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Audiobooks Narrated by Robin Homer
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A classic book that emphasizes the importance of inner peace and self-control. Offering insights and advice on how to maintain calmness in one's life as a means to achieve personal success and fulfilment. Jordan argues that calmness is a state of mind that can be cultivated through self-discipline and understanding, and it enables individuals to handle the stresses and challenges of life with grace and composure. The book is admired for its timeless wisdom and practical approach to cultivating a serene and balanced mindset.
Chapters:
1. The Majesty of Calmness
2. Hurry, the Scourge of America
3. The Power of Personal Influence
4. The Dignity of Self-Reliance
5. Failure as a Success
6. Doing Our Best at All Times
7. The Royal Road to Happiness
Stop worrying about taking notes, losing track of what you've learned or working out what to learn next. This course guides you through the Mandarin language step by step.
Each new question adds a tiny building block to what you already know rather than introducing entirely new sentences and telling you to memorize them. Instead you can intuitively build up an understanding of the language through incremental logical steps.
Each word introduced is repeated throughout the course using a spaced repetition system. That means first at roughly 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5, 10, 20, 40, 1 hour etc until it becomes become fixed in your mind. Sentences throughout the course deliberately make use of vocabulary you learned earlier, so words are naturally revised without a deliberate focus on doing so.
Grammar, tones and pronunciation are all taught but never drilled. Instead they are incorporated into each question.
Gaius Musonius Rufus was a Roman Stoic philosopher of the 1st century AD. He has been referred to as the Roman Socrates and is also remembered for being the teacher of Epictetus. He taught philosophy in Rome during the reign of Nero and so was sent into exile in 65 AD, returning to Rome only under Galba. He was allowed to stay in Rome when Vespasian banished all other philosophers from the city in 71 AD although he was eventually banished anyway, returning only after Vespasian's death.
21 of his lectures survive together with a few fragmentary notes from others, all which are contained in this narration:
1. That There is No Need of Giving Many Proofs for One Problem
2. That Man is Born with an Inclination Toward Virtue
3. That Women Too Should Study Philosophy
4. Should Daughters Receive the Same Education as Sons?
5. Which is more Effective, Theory or Practice?
6. On Training
7. That One Should Disdain Hardships
8. That Kings Also Should Study Philosophy
9. That Exile is not an Evil
10. Will the Philosopher Prosecute Anyone for Personal Injury?
11. What means of Livelihood is Appropriate for a Philosopher?
12. On Sexual Indulgence
13. What is the Chief End of Marriage
14. Is Marriage a Handicap for the Pursuit of Philosophy?
15. Should Every Child that is Born be Raised?
16. Must One Obey One's Parents under all Circumstances?
17. What is the Best Viaticum for Old Age?
18. On Food
19. On Clothing and Shelter
20. On Furnishings
21. On Cutting the Hair
22-53. Fragments
Epictetus was born a slave but at an early age developed a passion for philosophy and with the permission of his master he studied under Musonius Rufus. He obtained his freedom sometime after the death of Nero in 68 AD and later began teaching in Rome until his banishment from the city around 93 AD, after which he travelled to Nicopolis in Greece and carried on teaching there for the remainder of his days. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in 'The Discourses' and later summarised in 'The Enchiridion'. They have been influential since they were written and are referenced frequently by Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations.
Epictetus puts a strong focus on philosophy being practiced as a way of life, and not just a theoretical consideration. He also emphasises that many events are largely beyond our control and so we should learn to accept events calmly and dispassionately and instead put our focus on our own actions.
This recording includes the Discourses and accompanying fragments.
The Apology of Socrates, written by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue of the speech of legal self-defence which Socrates spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC
Specifically, the Apology of Socrates is a defence against the charges of 'corrupting the youth' and 'not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel' to Athens.
Among the primary sources about the trial and death of the philosopher Socrates (469–399 BC), the Apology of Socrates is the dialogue that depicts the trial, and is one of four Socratic dialogues, along with Euthyphro, Phaedo, and Crito, through which Plato details the final days of the philosopher Socrates.
