Written by Leo Babauta
I believe that you can find as many powerful practices for change as you can. And the Stoic philosophers Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca are great inspirations for me.
I found that there is significant overlap between Stoicism and Zen Buddhism, even if there are some important differences. The overlap between Zen and Stoicism, which I will share below, is a powerful practice.
1. What we control
One of the main principles of Stoicism is to focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t. And most things in life are beyond our control: other people’s opinions and actions, the weather, world events, and most often accidents and losses. We tend to let these things affect our happiness, even if we can’t do anything about it.
Think about how often you feel irritated or stressed by things that are out of your control. What if you declared that it’s not your job, your business is focused on doing what’s best in this moment?
Zen also focuses on doing your best in the present moment out of compassion. I find this focus simple, powerful, and liberating.
2. Memories of death
The Stoics regularly reminded themselves that they were going to die. Buddhists also do this. Some Buddhist branches meditate at cemeteries for this purpose. So do I.
Life is short and precious, and we take it for granted. We need to be reminded of this often so that we can make the most of each day and each moment.
3. Love the way you are
The Stoics didn’t use the term “love of love” (it was Nietzsche), but Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus wanted things to be the way they were, rather than wishing they were the way they were. I definitely supported the idea that it should be accepted.
Epictetus: “Don’t ask for things to happen the way you want them to happen, but hope for them to happen, and all will be well.”
This is also the Zen idea of accepting reality as it is, and our suffering is based on wishing things were different.
What if we could learn to love each moment as it is? To do that, we must find the beauty that happens in life. Start with easy moments (a quiet morning, a good cup of tea, seeing the face of a loved one) and slowly work your way to more difficult moments (someone is negative, there is a difficult task in front of you). Leave the most difficult things (death, disease, war, etc.) for later as advanced tasks.
4. Thinking about misfortune
Seneca had a habit called “premeditio malorum,” or the habit of thinking through adversity in advance and imagining all the bad things that would happen to him as a rehearsal.
For example, if you’re about to go on a trip, you might imagine all the things that could go wrong: forgetting your passport, losing your luggage, getting robbed, getting lost, getting sick. Really visualize all these things happening. And imagine that they are not traumatic, but neutral. No problem. Maybe you really liked the experience.
And if any of those things actually happen…then I’ll be ready. Nothing worse can happen to you than what you have already experienced in contemplation. You’ve already been through it all.
In this way, we have prepared ourselves in the same way that we expose ourselves to ice-cold water to prepare to swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Zen tradition is more of a meditation on the present moment…but in a sense, when we meditate, we are also thinking about everything that happens in the present moment (boredom, distractions, discomfort, etc.). frustration, etc.). Things will (inevitably) happen later, but we have already faced them.
5. Higher perspective
There’s a way I like to imagine looking at humanity from a “God’s perspective,” looking down on humanity as a whole as if it were the size of an ant.
Looking at the big picture like this reminds me of:
My problem, although it seems big, is actually small. We are all interconnected, even if we feel alone.
This makes my life easier.
The Stoics called this the “higher perspective.” In Zen, we practice reminding ourselves that we are interconnected. The “truth” of reality (as opposed to having a separate self) helps us feel connected and compassionate.
These practices are very helpful in my life. They are liberating and motivating at the same time. And it takes a lifetime’s worth of practice.
