It's always tricky to say these things are exactly the same, as they are operating within different conceptual frameworks. But there are definitely parallels and overlapping things. I think of the Buddhist notion of the 'unshakeable freedom of the heart' (akuppacetovimutti) and Greek ideas of untroubledness; of course equanimity is close to all this, and the fourth jhāna with its purified equanimity and mindfulness. But none of this entails a lack of emotions, in fact it entails the presence of the four brahmavihāras, which you can (somewhat) understand under the modern heading of 'emotions'.
My post is about the path and not the destination. It's not about reaching a state devoid of emotions, but about meditating/practising in a way that puts aside the concept of 'emotions' and uses Buddhist concepts instead.
This seems like learning a new language. Children can readily set aside their first language to learn another, by imitation. This is difficult for adults, especially so for older adults. Older adults generally need an explanation in their first language about how things work in the new language they're trying to acquire. It's a positive and negative mapping pointing to the similarities and differences.
How would you compare this Buddhist "without emotions" to Pyrrhonist ataraxia and Stoic apathia?
It's always tricky to say these things are exactly the same, as they are operating within different conceptual frameworks. But there are definitely parallels and overlapping things. I think of the Buddhist notion of the 'unshakeable freedom of the heart' (akuppacetovimutti) and Greek ideas of untroubledness; of course equanimity is close to all this, and the fourth jhāna with its purified equanimity and mindfulness. But none of this entails a lack of emotions, in fact it entails the presence of the four brahmavihāras, which you can (somewhat) understand under the modern heading of 'emotions'.
My post is about the path and not the destination. It's not about reaching a state devoid of emotions, but about meditating/practising in a way that puts aside the concept of 'emotions' and uses Buddhist concepts instead.
This seems like learning a new language. Children can readily set aside their first language to learn another, by imitation. This is difficult for adults, especially so for older adults. Older adults generally need an explanation in their first language about how things work in the new language they're trying to acquire. It's a positive and negative mapping pointing to the similarities and differences.