244. Advice from Marcus Aurelius

Here are 10 things Marcus Aurelius advises :

1. Always be courteous and serene of temper.

2. Be manly without ostentation.

3. Be pious and generous. Avoid uncharitableness in thought word and action. Hold also a simplicity of life.

4. No expense should be spared for the sake of good masters (teachers).

5. Do not be partisan. Seek the bigger picture. Fear not hard work. Be sparing in your wants. Attend to your own needs. Mind your own business.Do not listen to gossip.

6. Do not be absorbed in trivial pursuits. Be sceptical of wizards and wonder workers with their tales of the supernatural.Eschew cock-fighting and other barbaric distractions. Do not resent outspokenness. Compose essays.

7. Learn Philosophy, Law and Wrestling. Remember that your character needs training and care daily.

8. Whenever someone falls out with you through ill temper and is willing to make peace again, be willing to meet him halfway.

9. Be accurate in your readings. Do not be content with a mere general idea of what is meant. Do not be too quickly convinced by a glib tongue.

10. You need to make decisions for yourself and do not depend on the hazzards of chance. Never for a moment, leave Reason out of sight.

104. The Law of Increasing Returns

Most people are familiar with the Law of Diminishing Returns. This states that after you reach a certain point in some situations the more you put in to a system, the less you get back. This point is called the point of diminishing returns and once you reach it, it is time to quit. Unlike this, however, the Law of Increasing Returns operates in the opposite fashion. Just as a farmer gains many more grains of wheat for every one sewn, for every service you render, you gain a multiple of that in return. This only works if it is done with the right mental attitude. If you do it unwillingly or resentfully or for your own profit you will gain nothing back. Only true givers gain.

This is another example of the indifferent action at work. If you do something simply because it needs to be done then it is clean and attracts no karmic energy either good or bad. This opens a path in your karma or sanskara, allowing pure consciousness to light your path. In contrast, a good action will attract good sanskara and a bad one will attract the bad. These clutter up the life and can make things difficult for you. Better to look for no reward unless you are working in a formal arrangement for pay.