Schopenhauer and Buddhism

In the field of ethics, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was influenced by Buddhist thought. In particular, Schopenhauer held in high regard the Buddhist concern for suffering, placing empathy and compassion at the centre of his ethical system. Nonetheless, there are fundamental differences between the ideas of Schopenhauer and the Buddhist religion. In his book “The world as will and representation” (1808), Schopenhauer theorised that the universe is driven by the will (“life force”). Every living creature is thus prompted to secure its survival, reproduction, and seek short-term pleasure. Buddhist religion does not rely on any principles equivalent to Schopenhauer’s theory of the will. However, it views desires and ambitions as a source of frustration, pain and sorrow. Like Schopenhauer, Buddhism seeks peace of mind by reducing all factors that generate suffering. The overlapping area between Buddhism and Schopenhauer revolves around empathy and compassion; for Buddhists, those are practices that enable humans to reduce pain. I see a similar conception in Schopenhauer, although he put forward the argument that empathy and compassion benefit as well the people who practise them. Practitioners benefit from those virtues by becoming increasingly self-aware, benevolent and outwardly focused. While Buddhist religion aims at inner peace, Schopenhauer regards empathy and compassion as tools for escaping the dire influence of the will. Schopenhauer’s objective isn’t only inner peace, but also self-awareness, self-reliance and happiness; the latter requires the reduction and elimination of suffering. By drawing ethical values from Buddhism, Schopenhauer is reinforcing his opposition to Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831); those philosophers had proposed abstract ethical systems unconnected to real-life experience. When Schopenhauer integrated compassion in his morality system, his goal was to increase lifetime enjoyment by helping people make better decisions. He regarded self-awareness as a prerequisite to clear thinking and making good choices. Schopenhauer’s book titled “Two fundamental problems of ethics” (1843) doesn’t endorse the Buddhist “nirvana” concept without making some adaptations. While Buddhism is seeking quietness and liberation of all desires, Schopenhauer considers peace of mind only the first step. According to Schopenhauer, happiness goes far beyond the search for inner peace and detachment from desire. Simplicity, meditation and contemplation are only intermediate stages, not a goal unto themselves. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauer-and-buddhism/