Both Buddhism and Stoicism suggest you to get rid of your passion. Isn't this simply repressing your emotions?

Question

So how can I reach apatheia without reaching apathy or becoming a repressed person?

Answer 1

The Buddhist approach is not to repress your emotions but to move past them, so that you can remain detached. This doesn't mean you are unaffected by events, but you can remain calm and able to deal more effectively with a situation.

Answer 2

I can answer your question, although I am not an expert ithough interested) in Buddhism and Stoicism...only because I do understand the concept behind ridding one's passion. Let me explain it isn't repression and let's define passion as the negative aspects of human emotion that get in the way of progress, self-control, etc. There are what I call eu-passions, which are good passions, or good for you. The key is to focus on eu-passions, which ennoble and elevate rather than debase as the malicious passions do.

In order to understand the difference between repression and ridding (having actual control) is clarified by the Aristotelean concepts (in Nichomachean ethics) of continence, incontinence, and virtuous. Continence is indeed repression. It isn't because one is virtous that one is able to keep from being an animalistic human. Incontinence is just plain bad. The person can't control himself/herself. Period. Virtuous is when a person can achieve moderation, neither rash nor timid...

Stoicism espouses ascetic ideals, which means that one "should" conquer passions. Remember that the term "repress" is modern, exactly speaking, is Freudian. So to call Buddhism and Stoicism possible practices leading to repression is anachronistic.

Buddhism espouses moderation, so does Aristotean ethics, and I suppose, stoicism as well.

Repression is continence. It isn't conquering one's passions. The goal of Buddhism and Stoicism is to release oneself from the suffering of the body through passions. True release would differ greatly in quality and strength of character vs. mere repression. With true release from the burning desire of passions, one doesn't need the constant stimulus anymore. It is scientifically proven that abstinence will allow one to achieve this state. Since habits are formed from neurons firing in the same pattern of pleasure-release in a certain location of brain, abstinence and REPLACEMENT with other eu-passions would be the least difficult way. Those eu-passions, if I may add are more intellectual/spiritual and even sensual in nature and does NOT incite animal desires or emotions.

I say "sensual" since as they say, "Music is the only sensual pleasure without vice".

Answer 3

Not exactly. Here's the difference:

Suppose two different people, one repressed-yet-passionate and the other a Buddhist, are walking down the street when a construction worker insults them.

The repressed-yet-passionate person you're describing represses their emotion but is genuinely upset by the insult. Though they seem calm on the surface, deep inside they brood about it and it burns them up. They might feel better about having the self-control to not react, but the insult still bruises their pride and they wish it hadn't happened. They even think to themselves, "If I'd fought that guy, I would've broken his legs" to make themselves feel better.

The Buddhist, on the other hand, doesn't repress their emotion because there is no emotion to repress. They are calm on the surface because they are calm on the inside as well. They just think, "Well, you can't be liked by everyone," and maybe even think the insult is clever and laugh about it. They don't get upset because they have more perspective about the situation. They don't wish that it hadn't happened because they accept that things like insults happen and are a part of life.

That's especially an important distinction to make for a Buddhist -- they don't get upset by the insult because to feel insulted means to take it personally. To take it personally presumes there is a self to take it personally. If, as Siddhartha says, "There is no 'me'," then there is no "me" to insult, let alone to feel insulted.

I hope that clears some things up for you.

Answer 4

Take all this with a grain of salt, but I think for Stoics, you're not supposed to repress your passions. You're supposed to recognize that what they're saying isn't true.

The Stoics held the view that passions are not mere sensations. They are value judgments: for example, fear is a judgment that something is fearful. So it's as if your passions are making claims about what's good and bad.

Furthermore, they claimed that passions are false value judgments. When you care about something that doesn't matter, then you're buying into a false value judgment.

So if you're wise, you won't make these false value judgments; you won't be subject to passions.

(Also I'm told Stoics do allow for certain sorts of reasonable feelings or emotions. But I don't know the details)

Answer 5

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Answer 6

To avoid clinging or detachment from emotions doesn't require a lobotomy just self control with your mental faculties still intact. Dispassionate action need not be repressed from ones being .and they professed clear thinking which would give rise to rational motive in my mind not apathy. correct me if i'm wrong

Answer 7

Buddhism is really about not being attached to material posessions and following what is known as, "the middle way".
When you can be detached from having to have material posessions as well as people, then you have obtained a higher form of consciousness.

Christ taught the same thing in that he preached a lot about moderation. This includes eating, drinking, etc.. And not being attached to material things.

Answer 8

Not to repress, but to realise how emotions could greatly affect our judgment and actions. How vulnerable and dependent we are to our emotions. For that you need to get in touch fully with ur emotions and understand them first.

Thats why i say, having the bible or principles doesnt help at all since pple like you fail to understand its true meaning or worse mis-quote the contents.

Answer 9

Detachment and renunciation. the emoptions are like gloves,needed in cold but not in heat. emotions are needed when living in the human state but not in spiritual unity with God. I think buddhism calls this state nervana. Alter your state of being with awareness. Awake to your real self,you are already that. "God dwells within you as you". Live in a state of bliss,a state of undivided emotions.Unconditional love.

Answer 10

Repressing passion is not the point.

Restraining a dangerous fetish -- anything that will hurt a person (offender/victim) physically or emotionally -- is the point.