Former Forest Monk, Matthew Gindin, discusses the rise of Stoicism's popularity and its appeal to Buddhism enthusiasts. He explores the historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, emphasizing the similarities in training the mind and taking responsibility. The podcast also delves into Spinoza's influence on Stoicism and the varying Buddhist perspectives on meat consumption. Additionally, it explores the connections between Greek and Indian philosophers, and provides techniques for managing afflicting thoughts and effective emotional coping strategies.
Stoicism and Buddhism both aim to remove misunderstandings about reality through training the mind.
Stoicism focuses on virtue as the ultimate goal of life, while Buddhism aims for the end of suffering (nirvana) as the ultimate goal.
The similarities between Stoicism and Buddhism may stem from the shared human condition, cultural exchange, and movement of ideas between India and the Mediterranean.
Deep dives
Similarities Between Stoicism and Buddhism
Stoicism and Buddhism share a belief that people suffer because they misunderstand the nature of reality, and both believe that through training the mind, these misunderstandings can be removed.
Differences Between Stoicism and Buddhism
Stoicism sees virtue as the ultimate goal of life, whereas Buddhism aims for the end of suffering (nirvana) as the ultimate goal. Stoicism emphasizes continuous practice and development of skills, while Buddhism focuses on attaining a static state of freedom from suffering. Buddhism also distinguishes between irrelevant questions and irrelevant questions, prioritizing what is relevant to the path of practice.
Possible Explanations for Similarities
The similarities between Stoicism and Buddhism may stem from the shared human condition and the nature of reality. The cultural exchange and movement of ideas between India and the Mediterranean might have also contributed to the similarities. However, it is important to recognize that Buddhism itself is highly diverse, with different interpretations and practices.
Thought Management Techniques in Buddhism
In Buddhism, the Buddha provides techniques for dealing with problematic thoughts. He suggests observing the thoughts and determining if they lead to affliction or freedom. If a thought is afflicting, one can replace it with a more positive theme or distract oneself with unrelated thoughts. If that doesn't work, examining the drawbacks of the thought can help. Ignoring the thought and letting it pass through is another option. Additionally, one can observe the effort put into the thought and relax, or in extreme cases, apply sheer determination. These techniques offer a range of approaches depending on the nature of the thought.
Implications of Different Emotional Coping Techniques
Different emotional coping techniques have their pros and cons. Distraction techniques work well in the moment but may not change underlying beliefs. On the other hand, cognitive disputation techniques can change underlying beliefs but are challenging to implement under duress. Understanding the different strategies available and their strengths can lead to greater flexibility and creativity in managing emotions. It is important to have a repertoire of emotional coping techniques and recognize that different strategies work for different situations and individuals.
In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition. He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He is now the author of the Philosophy As Therapy newsletter on Substack.
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Highlights
* How Matthew became interested in Stoicism and his other philosophical influences, such as Spinoza
* The rise in popularity of Stoicism, e.g., how it appeals to people interested in Buddhism, etc.
* What do you think Stoicism and Buddhism have in common?
* The historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, e.g., communication between ancient eastern and western philosophers
* How Stoics could benefit from learning more about Buddhism
