Moral Practice in Late Stoicism and Buddhist Meditation
Comparative Philosophy An International Journal of Constructive Engagement of Distinct Approaches toward World Philosophy January 30, 2017 Michael Goerger 1 citation
Stoic philosophers in the late Greco-Roman period employed philosophical exercises and spiritual technologies that resemble a meditative practice found in Buddhism. The essay examines Stoic theories of moral development, cosmopolitanism, and oikeiōsis, arguing that these commitments required exercises to cultivate universal moral concern. By drawing on Buddhist practice, the author identifies passages in Stoic texts that prescribe moral exercises. Comparing the form rather than just the content of these traditions reveals that Stoic philosophy, viewed as a "way of life," shares formal characteristics with Buddhist religious practices. The comparison enriches Greco-Roman philosophies by reading them through the lens of lived, practical Buddhist traditions.