More Than Happiness: Buddhist and Stoic Wisdom for a Sceptical Age

by Antonia Macaro

Do you consider yourself stoical? Do a bit of meditation or mindfulness practice? Buddhism and Stoicism have a lot to offer modern readers seeking the good life, but they're also radical systems that ask much of their followers. In More than Happiness, Antonia Macaro delves into both philosophies, focusing on the elements that fit with our sceptical age, and those which have the potential to make the biggest impact on how we live. From accepting that some things are beyond our control, to monitoring our emotions for unhealthy reactions, to shedding attachment to material things, there is much, she argues, that we can take and much that we’d do better to leave behind.

In this synthesis of ancient wisdom, Macaro reframes the 'good life', and gets us to see the world as it really is and to question the value of the things we desire. The goal is more than living ethically and placing value on the right things in life.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Psychology, Meditation, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2019

Reviews

[Enso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cross-posted from my blog at http://www.openbuddha.com/2018/02/08/...

I'm both the target audience directly and also not so much it for this book at the same time. I'm highly interested and involved with Buddhism and also a reader of Classical Philosophy, especially Stoicism. The latter has been an ongoing interest for a number of years now. The only reason that I'm not the exact audience is that this is a fairly introductory work.

"More than Happiness" by Antonia Macaro presents an introduction to Buddhist thought, in the form one finds it within the Pali Canon as presented by Richard Gombrich (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...) and other UK Buddhist scholars or practitioners, and then it compares and contrasts it against Stoic thought, largely as presented in the surviving material from the Roman Stoics like Seneca (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_...) and Epictetus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epictetus). Macaro looks at the commonalities in the approaches to life, views of the world and human virtue, and practices (such as various meditative techniques) between these two schools of thought. This is all done at a fairly high level so it is a series of short chapters as follows:

1. Setting the Scene
2. Dukkha Happens: We Suffer
3. Maladies of the Soul: Why We Suffer
4. How to Be Saved 1: Nirvana
5. How to Be Saved 2: Living in Accordance with Nature
6. More Than Happiness
7. Removing the Dust from Our Eyes
8. The Sage and the Buddha: Models for Living
9. Spiritual Practice: Beyond Theory
10. Meditations for a Better Life

I found myself basically enjoying the book but being dissatisfied at the same time. Macaro would dig a bit into thing, such as suffering or models for living, have a somewhat intelligent overview and discussion, but then move on when it got interesting from my point of view. Fundamentally, this is an introductory work. If you're already familiar with the basis of Buddhist thought, such as the Four Noble Truths, Impermanence, etc. and you've read even a bit of Seneca or Epictetus, you'll be nodding along as he touches on things but you're not going to learn anything new.

The me of twelve or so years ago would probably have thought this was somewhat eye opening in how it showed some commonalities in thought, as well as differences, but I've done a lot of reading and reflecting since that time. If you want a point by point overview of the book. I suggest this review over on modernstoicism.com (http://modernstoicism.com/buddhist-an...) where Gregory Sadler digs in a bit. Otherwise, I think this would be a good book to give to your friends who have some interest in both topics or philosophy and Buddhism but not a lot of grounding in either of these. If they've read a bit in either, they might find it a bit too introductory though.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I have read lots on the stoics and I like to read books on Buddhism, so to have someone step through the similarities was great. Oh and as a sceptic (can't tolerate much talk of rebirth for example in Buddhism) so this book is spot on - I am the target audience.

[MJD · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest in Buddhism and/or Stoicism you are doing yourself a grave disservice by not reading this book.

[Ala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book elegantly weaves Buddhist philosophy and Stoicism into a seamless dialogue between East and West. The author's smooth comparisons reveal a shared human wisdom that has outlasted religions and cultural divides.

The book shows that timeless insights into life’s struggles were discovered long before modern self-help. It leaves you wiser, calmer, and reminded that the ancients still offer the clearest guidance for living well.

[Josephus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better secondary sources I’ve read on Stoicism. It does a great job synthesizing Stoic & Buddhist thought in a way that makes sense for the present day.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virtue or vice? "People are disturbed not by things, but by the views they take of things.”
I have read quite a few books on Bhuddism and even more books on Stoicism and this is the first book that tries to look at both of them together. On top of that it also tries to bring principles from both to today's life philosophy. I would say that result is OK but not so novel. Since those topics require quite a lot of self-reflectoin then I would still recommend to look at them completely separately and try to look at them with your own head. I also agree with some other comments that the narration was not exactly my favourite.

