Presenters, post your summaries in the comments space below.
Macaro 9-10
1. What matters most, for Buddhists and Stoics?
2. Why was reading and memorizing emphasized in stoic meditation?
3. What was Epictetus's excellent mindfulness tip?
4. What "states" do the "four great efforts" aim at?
5. What Epicurean techniqiue attempts to balance "anticipation of doom"?
6. Seeing clearly, says Macaro, means giving up what?
Discussion Questions
- Are you, or can you hope to become, "fully in control of [y]our thoughts and judgments"? 139
- Have you practiced Buddhist or Stoic meditation? With what result?
- Do you agree with Marcus Aurelius's view of how the mind can be "cleared of junk"? 143
- Do you agree with Rollo May's account of our freedom? 152
- Would you describe yourself as accepting of impermanence, aware of yourself and others, and attentive to life? Or do you need to meditate on these states of mind?
- Do you like Epictetus's "cup" advice? 164
- Do you agree that "your qualities should face inward"? 166
- Do you try to "extend your fellow-feeling"? 168 How far?
- Is Seneca right about what we're "praying for" when we desire old age? 169
- Have you had to cope with the grief of losing someone close to you? How were you able to cope?
- Should we all be "mostly silent"? 175 Or at least try to be more silent and less vocally judgmental?
- After reflecting on Buddhist and Stoic precepts, are you now better equipped to "cherish precious impermanent things"? 178 Will that contribute positively to your happiness?
1. What matters most, for Buddhists and Stoics?
ReplyDeleteWhile knowledge and awareness are important to both, what matters most is putting what we have come to know into action and everyday practices. One must go beyond talking about what one knows to using that knowledge to do and build tangibly in the world.
Buddhists and Stoics can also be Pragmatists, then. And vice versa.
Delete3. What was Epictetus's excellent mindfulness tip?
ReplyDeleteEpictetus advises us to be patient about interpreting our first impressions in order to allow time to consider the long-term consequences of acting on those impressions. A pleasure might seem safe to respond to at first but result in regrets after having partaken of that pleasure.
6. Seeing clearly, says Macaro, means giving up what?
ReplyDeleteTo see clearly, we must give up our illusions of a perfect solution for life's unpleasantness in detaching from the world and “all things conventionally considered good…(because)… the price would be too high.” (Macaro, p. 136, Kindle Edition)
Hello class, this is Vincent and on OCT 7 I will be presenting on the topic of Buddhist Suffering.
ReplyDeleteMy presentation will use buddhist beliefs as building blocks in order to give an in-depth explanation into the how and why we suffer. This presentation will be heavily buddhism-focused, but discussion may involve comparing and contrasting with other philosophies/religions. This will relate to our book and the subject of our class- Happiness- because Dukkha (slightly different from the English word 'suffering') is the opposite of happiness, and learning how to escape Dukkha is therefore learning how to be happy.
Or is it just learning how to be less subject to "dukkha"? Is that all there is? Seems like the Jeffersonian pursuit of happiness was meant to be more than just a cessation of pain, suffering, and disappointment... more creative, more fulfilled, more reliably pleasurable and rewarding... Or is that a western myth?
DeleteI believe what the Founding Father and his fellow Westerners are trying to get at is an Aristotelian-esque view of happiness. It’s a view that requires an individual to be actively and meaningfully engaged in a life or task that is seen as valuable by at least the actor. Of course, this would entail that a just government should allow individuals to pursue their activities and responsibilities in a way that aligns with their value system, recognizing that those value systems may differ from person to person. I personally believe that the Jeffersonian view has a much better grasp on the subject.
DeleteI don't think its necessary to be in complete control of your thoughts. It seems to me its sufficient if you simply have control over whether you cling to or a thought or not that can accomplish a similar result more realistically. If you can allow thoughts to come into your mind and let them go without arresting them then you can cling to the thoughts that are the most edifying and important which I think would result in a more practical stoic mindset that acknowledges our inability to control what notions occur to us.
ReplyDeleteI'm by nature a fairly quiet person, and thats come with a lot of good or bad. I can't count the number of times I should've spoken up or defended a particular stance on this or that issue yet at the same time silence can allow you to better understand what other people might say and to consider it more liberally than you otherwise might be able to aloud. So it doesn't seem entirely productive to blanket silence as a net good or evil rather kts worth seems to come from its selective application based entirely on context rather than on a general rule.
ReplyDeleteAre you, or can you hope to become, "fully in control of [y]our thoughts and judgments"? 139
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that you will ever be able to have full control of them. I know that I often have knee-jerk reactions that seemingly come from nowhere close, spontaneously at that. However, I have found a great deal of comfort and ease of life in controlling them as best as I can. Sometimes, you can reason your self away from harmful or unjustified thoughts and judgments. Sometimes you just have to remove yourself from the circumstances that cause them, as best as one can.
Do you agree with Marcus Aurelius's view of how the mind can be "cleared of junk"? 143
ReplyDeleteI actually completely agree with Aurelius’s view of clearing the mind of junk, especially in regards to reflecting on the size of the world and the scale of our problems. I find comfort in thinking about how insignificant we really are in the scheme of existence. When I am having issues with anxious or racing thoughts, my therapist tells me to think of the absolute worst case scenario, imagine it and develop it all the way out, and then realize how little impact it will actually have. In allowing your brain to run with these outlandish thoughts, you take the power out of them and regain control.