240129 What I learned in my studies this morning 4

Today's Meditation(s):

Hadot's ch. 3, The Meditations as Spiritual Exercises, which I've been reading and using this space to make some notes, is broken into 6 parts:

1. "Theory and" "practice"
2. Dogma and their formulation
3. The three rules of life or disciplines
4. Imaginative exercises
5. Writing as spiritual exercise
6. "Greek" exercises

Hadot's analyzes the Meditations as different ways of reinforcing Stoic effects in Marcus' psyche.  

1. They are the "practice" part of Stoic "theory."  
2. They allow Marcus to craft specific dogmas ("foundational and fundamental rules") which re-present the wisdom Marcus has learned in his way, restating and reworking them to make them stick in his mind. 
3. They express three Stoic rules of life: 1. use your judgment to find truth; 2. accept the world as it is; and 3. practice justice and altruism towards others.
4. They elicit images of important themes to illustrate them and make them vividly memorable.
5. They follow Epictetus' direction to "write down every day" the lessons we must continually renew lest they fade from our mind.
6. They allowed Marcus to use his Greek, the language of philosophy.

As Hadot puts it,

[The Meditations are] exercises carried out in accordance with a program which Marcus has received from the Stoic tradition, and in particular from Epictetus." (The Inner Citadel, p. 86)

Nice to know I am at least going through the proper motions.