“Seneca: ‘You need not raise your hands to heaven; you need not beg the temple keeper for privileged access, as if a near approach to the cult image would give us a better hearing. The god is near you – with you – inside you.”

“The goal is not removing or promoting any particular mental state: it is to be able to live a rich life regardless of how we may be feeling at any particular time. This is explained through similes and practical exercises. In the ‘passengers on the bus’ metaphor, for instance, thoughts are compared to a bunch of critical and abusive passengers on a bus you’re driving. You’re in charge of the bus, though, so you can let the passengers shout as much as they like: that doesn’t stop you heading towards your valued destination.”

“Seneca has a wealth of such reminders: ‘Everything is dangerous and deceptive and more changeable than the weather; everything tumbles about and passes at fortune’s behest into its opposite; and in all this tumult of human affairs there is nothing we can be sure of except death alone.’ Since there is ‘no way to know the point where death lies waiting for you, … you must wait for death at every point’.”

“Could we react as Seneca tried to do? ‘I force my mind to pay attention to itself and not to be distracted by anything external. It does not matter what is making a noise outside, so long as there is no turmoil inside – as long as there is no wrangling between desire and fear, as long as greed is not at odds with self-indulgence, one carping at the other. … Only as the mind develops into excellence do we achieve any real tranquillity.”

“Where Epictetus advised testing the value of things by asking whether they are in our power, Chrysippus recommended the following two questions: Is there good or bad at hand? Is it appropriate to react? For a Stoic, the answer to the first question would be yes only if it refers to our virtue. Otherwise it would always be no, because nothing external to us is truly good or bad. It follows that the answer to the second question would also be no, it is not appropriate to react.”

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic synthesis and comparison of Stoicism and Buddhism, with lessons and practical applications from each to live the good life. We should remember “how small the cup of human enjoyment is” and “get what you can from the present”. This would be a great second book after reading Search Inside Yourself which I typically recommend as an accessible, convincing entry point into mindfulness.

[Eric Kalnins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good, informative and enlightening read beautifully written

13.10

[Bohemian Book Lover]

An informative, practical, modern take on Stoic Philosophy and Buddhism, as well as a comparative exposition and survey of the two traditions. I appreciated the fact that it avoided delving too much into the religious/dogmatic aspects and stayed on the more pragmatic, less-idealistic, layman's level of Stoic ideas and Buddhist discipline; distinguishing not only the differences between the two ancient practices but the difference between the cultural/historical contexts in implementing such ethical philosophies and spiritual paths in a 21st century setting.
Also, the author is in no way assuming the role of Stoic "apologist" or attempting to convert us to Buddhism. She encourages us to take a critical stance, while at the same time giving the benefits that such philosophical and spiritual modes of thinking, acting and living could bring to the ofentimes unbalanced complexities of being human.

However, it did feel repetitive at times, with the writing suffering from slight thesis-like symptoms. But I guess I am Stoic and Buddhist enough to overlook its unprosaic "dukka" and not let these cloud my better judgement of the book, which has helped refresh and enrich my knowledge and appreciation of Stoicism and Buddhism. To the extent that I won't even give it a star rating, in order to transcend such limited views of value and evaluation; thus putting into practice what I read.

[Lauren Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little primer for anyone who is interested in the similarities between stoicism and Buddhism. Of which there are many!

Both of these traditions tend to ask a lot of their practitioners, even things that might be impossible considering our new understanding of how little human decision making is actually conscious.

It can be argued that some of the practices, views and lessons these traditions advise you undertake may go too far in stripping away some of the fundamental aspects that make us human. For example, some stoics believed that the death of a loved one should be treated with complete indifference, as such a thing was inevitable being that your loved one was mortal, to the Buddhist notion of complete abstinence!

Antonia Macaro does a good job at distilling these rather intense rules of both these traditions into reasonable practices that can be sensibly applied to contemporary life. An interesting and refreshing read.

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I hoped it would be when I saw the title. I have found both Stoicism and Buddhism to be two of the most valuable and practical life philosophies. The author does an excellent job breaking down the similarities and differences of both from a modern perspective without the dogma. I highly recommend for someone interested in the topic!

[Calvin Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

What does it take to develop a sense of fulfilment in life?

