The Good Life Handbook

By Chuck Chakrapani

The Good Life Handbook is a rendering of Enchiridion in plain English. It is a concise summary of the teachings of Epictetus, as transcribed and later summarized by his student Flavius Arrian. The Handbook is a guide to the good life. It answers the question, “How can we be good and live free and happy, no matter what else is happening around us?”

                Ancient Stoics lived in a time of turmoil under difficult conditions. So, the solutions they found to living free was tested under very stringent conditions. For example, the author of this Handbook was a lame slave who made himself free and happy later in life by following the principles set out in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Stoic Gym
• Release date: Dec 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780920219157

Book preview

The Handbook

The Handbook or Enchiridion is a concise summary of the teachings of Epictetus, as transcribed and later summarized by his student Flavius Arrian.

The Handbook is a guide to the good life. It answers the question, How can we be good and live free and happy, no matter what else is happening around us?

Epictetus, the great Stoic philosopher, was born c. 55 CE in Hierapolis (present day Pamukkale, Turkey). Epictetus means slave or acquired. It is said his parents sold him to Epaphroditos, a wealthy freedman and secretary to Nero. Epictetus was lame. According to some accounts, his master broke both Epictetus’ legs for no reason. In any case, the lame Epictetus spent his youth as a slave in Rome.

Even as a slave, Epictetus was found to be gifted, so his master sent him to study with the famous Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus. Eventually Epictetus became a free man and began to teach his