These two ancient schools of thought, Zen and Stoics, seek to find the root of all human suffering and uproot it
Not only interesting, but also important. Millions, even billions of people, are in such misery, without being able to find a way out, that they repeatedly think about ending their own life.
The Stoics developed from a collection of thinkers who often discussed Athens' marketplace, or agora. Here, people don't just buy and trade, but also discuss things from art to politics to philosophy. Stoic thinkers gathered near pillars in the Agora known as Stoic pillars.
The focus of their work is logic and ethics, but ethics is really their main concern. For them, the highest happiness can only be obtained by living a benevolent life. This virtue can only be obtained if one can get rid of all misconceptions about life, and learn to train one's mind and emotions.
In various countries, the Stoics began to return to fame. Various books have been written, business management consulting, ranging from human resources to marketing also widely use ideas from this genre. Several books attempt to see the close relationship between the Stoic school and the earlier and widespread teachings of Buddhist Zen.
The Stoics are very well known today, for their open approach. He is not trapped in any absolute teachings, there are no unreasonable rules, there is no worship of old teachings that are no longer in accordance with his time.
Stoic footing is reason, to manage thoughts and emotions. If applied carefully, it can help people overcome all forms of suffering, and encourage meaningful lives in relationships with others. There are many similarities to the Zen Buddhist approach. Both schools argue that efforts to overcome the suffering of human life should be the main focus of the study of philosophy, religion, and science.
One of the most prominent figures in the Stoics was the Roman Emperor, Mark Aurelius. He wrote a book entitled Meditation, and until now this book continues to be reprinted because it is still an inspiration to many people.
Freedom and wisdom.
The main essence of Stoic thought can be summarized in the following sentence:
"Some things are in our control, some things are not."
The things that are under our control are our opinions, our desires, and the hatred we feel. While the things that are beyond our control are other people's opinions, other people's behavior, and natural disasters.
In Stoic thinking, we need to be calm about things that are beyond our control. If we impose our will on things that are beyond our control, we will fall into failure. We will be angry and disappointed, therefore we only need to focus on the things that are within our control. This is the essence of wisdom.
Epictetus wrote, "If you refuse to take part in a race in which you are likely to lose, you will never lose." Buddhist Zen has more or less similar teachings.
All of these things are not fixed and will continue to change. Understanding this, the sage observes all these changing things, finally things that are attractive no longer attract him, and things that are ugly no longer cause rejection and suffering.
Meditation and politics.
Stoic and Zen Buddhists both developed meditation techniques, one of the most famous of which is meditation by being aware of changes in things. Since everything changes, there is nothing we can really control. We can then find peace in the here and now.
The Stoics and Zen were not only teachings about happiness, they were also political teachings. Both emphasize the dignity of life and responsibility for the common good.
Both agree on the issue of cosmopolitanism, namely the view that sees humans not only as members of certain groups, but as citizens of the universe.
Markus Aurelius once wrote, “When you think you have been hurt, apply this way of thinking: if the community is not hurt by this, then you are not hurt either.”
In many ways, the teachings of Zen Buddhism are much richer than the teachings of the Stoics. Based on its history, Ancient Greek thinkers after Emperor Alexander did learn a lot from Indian philosophy, especially the classical teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism. In this day and age, the two of them can still learn from each other, to help many people today who are stuck in the misery of life.