This is the real question author Antonia Macaro attempts to answer in this work, a short 179 page gloss over an enormous topic; the comparison of the ethical disciplines of Buddhism and Stoicism, and a critique of how these systems for living hold up in our contemporary materialistic world of convenience and indulgence.

In response to the modern world of vice, the ancient Hellenistic school of Stoicism has been enjoying something of a renaissance in the last few years, and so Macaro's ambitions for this work make some timely amount of sense in this context. What makes less sense is the desire to revise the histories of such complex ethical systems, compare and contrast them, and then evaluate their fitness according to the latest empirical standards of psychology as it exists today.

Macaro says she understands this, noting that:

"With huge literatures to deal with, and short space in which to deal with them, my choice of what to cover has had to be ruthlessly lean...I am certainly not trying to say anything about what authentic Buddhism or Stoicism should be."

So within the limits of this curious and ruthless necessity, one really wonders what can be properly covered at all. We need not even get to speculating on what the author, a "sceptical" (aka a Bachelor/Dawkins-esque humanist) and professional psychologist thinks these philosophies "should" be, as there are not even enough pages devoted to covering the comparisons of these two nuanced systems, let alone opening the door to an insightful critique.

And yet, she will attempt as much anyway, following on to say that the book "...emerged from my lifelong search and from engaging with the material - on how to approach these traditions so as to take what we need from them and not more."

This sets More Than Happiness up for complete failure, as it both admits self-consciously of the need to say more, while forging on with the absurd insistence of adding a secular critique in such compressed space. Indeed, the beginning of the book is essentially throat-clearing about the supposed "radicalism" of these philosophies, and the author's reservations around such belief systems in light of her admiration for the empirical research body of modern science.

This takes up even more space the book can't afford to offer, and she continues to thread in her discomfort with Stoicism throughout, and Buddhism kind of just pops up in comparisons and descriptions in ways that are superficial when faced with the broad-stroke, blunt force trauma of her critique. The Buddhist path to developing a sense of equanimity (Upekkhā), for example, and what that means in dharma practice, is very different from the Stoic ideal of Apatheia, one obvious reason being that compassion is considered absolutely central to the Buddha Way, whereas for Stoicism it is not, and would likely have no active practice for it even if it were.

No doubt the author knows this, yet she barely grazes the point in discussion before conflating the two systems that they would both do better with us all taking a page out of modern psychology in balancing their "radical" ideas of distance with, of course, compassion!

Of course this is daft, and the author should know better, as a psychologist and a "lifelong searcher". Errors like this emerge throughout, and they are only there because she has given herself no space to give either philosophy the analysis it deserves. Buddhism escapes any real grappling with, Stoicism gets a lot of flack for a perceived lack of balance, and milquetoast reversions to psychotherapeutic tropes of self care win the day.

It goes without saying that Macaro’s scepticism is merely her own opinion, but the hubris of going ahead and publishing a book that admits such brevity, while sounding warnings of the extremity and radicalism of both life philosophies, reveals a bias for her own field that is never well justified. She is sound at stating facts, relaying information, but the faults lie in the omissions, and I was constantly expecting a rounded discussion of any particular aspect of these systems that never arrived.

Yet the reader is repeatedly advised to separate the wheat from the chaff through the use of the book, but to make a claim to nuanced insight, you have to build your argument. You have to earn it. This book doesn’t.

More Than Happiness ends up saying that it takes a moderate perspective to develop a life of fulfilment and wisdom, but Stoicism and the Middle Way are presented as merely hardline foils to this argument. As a resource for a sceptical age, this can only nourish a sceptic’s confirmation bias.

[Huyền Châu · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Cuộc sống vốn dĩ không dành cho những trái tim mong manh... Khi nhìn vào bên trong, ngay cả người vui vẻ nhất cũng khó tránh mãi đau buồn, sợ hãi, hối hận, tức giận, cô đơn.

