A terrible translation in that O'Connor's sentence structures are so opaque, I had to rewrite them in my mind in order to make sense of them. Also, I'm not sure in what sense the works collected here represent the "essence" of Epicuris' thought. if you are curious about Epicuris'philosophy, there are better books to be found. ( )

So many treasures have been lost over the years, and that is quite apparent when reading what little remains of Epicurus' works, collected in this very nice Penguin Classics volume. Included here are the Letter to Herodotus, Letter to Pythocles (which may not have been written by Epicurus, but was certainly written by a follower of his philosophy), and the Letter to Menoecceus, along with a collection of his sayings (referred to as Leading Doctrines in this volume) and a collection of aphorisms which were discovered in the Vatican in 1888. Those five sources are all that remains of the works of Epicurus, who was known to be a prolific writer.

There is more in this book though, as Penguin Classics always include additional material and notes from scholars, and this one is no exception. There is a wonderful introduction by George K. Strodach, and they have included passages from Lucretius' "The Nature of Things" which add to the material contained in the three letters. I would recommend also getting the Penguin Classic version of "The Nature of Things" as the latter is the most complete exponent of Epicurus' philosophy. Also included are some Excerpts from the Life of Epicurus, by Diogenes Laertius. ( )

It is a great tragedy all the many books written by Epicurus have been lost to us. We know Epicurus wrote many books and we know the titles of these books since they are listed by Diogenes Laertius, the great third century biographer of the Greek philosophers. Of the books of Epicurus that Diogenes Laertius lists, the three books I really wish survived are: 1) Of Love 2) Of Music and 3) Symposium.

Although there is a world of difference between the philosophy of Epicurus and Buddhism, I am struck with the following similarities between Epicurus and the historical Buddha:

• Both studied with teachers and the teachings within their respective traditions before rejecting those teachings and striking out on their own, developing their own unique philosophy;

• Both examined their own direct experience in the world to understand the nature of human life;

• Both insisted on facing the inevitability of one’s own death directly and with courage;

• Both developed a series of principles to be memorized, internalized and lived by;

• Both encouraged their followers to practice in separate communities of like-minded seekers and at a remove from frenetic public life;

• Both highly valued a clear-headed understanding of the nature of desire and how desire is the root of suffering;

• Both outlined rules regarding the intake of food and drink as well as one’s attitude toward food and drink;

• Both encouraged their followers to adhere to specific principles to transcend suffering and reach a state of tranquil abiding;

• Both took on a superhuman-like status with their followers.

As a way of encouraging a study of Epicurus, the following is my commentary on the first five of his Principal Doctrines (Diogenes Laertius lists the 40 Principal Doctrines in his narrative biography of Epicurus - my commentary on 6-40 are in a series of messages below, starting with message #10):

1. A blessed and indestructible being has no trouble himself and brings no trouble upon any other being; so he is free from anger and partiality, for all such things imply weakness.

A perfect being is too pure, too blissful to feel in a limited human or earthly way. If you had the misfortune of being raised in a religion where children are told to fear an angry, jealous God, than this is something you must outgrow if you want to live at ease as an Epicurean. Perhaps a good first step is to simply realize such a religion is one of thousands of religions throughout human prehistory and history, and many religions view God in ways other than fear. Another suggestion would be to seek out like-minded friends where you can talk through emotional issues caused by religious teachings. Since emotions and memory are so much part of our physical body, start to exercise in ways that you enjoy and find relaxing - yoga, dance, jogging or walking. Appreciate the fact that you are a sensitive, aesthetic embodied being. Live in joy, joy as an ongoing experience. There is nothing more pleasurable than a life lived in joy.

2. Death is nothing to us; for that which has been dissolved into its elements experiences no sensations, and that which has no sensation is nothing to us.

Do you get the willies when something reminds you of death? When somebody talks about death, do you feel like jumping up and running out of the room in a panic? If so, then you don't need a doctor, you need an Epicurean philosopher. The first thing is to realize death is a complete dissolution where you experience no sensation, not even the tiniest pressure on your skin. According to Epicurus, death is a complete blank - no forms, no awareness, no sensation. In a very real sense, in a way we have this experience every night when we enter the deep sleep state. Of course, we wake up from our night's sleep but, even still, there is that 'blank' aspect of sleep. So, please see death as a close cousin to sleep. You don't have anxiety or misgivings about entering a deep, dreamless sleep, so you shouldn't be bothered by the idea of death. To put not only your mind, but also your body in harmony with this view of death, it would be wise to practice meditation or the practice of sleep done by the yogis of India, which is called yoga nidra -- very restful, very calming, giving you a deep acceptance of who you are and your own mortality. With even a small amount of practice, you will develop a deeper experience of tranquility and live with less agitation and nervousness.

