The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life by Bruce J. MacLennan
Authors: Bruce J. MacLennan
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idea, but think of it this way. Pleasure and pain are experienced in the present moment. Even if we remember past pleasures or pains, or anticipate future ones, that recollection or anticipation is experienced now , in the present.
The present is the only time that exists. Therefore present experience is eternal in the sense of being timeless, that is, outside of time altogether. Hence the present experience of pain or pleasure is a quality of the moment not a temporal quantity . The perfection of pleasure that the sage experiences in any given moment is like the perfect roundness of a circle. This perfection is not altered by the size of a circle; a small circle may be just as perfectly round as a large one. Likewise the perfection of a sage’s life is a quality that is not dependent on its length (its quantity). All sizes of circles offer the same degrees of roundness. Think about it.”55
In summary, the proper cure for the fear of death is to begin living the true Epicurean life immediately so that in every moment you are tranquil and content, so far as possible.
During your evening Examination of Conscience you can assess how well you have done
and how you can do better.
Fear of Death: Meditate on your own feelings about death. If you fear it, what is it about it that you fear? Do you fear death itself or the process of dying? What
do you think happens to you when you die, and what is the reason for your
beliefs? Record your thoughts in your journal.
The Fourfold Cure
The preceding observations on sufficiency, pain, gods, and death are summarized in one of Epicurus’ most famous slogans, the Tetrapharmakos or Fourfold Cure :
God presents no fear,
death no worry.
The good is easy to obtain,
but evil easy to endure.56
62 seeking tranquility in the garden
Live Hidden
We have seen how the philosophers of the Garden make choices in their individual lives in order to be tranquil and happy, but how will they live in the larger world? The image of an enclosed garden suggests that they will withdraw from wider world of business and politics, and to an extent that was true of ancient Epicureans. Indeed, the master teaches that we do not have to be very ambitious in order to live happily:
One who perceives the limits of life
knows how easy it is to expel the pain produced by want
and to make one’s entire life complete;
so that there is no need for the things
that are achieved through competition.57
If we satisfy our natural and necessary desires, and the unnecessary ones in moder-
ation, and pay little attention to the non-natural ones, then we will not have to work so hard. On the contrary, we should enjoy our limited lives, for we never know how long we have left, and should make sure to include leisure time:
We have been born once and cannot be born a second time;
for all eternity we shall no longer exist.
But you, although you are not in control of tomorrow,
are postponing your happiness.
Life is wasted by delaying,
and each one of us dies without enjoying leisure.58
Those in the Garden tell us that the stress, anxiety, and lost leisure of business and politics do not compensate for the empty desires they may satisfy.
We must free ourselves from the prison
of public affairs and ordinary concerns.59
Does this imply you should not be the CEO with multiple mansions? If you are not
enjoying your life, and if you are experiencing stress and anxiety, or wonder if your work is meaningful, you might reassess costs and benefits (pains and pleasures). Of course each
seeking tranquility in the garden 63
person must make the Epicurean calculation for them self, but the master of the Garden reminds us that the highest pleasure is tranquility.
The crown of tranquility is incomparably superior
to the crown of the greatest political power.60
Therefore one of the most famous Epicurean maxims suggests that is better to live
happily in obscurity rather than unhappily in prominence.
Live hidden!61
We
The present is the only time that exists. Therefore present experience is eternal in the sense of being timeless, that is, outside of time altogether. Hence the present experience of pain or pleasure is a quality of the moment not a temporal quantity . The perfection of pleasure that the sage experiences in any given moment is like the perfect roundness of a circle. This perfection is not altered by the size of a circle; a small circle may be just as perfectly round as a large one. Likewise the perfection of a sage’s life is a quality that is not dependent on its length (its quantity). All sizes of circles offer the same degrees of roundness. Think about it.”55
In summary, the proper cure for the fear of death is to begin living the true Epicurean life immediately so that in every moment you are tranquil and content, so far as possible.
During your evening Examination of Conscience you can assess how well you have done
and how you can do better.
Fear of Death: Meditate on your own feelings about death. If you fear it, what is it about it that you fear? Do you fear death itself or the process of dying? What
do you think happens to you when you die, and what is the reason for your
beliefs? Record your thoughts in your journal.
The Fourfold Cure
The preceding observations on sufficiency, pain, gods, and death are summarized in one of Epicurus’ most famous slogans, the Tetrapharmakos or Fourfold Cure :
God presents no fear,
death no worry.
The good is easy to obtain,
but evil easy to endure.56
62 seeking tranquility in the garden
Live Hidden
We have seen how the philosophers of the Garden make choices in their individual lives in order to be tranquil and happy, but how will they live in the larger world? The image of an enclosed garden suggests that they will withdraw from wider world of business and politics, and to an extent that was true of ancient Epicureans. Indeed, the master teaches that we do not have to be very ambitious in order to live happily:
One who perceives the limits of life
knows how easy it is to expel the pain produced by want
and to make one’s entire life complete;
so that there is no need for the things
that are achieved through competition.57
If we satisfy our natural and necessary desires, and the unnecessary ones in moder-
ation, and pay little attention to the non-natural ones, then we will not have to work so hard. On the contrary, we should enjoy our limited lives, for we never know how long we have left, and should make sure to include leisure time:
We have been born once and cannot be born a second time;
for all eternity we shall no longer exist.
But you, although you are not in control of tomorrow,
are postponing your happiness.
Life is wasted by delaying,
and each one of us dies without enjoying leisure.58
Those in the Garden tell us that the stress, anxiety, and lost leisure of business and politics do not compensate for the empty desires they may satisfy.
We must free ourselves from the prison
of public affairs and ordinary concerns.59
Does this imply you should not be the CEO with multiple mansions? If you are not
enjoying your life, and if you are experiencing stress and anxiety, or wonder if your work is meaningful, you might reassess costs and benefits (pains and pleasures). Of course each
seeking tranquility in the garden 63
person must make the Epicurean calculation for them self, but the master of the Garden reminds us that the highest pleasure is tranquility.
The crown of tranquility is incomparably superior
to the crown of the greatest political power.60
Therefore one of the most famous Epicurean maxims suggests that is better to live
happily in obscurity rather than unhappily in prominence.
Live hidden!61
We
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