Phận người là vậy. Dĩ nhiên, không phải lúc nào chúng ta cũng đau khổ. Nếu may mắn, cuộc đời chúng ta sẽ có nhiều niềm vui và sự hứng khởi cùng với nỗi lo lắng và buồn phiền, còn khổ đau sẽ chỉ ở mức tối thiểu. Nếu không may mắn – ta phải chịu đựng chiến tranh, nghèo đói, bệnh tật – lúc đó cuộc đời chúng ta sẽ khổ nhiều hơn vui. Nhưng dù ta may mắn hay bất hạnh, cái chết vẫn sẽ đợi chờ ta. Dù may mắn hay bất hạnh, chúng ta đều phải chịu nỗi đau khi mất đi người thân yêu và nhận ra rằng đến một thời điểm nào đó, ta sẽ không còn du hành trên Trái Đất này nữa.
Cả cuộc đời bận rộn và nỗ lực để cải thiện cuộc sống của chúng ta – thậm chí làm cho nó trở nên hoàn hảo – để rồi kết thúc bằng cái chết, việc đó dường như thật vô lý, đôi khi vô lý đến mức rút cạn mọi ý nghĩa của cuộc sống. Ai có thể trách ta được đây khi ta muốn quên đi hết thảy những điều này? Vậy mà, sự nhận thức vẫn còn đó, quấn lấy ta, không để ra rời mắt khỏi chúng quá lâu.”

Vậy nên, “không phải bằng việc truy cầu mà bằng sự buông bỏ những ham muốn của mình, chúng ta mới có thể tìm thấy sự mãn nguyện thực sự”. Hơn cả hạnh phúc: Minh triết Phật giáo và chủ nghĩa Khắc kỷ trong một kỷ nguyên đầy hoài nghi của Antonia Macaro sẽ đi sâu phân tích và gợi ý rằng từ việc chấp nhận những thứ nằm ngoài tầm kiểm soát, đến việc theo dõi cảm xúc để tìm ra những phản ứng không lành mạnh, rồi cả việc từ bỏ sự gắn bó với những thứ vật chất, chúng ta có thể gặt hái cũng như buông bỏ được nhiều hơn. Rốt cuộc thì hơn cả hạnh phúc sẽ là gì?

[jzthompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably not really fair to review this one, I've been crotchety and low on attention span lately... partly down to starting a new job... partly down to lockdown dragging on. I should probably plan a re-read of this in due course... but also I have a sneaky feeling that my basic review wouldn't really change even if I read it over the course of a two week meditation retreat on a tropical island...

Some interesting stuff summarised from Buddhism/Stoicism, some of which I already knew and some of which I didn't... but written in a fairly boring, uninvolving tone that left me rarely picking this one up. Also, the promise of the book - drawing threads between the two traditions - felt largely unfulfilled next to the attempt to find bits of these demanding traditions that were 'relevant' in the modern secular age.

There's an irony here, in that I realise that despite my broad reading around these subjects I have no intention of shaving my head and becoming a monk - or even becoming a vegetarian again - but I find that explicitly positioning buddhism (and to a degree stoicism) as something to be mined a little uncomfortable. Sure, there probably is an Aristolean mean short of full renunciation of emotion and desire... and sure I probably am pitching for the same place as this author... but repositioning these philosophies as posh self help seems a bit like it robs them of the power that actually makes them interesting and useful in the first place.

I dunno, maybe I'm just a massive hypocrite.

[Aliaska Meva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author describes in a very concise manner the beginnings and essence of the teaching of both Buddhism and Stoicism. The foundation of Buddhism is the doctrine of karma and rebirth. The main idea of karma is that our deliberate acts accumulate and cause consequences even after the end of our lives and direct us to good or bad rebirth.
Stoicism and Buddhism both teach us that it is not about tracking our desires but about abandoning them and that this can bring us real peace.
Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, defines emotion as »a movement of mind contrary to nature and turned away from right reason«. The author comments that this means that the functioning of a rational person is disturbed by the emotions. Therefore Macaro is more inclined to the philosophy of Aristotle, which promotes life balanced between the mind and the emotions. Stoics think that when it comes to emotions, there is nothing that can be called moderation. Pleasant and unpleasant feelings are so intertwined that they can quickly turn into their own opposite. We have to stop trying to obtain things that we may lose or fail to get and stop trying to avoid things we can't control and instead concentrating on seeking only moral good and avoiding moral evil. The reward is peace of mind and "smooth and undisturbed mind".