On Clemency is a two volume (incomplete) hortatory essay written in 55–56 CE by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to the emperor Nero in the first five years of his reign. From Seneca's remarks, it would appear that it was written after Nero had turned eighteen, which would place it after the murder of his rival Britannicus in 55 AD. It may therefore have been written partly as an apology, perhaps as a means of assuring the Roman nobility that the murder would be the end, not the beginning of bloodshed.
The work survives in a fragmentary state. Of an original three books, only the first and the beginning of the second survive
Translation by Aubrey Stewart
The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. Each saying was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and his monastic community. It is a good introductory primer on Buddhist thought
The sayings are split into 26 chapters as follows:
The Twin-Verses
On Earnestness
Thought
Flowers
The Fool
The Wise Man
The Venerable
The Thousands
Evil
Punishment
Old Age
Self
The World
The Buddha - The Awakened
Happiness
Pleasure
Anger
Impurity
The Just
The Way
Miscellaneous
The Downward Course
The Elephant
Thirst
The Mendicant
The Br?hmana
Marcia actively mourned the death of her son Metilius for over three years. In Of Consolation to Marcia, Seneca attempts to convince her that the fate of her son, while tragic, should not have been a surprise. She knew many other mothers who had lost their sons; why should she expect her own son to survive her? The acknowledgement, even expectation, of the worst of all possible outcomes is a tenet of Seneca's Stoic philosophy. While Seneca sympathised with Marcia, he reminded her that 'we are born into a world of things which are all destined to die,' and that if she could accept that no one is guaranteed a just life (that is, one in which sons always outlive their mothers), she could finally end her mourning and live the rest of her life in peace
Translation by Aubrey Stewart and produced by Vox Stoica
Seneca's Essays Series:
1) Of providence - addressed to Lucilius
2) On the Firmness of the Wise Man - addressed to Serenus
3-5) Of Anger (Books 1-3) - addressed to his brother Novatus
6) Of Consolation - addressed to Marcia
7) Of a Happy Life - addressed to Gallio
8) Of Leisure - addressed to Serenus
9) Of Tranquillity of Mind - addressed to Serenus
10) On the Shortness of Life - addressed to Paulinus
11) Of Consolation - addressed to Polybius
12) Of Consolation - addressed to Helvia
Of Leisure only survives in a fragmentary state. The work concerns the rational use of spare time, whereby one can still actively aid humankind by engaging in wider questions about nature and the universe. The text begins mid-sentence, and ends rather abruptly. In the Codex Ambrosianus (the main source for Seneca's essays) it is simply tacked onto the end of De Vita Beata suggesting a scribe missed a page or two.
The addressee has been erased but appears to have been seven letters long and is assumed to have been Seneca's friend Serenus.
Seneca's Essays Series:
1. Of providence - addressed to Lucilius
2. On the Firmness of the Wise Man - addressed to Serenus
3.-5. Of Anger (Books 1-3) - addressed to his brother Novatus
6. Of Consolation - addressed to Marcia
7. Of a Happy Life - addressed to Gallio
8. Of Leisure - addressed to Serenus
9. Of Tranquillity of Mind - addressed to Serenus
10. On the Shortness of Life - addressed to Paulinus
11. Of Consolation - addressed to Polybius
12. Of Consolation - addressed to Helvia
The Enchiridion or Handbook of Epictetus is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice compiled by Arrian, a 2nd-century disciple of the Greek philosopher Epictetus. Although the content is mostly derived from the Discourses of Epictetus, it is not a summary of the Discourses but rather a compilation of practical precepts. Eschewing metaphysics, Arrian focuses his attention on Epictetus's work applying philosophy to daily life. The book is thus a manual to show the way to achieve mental freedom and happiness in all circumstances
The Enchiridion appears to be a loosely-structured selection of maxims.[10] In his 6th-century Commentary, Simplicius divided the text into four distinct sections suggesting a graded approach to philosophy:[10]
Chapters 1-21. What is up to us and not, and how to deal with external things.
