#2: Loving-Kindness, Cosmic Perspective, and Social Anxiety

And the overlap between Buddhism and Stoicism...

Author

Jon Brooks
October 24, 2022

🏹 Stoic Wisdom Arrows

🪐 Trust the Cosmic Perspective: In this article, I explain why it’s sometimes important to step outside of our small “Self” and enter into a cosmic perspective. Read here.​

💜 Complete Stoic Loving-Kindness Meditation: Develop your love of people, love of humanity, and love of service with this Stoic compassion meditation. Listen here.​​

👨‍👩‍👦 Owning Your Role in Relationships: Why it’s important to focus on yourself more than the other in relationships because we can’t control other people. Read here.​​

🧘 Were the Early Stoics Buddhist Monks?

In an ongoing series with Stoic writer Donald Robertson, I asked him to elaborate on the overlap between Buddhism and Stoicism. The two philosophies are intriguing insofar as they complement each other quite well and both have strategies for attaining emotional freedom.

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📜 Featured Breakdown

Using Challenges to Build Character

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For every challenge, remember the resources you have within you to cope with it. Provoked by the sight of a handsome man or a beautiful woman, you will discover within you the contrary power of self-restraint… In time, you will grow to be confident that there is not a single impression that you will not have the moral means to tolerate.

— Enchiridion, Chapter 10, Epictetus

The same is true with pain, it will elicit the choice between victimhood and endurance, both are within you.

The next time you get insulted, be thankful because you will discover the virtue of patience.

With enough practice, you will soon experience every challenge as a great opportunity to guide you toward virtue.

Read Expanded Post or listen to the audio lesson below:

Hard Challenges Unlock Inner Superpowers

open.spotify.com/episode/7v3xMR7ZRjxpdVDBNbISJM

If you are enjoying the free Stoic Handbook content, particularly the podcasts, but want to go deeper, I’ve created Stoic Handbook Premium, where you can enjoy my courses and exclusive Q&As and lessons.

The course that is currently being added now is From Social Anxiety to Core Confidence. Here is a glimpse at the curriculum:

  1. Jon's Personal Story and Journey with Social Anxiety

  2. The Origins and Symptoms of Social Anxiety

  3. The Main Models on the Cause of Social Anxiety

  4. Key Interventions and Strategies to Overcome Social Anxiety

  5. The 10 Advanced Social Dynamic Principles: Part 1

  6. The 10 Advanced Social Dynamic Principles: Part 2

  7. The 10 Advanced Social Dynamic Principles: Part 3

  8. The 10 Advanced Social Dynamic Principles: Part 4

  9. How Stoicism and Buddhism Can Help In Social Situations

  10. Skill Building Social Confidence

You can get access to this course and others with a free trial by visiting here.

🤝 Friend of Wisdom

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(Fate permitting)

Jon

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