3. The magnitude of pleasure reaches its limit in the removal of all pain. When such pleasure is present, so long as it is uninterrupted, there is no pain either of body or of mind or of both together.

The key is appreciating who we are and where we are. Easy to say and not so easy to do, since as humans we tend to be uncontrollable in our desires. Even when we are healthy and free of both physical and mental pain, we tend to always want more. The sickness of desire - more, more, more. Enough is never enough for the unwise man or woman. If we are not experiencing physical pain or mental pain, which is the vast majority of the time, we should enjoy and value the pleasures life affords. If you cannot enjoy the simple pleasure of taking a deep breath or the taste of your morning coffee or listening to the birds sing or the sight of trees turning in fall, you are missing the natural rhythms of being alive. In a very real sense, all we have is the present moment - relax and enjoy; be thankful you don't have a tooth ache or a pounding head ache or a sprained ankle or the memory of being held captive in a prison camp. To bring yourself to a richer appreciation of the moment, take up an enjoyable exercise, which can be as simple as a morning walk. Clear your head of chatter, focus on your kinesthetic sixth sense, that is, being mindful of your body moving in space. If you need help with developing this awareness, try the Alexander Technique or a comparable method. If you want a good practice for the mind - start by committing to memory these forty Principal Doctrines of Epicurus. There is so much pleasure available having our five senses and our body. It is simply a matter of developing the habit of wakefulness.

4. Continuous bodily pain does not last long; instead, pain, if extreme, is present a very short time, and even that degree of pain which slightly exceeds bodily pleasure does not last for many days at once. Diseases of long duration allow an excess of bodily pleasure over pain.

Unlike ancient times, our modern world has a sophisticated medical industry with its thousand and one ways to perform operations and provide treatments to keep people alive who otherwise would be pushing up daisies. Thus, in a very real sense, we have more possibilities for pain. However, our modern world has a sophisticated pharmacological industry with its thousand and one ways to kill pain. It is something of a trade-off, but on the whole, we deal with less pain than people in ancient times. However, one thing remains the same: the ancients feared pain, and we in the modern world fear pain. Pain has been and will continue to be a very real part of life. But, does that mean we have to live in fear of future physical pain? Epicurus says `no', and for good reason. Our fear of what could happen takes us out of the pleasures we can have right here and now. Nothing spoils our tranquility more than being anxious, continually worrying, fretting and fidgeting over the future. Do you have nervous habits - wringing of hands, fidgeting with a pen, tapping your foot, pacing back and forth? If so, time to take a deep breath and think things through with Epicurus. You have dealt with pain up to this point in your life and you can deal with any future pain even more effectively now that you are committed and dedicated to philosophy. Ups and downs, pleasure and pain are part of nature; fortunately for us, there is a lot more pleasure than pain. Are you experiencing physical pain right now? Probably not. Relax and sink deeper into the pleasure of what is happening in and around you. The richness of physical pleasure through our senses and mental pleasure by using our mind philosophically are very rich indeed, an endless ocean of rich experience. All we need do is become more attentive to the present and not allow ourselves to be pulled out of our on-going pleasure by fear of future pain.

5. It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and honorably and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely and honorably and justly without living pleasantly. Whenever any one of these is lacking, when, for instance, the man is not able to live wisely, though he lives honorably and justly, it is impossible for him to live a pleasant life.

Living pleasantly for Epicurus is living without agitation, anxiety, and fear, being comfortable and confident with who we are, far removed from even a trace of being sexually twisted or repressed or violent or greedy for such things as wealth, fame, status, and political advantage . Without being burdened by these negativites and hankerings, we are free to think in a calm and clear way. Rather than reacting in knee-jerk fashion, we interact and respond sensitively to others and the world around us. What is the natural result of living such a life of Epicurean philosophy? A life lived wisely and honorably and justly, where we are seen by others as we are in fact - kind, courteous, honest, considerate and full of good will. A life lived wisely, honorably, justly, and pleasantly are of one piece. Remove any one of these four qualities in us and our lives can quickly spin into a nail-biting, tension-riddled mess. Much better to stay with Epicurus in his garden and relax into the life we were meant by nature to lead. And remember, always mean what you say and say what you mean. A kind and gentle man or woman has no place for being snide or sarcastic or lashing out with a sharp tongue. We degrade ourselves when we are condescending, coarse, crude or mean-spirited.

