How is that different from stoicism ? Asking genuinely.
That there were Greek states and colonies in Norther India/Gandhara that spoke Greek for generations is not given enough scrutiny imo. The cultural impact of that transmission not always clear outside of something concrete. Like the most obvious being the Greco style Buddhist statues in Gandhara.
So Stoicism is probably similar because of some cultural link that's lost. This is especially likely considering that the rise of Stoicism coincides with Alexander's conquest and lateral cultural contact.
A hundred years after Alexander the Great we have Ashoka the Great who sent Buddhist missionaries to the four winds and if you squint Christianity sort of resembles a mesh of Jewish and Buddhist philosophy.
> if you squint Christianity sort of resembles a mesh of Jewish and Buddhist philosophy.
Buddhism originated the entire concept of a "savior" and for the first time introduced the idea of conversion in religion.
There is a lot of crossover of ideas.
And of course, both have been re-interpreted a lot in the modern age. Lot of intermixing continues today.
Stoicism has always felt more “human scale” to me. It talks in terms of human virtues, and how a good life is only found in virtue. Buddhism always felt more focused on the mechanics of the mind and how understanding can be converted into attaining happiness/enlightment.
That being said, I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about stoicism.