I believe in finding powerful practices for transformation wherever we can find them. And the Stoic philosophers Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca are huge inspirations for me.
I’ve found there to be a huge overlap between Stoicism and Zen Buddhism, even if there are also some key differences. The overlap between Zen & Stoicism are things I share below, and they are powerful practices.
1. What We Control
One of the main Stoic principles is to focus on what you can control, and let go of what you can’t. And most of life is what we can’t control: other people’s opinions and actions, the weather, world events for the most part, accidents, loss. Too often we let those things affect our happiness, even if we can’t do anything about them.
Think about how often you get frustrated or stressed by something you can’t control. What if you declared that that was none of your business — your business instead is focusing on doing your best in the present moment.
Zen also focuses on doing your best in the present moment, from a place of compassion. I find this focus to be simple, powerful, and liberating.
2. Reminder of Death
The Stoics would remind themselves that they were going to die, on a regular basis. Buddhists do this too — one branch of Buddhists will meditate in a graveyard for this purpose, something that I do as well.
Life is short and precious, and we take it for granted. We need to remind ourselves of this often, so that we can make the most of each day, and each moment.
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