My commentary on Principal Doctrines 6-40 are below in a string of posts. ( )

I was familiar with Epicurus' philosophy even before reading this. He is mentioned in many other sources; and, one should acknowledge, he was not well liked by other philosophical schools. That's what really surprised me when reading Seneca and seeing that he quoted him positively so often.
Epicurus' philosophy is mildly interesting. I'd be lying if I said I was that taken with it. My philosophical sympathies lie elsewhere. Another more current annoyance about Epicurus is that he has become another one of those philosophers that New Atheists like to quote ignorantly. As with most pre-enlightenment philosophers they like to claim as their own, Epicurus was more of a deist, not an atheist. As has been typical, atheists ride on the coat tails of deistic philosophy and science. Because Epicurus' physics is empiricist and his ethics utilitarian, it makes it easy for him to be superficially appropriated, and usually by people who have read almost nothing of him or about him. Obviously, using the terms "utilitarian" and "empiricist" in the sense of philosophical schools would be an anachronism, but his approach differs little from those later ideals.
Epicurus was associated with the philosophical school of atomism. His immediate influences were Leucippus and Democritus and was followed by Lucretius. He did reject the determinism that was common among the atomists, which was a bit novel. I do think he occasionally seemed to intuit things that could be construed as being close to physical reality as we know it. His belief in atoms and particles were at least in part proven to be accurate scientifically; not that there isn't much in here that is a bit naive. One should note as well that for Epicurus, atoms were of a particular shape and size. Most likely he believed, as other schools did at the time, that elements like fire were of a pyramidal shape and earth was of cubical shape. Epicurus seems to imply that when these different atomic shapes combine, unique qualities or properties are revealed. As differing atoms and elements combined, atmospheric phenomena emerge on a smaller scale, or possibly the formation of whole worlds on a larger scale. One might be tempted to read into his account of atoms colliding, combining and dividing, our current understanding of quantum reality, but it does differ in major ways. It is, however, interesting that the language seems to come so close in some cases. He does believe that "wind", or some kind of "flow", is what carries atoms along, which might be seen either as naive, or it maybe simply an interesting and suitable name for some other kind of force that seemed analogous to wind. It is regrettable that a greater elucidation of his theories are not extant; because some of his references are obscure and ambiguous. The temptation to read into them something that is not appropriate probably appeals to some readers.
He seems to have influenced various philosophers and schools later on. Like Epicurus, Bruno believed that the universe was infinite; I've addressed the problems I have with this view in a review of Bruno's philosophy, so I'm not going to repeat it here; needless to say, the idea lends itself to various absurdities. I've already made references above to deism, utilitarianism and empiricism. He certainly was a precursor to those philosophies.
I'm not sure I'd revisit Epicurus too often. I may pick this back up for reference and quotations, but I doubt I'll read it all the way through again. I'm giving it an average rating of about 2 and a half stars. I acknowledge that I am biased, but this sort of philosophy doesn't appeal to me that much. ( )

Epicurean (n) Ἐπικούρειος
ˌɛpɪkjʊ(ə)ˈriːən

1. A disciple or student of the Greek philosopher Epicurus. ✓
2. A person devoted to sensual enjoyment, especially that derived from fine food and drink. ✗ (See Cyrenaic)
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"Thus when I say that pleasure is the goal of living I do not mean the pleasures of libertines or the pleasures inherent in positive enjoyment, as is supposed by certain persons who are ignorant of our doctrine or who are not in agreement with it or who interpret it perversely. I mean, on the contrary, the pleasure that consists in freedom from bodily pain and mental agitation. The pleasant life is not the product of one drinking party after another or of sexual intercourse with women and boys or of the sea food and other delicacies afforded by a luxurious table. On the contrary, it is the result of sober thinking—namely, investigation of the reasons for every act of choice and aversion and elimination of those false ideas about the gods and death which are the chief source of mental disturbances." —Letter to Menoeceus

"Think about these and related matters day and night, by yourself and in company with someone like yourself. If you do, you will never experience anxiety, waking or sleeping, but you will live like a god among men. For a human being who lives in the midst of immortal blessings is in no way like mortal man!" —Letter to Meneoceus

"But those who have not fully committed themselves emotionally to these matters cannot properly view them as they are, nor have they grasped the purpose and the need for studying them." —Letter to Pythocles

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When you arrive at Epicurus' Gardens, and see what is written there:

Here, guest, will you be well entertained: here pleasure is the highest good—

—Seneca, Letter 21.9
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It is a great shame that rival philosophical schools heard the term pleasure and immediately interpreted the word as sensual delight, forever corrupting Epicurus' philosophy and the term Epicurean, and misleading anyone not caring to examine the philosophy for themselves.