1-2. What is up to us and not, and the consequences of choosing either.
3-14. How to deal with external things (reining the reader in from them).
15-21. How to use external things correctly and without disturbance.
Chapters 22-28. Advice for intermediate students.
22-25. The problems faced by intermediate students.
26-28. Miscellania: the common conceptions, badness, and shame.
Chapters 30-47. Technical advice for the discovery of appropriate actions (kath?konta).
30-33. Appropriate actions towards (a) other people, (b) God, (c) divination, (d) one's own self.
34-47. Miscellaneous precepts on justice (right actions).
Chapters 48-53. Conclusions on the practice of precepts.
48. Final advice and his division of types of people.
49-52. The practice of precepts.
53. Quotations for memorisation.
On the Shortness of Life was written by Seneca around the year 49AD. He argues that we waste so much time because we do not properly value it. We expend great effort in protecting other valuables such as money and property, but because time appears intangible, we allow others to occupy it and take time away from us. Wise people, on the other hand, understand that time is the most valuable of all resources, and with effort can free themselves from external control to engage in meaningful introspection and create an intentional life.
Seneca urges his readers to live in the present and adapt themselves to a purposeful life in agreement with Nature. Only by doing so, can one then truly unlock both past and future. The completeness of each present moment allows one's awareness to expand to the equal of that of the universe, and achieve true virtue and happiness.
The statements which urge Paulinus to retire from public life are in notable contrast to Seneca's advice in his essay Of Tranquillity of Mind to seek public employments in order to render life attractive. However, in his related treatise, On Leisure, Seneca makes the point that there is no inconsistency and that one can serve the greater community in either or both roles
Translation by John W Basore, produced by Vox Stoica
Seneca's Essays Series:
1) Of providence - addressed to Lucilius
2) On the Firmness of the Wise Man - addressed to Serenus
3-5) Of Anger (Books 1-3) - addressed to his brother Novatus
6) Of Consolation - addressed to Marcia
7) Of a Happy Life - addressed to Gallio
8) Of Leisure - addressed to Serenus
9) Of Tranquillity of Mind - addressed to Serenus
10) On the Shortness of Life - addressed to Paulinus
11) Of Consolation - addressed to Polybius
12) Of Consolation - addressed to Helvia
The first book in the essays of Seneca deals with good and evil. The dialogue is opened by Lucilius complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the design of providence? Seneca answers according to the Stoic point of view. Nothing actually bad can happen to the good man (the wise man) because opposites don't mix. What looks like adversity is in fact a means by which the man exerts his virtues. As such, he can come out of the ordeal stronger than before.
So, in perfect harmony with the Stoic philosophy, Seneca explains that the truly wise man can never surrender in the face of misfortunes but as he will always go through them and even if he should fall he will continue fighting on his knees. The wise man understands destiny and its design, and therefore he has nothing to fear from the future. Neither does he hope for anything, because he already has everything he needs - his good behaviour.
The conclusion is that actually nothing bad happens to good men. One just has to understand what bad means: bad for the wise man would be to have bad thoughts, to commit crimes, to desire money or fame. Whoever behaves wisely already has all the good possible.
Translation by Aubrey Stewart and Produced by Vox Stoica
Seneca's Essays Series:
1) Of Providence - addressed to Lucilius
2) On the Firmness of the Wise Man - addressed to Serenus
3,4,5) Of Anger (Books 1-3) - addressed to his brother Novatus
6) On Consolation - addressed to Marcia
7) Of a Happy Life - addressed to Gallio
8) Of Leisure - addressed to Serenus
9) On Tranquillity of Mind - addressed to Serenus
10) On the shortness of life - addressed to Paulinus
11) On Consolation - addressed to Polybius
12) On consolation - addressed to Helvia
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