The Stoicism of Śāntideva: Comparisons between Stoic and Buddhist philosophy

Abstract

AbstractRecently, due to various geopolitical events, a movement for 'decolonisation' has taken shape. In essence, this movements seeks to right the wrongs of Western colonialism. This desire has been expressed in many diverse ways depending on the context. Within academia, it has found expression in the idea of 'decolonising the curriculum' ‐ redesigning university courses to include more authors, texts, perspectives and more ‐ from those outside of the Western world and/or cultural sphere. Due to its prominence within academia, philosophy is one of the disciplines being scrutinised through the eyes of this current zeitgiest, and for good reason. Many philosophers have begun to take note and adapt accordingly, including those who specialise in non‐Western philosophical traditions already. There are growing realisations, not only about the pressing need to learn about other traditions of philosophy, given the geopolitical rise of such Eastern nations as India and China, but also that non‐Western philosophy has been unjustly 'othered' by Western academia. The issue of decolonisation is not going away and will only intensify with time. As such, this paper aims to make a contribution to these ongoing debates. It is a comparison of the Indian Buddhist philosopher, Śāntideva and the Greco‐Roman Stoic tradition. The paper hopes to demonstrate conclusively that diverse traditions of world philosophy, despite geographical, conceptual and cultural distances, are able to converse fruitfully—and contain much more that unites them than differentiates them. It is also hoped that this paper will encourage non‐specialists in non‐Western traditions to become aware of the complexity, sophistication and philosophical worth of non‐Western, in this case Asian, forms of thought. Lastly, it is desired, if nothing else, that this paper increases and contributes towards, inter‐cultural dialogue and understanding.