[Ethan Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, lucid overview of two distinct traditions with significant overlap and a philosophically grounded self-help book. It is a valuable read not just for the “skeptic” qua irreligious modernist, but rather for anyone who wants to glean psychological, philosophical, ethical, and practical wisdom from these traditions without necessarily agreeing with all their metaphysical/religious claims or embracing either set of teachings in full. Macaro interacts with the rich history and thought of these traditions both respectfully and critically. She is very upfront that she is not interested in apologetics for either school, but rather in drawing upon what is true and useful in either, with a special emphasis on what is present in both. She argues for and against the central claims of Buddhism and Stoicism by bringing in other considerations, from other ancient philosophical schools to modern psychology. She also details many simple yet profound practices taken directly from these traditions that one can employ to live a kinder, more observant, and equanimous life.

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise sounded interesting: what could Buddhism and Stoicism offer people in this day and age. How can the reader take parts from each and apply it to the modern day and what can each of those school offer that's still relevant?

Quite a bit, actually. As others note, the similarities or where the two complimented each other was interesting. But I agree with other reviews: some of it did make me think, but sometimes the author left a topic too soon when it was just getting more informative. So I was left with wanting more but already being at least somewhat familiar with what I already knew about Stoicism and/or Buddhism.

I liked the concept and wanted more but I honestly got a lot most of it by reading the conclusion of the chapters.

Recommend the library for a borrow.

[Hadyan Luthfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I am not a Buddhist, I am fond of this Buddhism and Stoic philosophy. I've been looking for several references about Stoicism for some time until I finally arrived at this book. It is not a thick and detailed book, yet it provides enough information for laypeople to understand what Stoicism is, how it works, and how to apply the philosophy to our daily life, equipped with some minor practical guide at the end of the book. In short, if you are looking for a quick read about Stoic, this book will please you. Otherwise, you might want to find other references in order to have more detailed information about it.

[David Vernon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a student of Stoicism and have often heard that there are similarities between Buddhism and Stoicism and so was keen to read this book and gain a better understanding of the connection. Regretfully I felt that the author assumed far too much knowledge on behalf of the reader. As someone new to Buddhism I found her explanations lacking. Indeed it became very heavy going by the time I got to chapter four and after struggling for several evenings trying to get to grips with Nirvana I gave up.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the therapeutic aspects of both traditions but remains pretty shallow. It is well-written though and its clear prose is commendable (particularly in the realm of "self-help" books). Recommended if you're either a Buddhist or Stoic practitioner interested in the other tradition or new to but interested in both.

[Hugo Cruz montt · Rating 3 out of 5]

as a devote student of philosophy and spirituality I have come to love stoicism and buddhism. So when I saw this book I thought it was a match made in heaven, but is nothing more than a summary of both worlds and how they overlap, with no new insights to add if you are already familiar with those schools of thought. Good book though if you are a newcomer and want an easy introduction.

[Alfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Simply written and structured well making it a nice read. Also it spoke a lot about the limitations of some Stoic and Buddhist beliefs which is rare in these types of books but really important to be aware of - so it helped me reconcile some issues I had, particularly with stoicism’s views on emotion

[Michaella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has helped me gain a bit of an insight to Buddhist and Stoic traditions. I appreciate the author's way of explaining well and making ideas easily understood especially for those like me who are just curious and may not have had any prior knowledge about the topic.

[Joshua Buhs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A survey of stoicism and Buddhism in search of commonalities and advice for life in the modern world. Parts are perhaps too superficial and the conclusion forgoes important parts of the book about morality and ethical behavior. But it is a smartly conceived and executed book well worth mulling.

[Elīna Radziņa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sajūta, ka grāmata ir autorei pašai nepieciešams iekšējo pārdomu izklāsts strukturētā formā. Jo galvā un sirdī var rasties pamatīga putra, lasot un domājot par filozofiju un reliģiju. No abiem apskatītajiem, man tuvāki ir togās tērpto spriedelējumi.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book that really does a fantastic job showing the overlap of the two philosophies. Clear, concise, and informative. I found the little tidbits of background knowledge, and context to be very (hehe) enlightening.

[Rafael Dapuzzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a somewhat short book but with loads of good information.
After you’re done with the book you have learned quite a bit. I’m into stoicism so I knew a lot of the info there but learned a lot about Buddhism.

[Damien O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just wasn't feeling this book, Has some helpful quotes, but all in all not the self help book on living a simple life unaffected by people or events I was searching for.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it comes as a review for me on the worldviews of the ancient world, it comes as a practical guide to many. I wonder whether it is a good idea to sort of write something on this and prayer?

[Steve Gillway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to read during the pandemic to help in thinking things through and staying calm and balanced.