Epicurus' ethical hedonism is laid out in the Letter to Menoeceus, Leading Doctrines, and the Vatican Collection of Aphorisms. There is much to be gained by applying certain aspects to one's own life, and are a great complement to Seneca's Letters, Cicero's Philosophical Works, and Montaigne's advocation for the cultivation of the self.
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As well as his system of ethics, Epicurus expanded on contemporary atomist theories, forwarding the notion that all matter is composed of indivisible atoms, and proposing the notion of Atomic Swerve, to allow for free-will.

These theories are interesting to read,

". . . yet the question of the best way to live remained Epicurus' fundamental consideration. His theories about the composition of matter, causation, perception, truth, and knowledge, are all in service of this ultimate concern."

Epicurus advocated an understanding of science, and believed that only through the study of Natural Philosophy could certain fears and delusions regarding the gods be eliminated; one could achieve mental peace by understanding the fundamental workings of the world in which we live, and therefore be freed from the false belief that the gods were behind all, intervening when and according to their wishes and whims.

"It is impossible to get rid of our anxieties about essentials if we do not understand the nature of the universe and are apprehensive about some of the theological accounts. Hence it is impossible to enjoy our pleasures unadulterated without natural science." —Leading Doctrines, 12

"With the Epicureans it was never science for the sake of science but always science for the sake of human happiness."
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Epicurus' extant works are sadly not very numerous. They consist of three letters, and two collections of aphorisms:

• Letter to Herodotus
• Letter to Pythocles
• Letter to Menoeceus
• Leading Doctrines
• Vatican Collection of Aphorisms*

This Penguin edition presents all the above works, (~50pp.), with parallel passages from Lucretius' epic poem On the Nature of Things (accompanied with lucid commentary from the translator) presented after each letter. Also included is an excerpt from Diogenes Laërtius' Life of Epicurus, as well as an extensive seven-part introduction (77pp.[!]), and detailed notes.

The translation is excellent, and all in all, a great copy of Epicurus' writings.

*This edition contains 33 of the 81 aphorisms in the Vatican Collection. A large amount overlap with the Leading Doctrines, but some do not. Complete collections can easily be found online (eg. Here and here).
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These splendid sayings of Epicurus also serve another purpose which makes me even more willing to mention them. They prove to those people who take refuge in him for base motives, thinking to find cover for their faults, that they need to live honourably no matter where they go. When you arrive at Epicurus' Gardens, and see what is written there:

Here, guest, will you be well entertained: here pleasure is the highest good—

then the keeper of that house will be ready to receive you and, being hospitable and kind, will serve you a plate of porridge and a generous goblet of water and say to you, "Is this not a fine welcome?" "These gardens," he will say, "do not stimulate appetite; they appease it. They do not give drinks that make one thirstier, but quench thirst with its natural remedy, which comes free of charge. This is the pleasure in which I have lived to old age."

I am speaking to you now of those desires that are not alleviated by soothing speech, desires that must be given something to put an end to them. For about those superfluous desires that can be put off, rebuked, or suppressed, I remind you only of this: such pleasure is natural but not necessary. You do not owe it anything: anything you do devote to it is voluntary. The belly does not listen to instructions: it merely demands and solicits. Still, it is not a troublesome creditor. You can put it off with very little, if you just give it what you owe rather than what you can.

—Seneca, Letter 21.9-11
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But now I must make an end; and as has become my custom, I must pay for my letter. This will be done, but not on my own charge. I am still plundering Epicurus, in whose work I today found this saying:

"You should become a slave to philosophy, that you may attain true liberty."

—Seneca, Letter 8.7
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"Sex has never benefitted any man, and it's a marvel if it hasn't injured him!" —Epicurus, Leading Doctrines, 51 ( )