, and the fragmentation of the Macedonian Empire following Alexander’s death. Another influence was increased contact with Asian religious traditions, most of all Zoroastrianism, which was the dominant religion in Persia, and the South Asian traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Of the four major schools of the Hellenistic period, Cynicism was the only one without a central concern for ἀταραξία (ataraxia), and it was also the only one founded in the Classical Greek period. The other three, Epicurianism, Skepticism, and Stoicism, were all largely focused on the goal of ἀταραξία (ataraxia).
Looking at the Buddhist त्रिलक्षण (trilakṣaṇa, “Three Dharma Seals,” “Three Marks of Existance,” or “Three Universal Truths”) helps to get a feel for ἀταραξία (ataraxia) as a goal in this period. These ideas are central to Buddhism, but the first two are also important in the Hinduism and play large roles in the Upanishads. The first, अनित्य (anitya, “impermanence”), identifies that all things are temporary, and all things are changing; that all things flow and pass away. The second, दुःख (dukkha, “suffering”), identifies that all things bring suffering, through the cycle of desire from the pain of wanting to the boredom of satisfaction. The third, अनात्मन् (anatman, “no self”), constitutes a significant point of departure of Buddhism from Hinduism, and identifies that there is no self; that मोक्ष (moksha, liberation; freedom from the cycle of dukkha) takes place not through realization of one’s own divinity (realization that the आत्मन् [atman, self/soul] is a part of ब्रह्म [Brahman, divinity] that forgot its divinity), but instead through destruction of the (illusion of the) self through the destruction of desire and attachment.
The Three Dharma Seals lead to the Four Noble Truths:
- to exist is to suffer (dukkha)
- sufferring (dukkha) is caused by desire (tanha)
- letting go of desires (tanha) can free us from suffering (dukkha)
- we can let go of desires (tanha) and be freed from suffering (dukkha) through the Noble Eightfold Path:
- right view
- right intention
- right speech
- right action
- right livelihood
- right effort
- right mindfulness
- right concentration
These Buddhist views have a clear connection to the Hellenistic concern with ἀταραξία (ataraxia), and have significant conceptual and practical overlaps with Epicurianism, Skepticism, and Stoicism, but each of these three schools is clearly its own tradition, distinct from one another and from Buddhism and Hinduism.
In this class we won’t be reading anything from the Epicurian or Skeptical schools, but I’ll tell you a bit about them, and you will certainly see connections with Buddhism in the readings from Epictetus.
Important notes before you get started:
1. This week, the reading is split up very unevenly, with just six pages of text for Tuesday and nineteen pages for Thursday. This is because there’s a lot of background and commentary in audio comments at the beginning and hardly any after that, since once you have the idea of the thing, the rest are variations on the theme and a lot easier to make sense of. So for Tuesday, there’s some reading and a lot of audio and for Thursday there’s more reading but little audio.
If you’re someone who gets bogged down in readings, listen to the audiobook as you read! The whole thing clocks in at 51 minutes.
2. This week the activity includes a “daily practice” activity. You should get started on it as soon as you’ve finished the first reading, which should be Monday or Tuesday.
3. This week, I can also make a full audiobook available! Reading while listening to an audiobook can be extremely helpful for people with dyslexia and other print disabilities, and I’ve had students tell me that while reading along with an audio version they were able to complete a reading straight through, where they weren’t able to make it through more than one page at a sitting going through without audio. I’ve also heard from abled students that they used audio versions to review materials during commutes or at the gym. This audio recording is one of mine, and was, I think, my first audiobook recording! It isn’t my best haha. I hope it’s useful, though. The text we’re reading is a slightly edited version of the Carter translation, so there are some spots where the audio will depart slightly, but I think it will be close enough that you should be able to listen while reading along in the VoiceThread and have it go smoothly.
Epictetus’s Enchiridion §I–XIV Reading+Response
Read this selection and listen to the commentary when indicated by the black arrow on the side, then submit your Response.
Your Response should have three parts:
a. Words: Write down three words you learned (or learned more about) from the reading.
b. Ideas: Write down three ideas or concepts you learned about (or learned more about) from the reading
c. Prompt: Write a short response (100–200 words, minimum 100 words required) to the prompt in the reading.
Epictetus’s Enchiridion §XV–LII Reading+Response
Read this selection and listen to the commentary when indicated by the black arrow on the side, then submit your Response.
Your Response should have three parts:
a. Words: Write down three words you learned (or learned more about) from the reading.
b. Ideas: Write down three ideas or concepts you learned about (or learned more about) from the reading
c. Prompt: Write a short response (100–200 words, minimum 100 words required) to the prompt in the reading.
Epictetus Activity
Starting after you finish the first reading, Monday or Tuesday, each day begin one of the two daily practices below. If you have a history of or tendencies toward self-harm or suicidal ideation, please select the second option, and if you experience troubling or unwelcome thoughts during the first option, please switch to the second. On Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, after about a week of daily practice, write a reflection according to the instructions below.
1. Buddhist Maraṇasati (death mindfulness) meditation
ཙོང་ཁ་པ་བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པ་ (Je Tsongkhapa, c. 1357–1419), a Tibetan Buddhist philosopher, taught that the three roots of the mindfulness of death are 1) Death is certain; 2) The time of death is uncertain; 3) at the time of death nothing helps except spiritual practice. Put aside 10 minutes every day this week and spend that time contemplating the fact of your own death and working on being at peace with this fact.
2. Stoic acceptance and preparation for εὐπάθεια (eupatheia; healthy emotions)
The sage can enjoy things without losing ἀταραξία (ataraxia; calm serenity) because they can accept things as they are, as seen in passages like Enchiridion §IV, XV, XXVI, and XXIX. Going into a situation with full and realistic acceptance of what is not up to us means that you can enter a situation freely and pursue your goals without risking loss of ataraxia and becoming δυστυχής (dustuches; wretched, SOL). Put aside 10 minutes every day this week and spend that time (a). contemplating everything that could upset you as you pursue your plans and goals for the day, (b). determining what in them is up to you and what is not up to you, and (c). working on accepting every possibility that is not up to you so that you can freely pursue your goals with ataraxia.
At the end of the week, in at least 400 words, write a reflection with reference to Epictetus’s Enchiridion on how this experience has affected you.
(Don’t forget to pay attention to the rubric! So, for example, make sure that can tell that you’ve identified and that you show an understanding of the relevant parts of the text.)
| 1 pt | .5 pts | 0 pts | |
| Complete | All parts of the prompt were completed fully. | One part or aspect of the prompt was not completed, or a couple parts or aspects were not completed fully. | Two or more parts or aspects of the prompt were not completed, or several parts or aspects were not completed fully. |
| Engaged | Activity was carried out in depth, showing care, attention, and engagement. | Activity shows some lack of critical depth, care, attention, or engagement in one or more areas. | Activity shows significant lack of critical depth, care, attention, or engagement in one or more area. |
| Thorough | Activity shows awareness of and good connection to all relevant parts of our course materials for the week. | Activity shows some incomplete areas of awareness of or connection to relevant parts of our course materials for the week. | Activity shows significant incomplete areas of awareness of or connection to relevant parts of our course materials for the week. |
| Shows Understanding | Demonstrates a good understanding of our course materials for the week is. | Demonstrates a vague or somewhat inaccurate understanding of our course materials for the week. | Demonstrates a confused or significantly inaccurate understanding of our course materials for the week. |
“Onions” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0