Difference between Buddhism and Stoicism by Naeem Khan CSP

 Difference between Buddhism and Stoicism by Naeem Khan CSP 

Research tells us that Buddhists believe that suffering comes from our attachment to desires, while Stoics believe that suffering comes from our judgment to external events. A Buddhist eliminates suffering by detaching himself from his desires. A Stoic eliminates suffering by being indifferent to all external events.

As philosopher and author Nassim Taleb once wrote on the similarities between the two: “A Stoic is a Buddhist with attitude.”

According to Buddhist teachings, one reaches nirvana by following the Noble Eightfold Path: “Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That is the ancient path, the ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times.”

And what about Stoicism? It is a philosophy that stresses the importance of being in accordance with nature and accepting all of the things that happen in life. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus advocated an unconditional surrender to the course of nature. As he once put it, don’t be wishing for figs in winter—accept and wish how things actually are instead. This is also best expressed by the concept of amor fati, or loving one’s fate, which as author Robert Greene has remarked in our interview with him, is very prominent in Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations.