Real vs. Meme in Stoicism and Buddhism
With a test of Google's accuracy finding quotes that are real
The appeal of meme Stoicism lies in its promise of quick fixes and emotional resilience.
However, real Stoicism is not a philosophy of comfort but a rigorous path to wisdom. It demands critical self-reflection, the cultivation of virtues, and an understanding of the universe’s rational order. While meme Stoicism caters to modern sensibilities by offering easy solutions, real Stoicism challenges individuals to engage deeply with their nature, their reason, and their place in the cosmos.
—Raffaello Palandi
The quote is from my dharma friend Raffaello’s WordPress post: Real Stoicism vs. Modern Meme Stoicism: A Philosophical Examination. When I read it this morning, I was struck by how much of what he wrote applies to Buddhism. For example:
While real Stoicism is a profound and rigorously systematic philosophy, meme Stoicism reduces its principles to simplistic maxims that lack philosophical depth and coherence.
Change “Stoicism” to “Buddhism” and “philosophy” to ”religion,” and the statement is just as true.
Fake Buddha quotes are everywhere you look. While there’s nothing wrong with paraphrasing ideas based on readings from authentic translations of the Buddha’s teachings, assigning specific words and phrases to him can be misleading to the student. The Buddha and those who memorized, transcribed, and translated his words did their best to be exacting in conveying the meaning intended.
Then there are quotations attributed to the Buddha that sound nothing at all like him and are obviously someone else’s idea of what Buddhism should be about.
As an experiment, I asked Google for “quotes from the Buddha” and got this reply (I’ve added the numbering):
Some famous quotes attributed to the Buddha include:
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without,
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule,
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger,
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows,
Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.
When I don’t have a reference point to research and read English translations of what the Buddha actually said, my first go-to guy is the Scotland-born Bodhipaksa, a Buddhist since 1982 and a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order since 1993. I go to his website Fake Buddha Quotes. For a fun read, check out not only Bodhipaksa’s website but his book I Can't Believe It's Not Buddha!: What Fake Buddha Quotes Can Teach Us About Buddhism.
Before checking Bodhipaksa’s website, I was skeptical of all the quotes Google provided except for #2. That one is close to what I remember reading in the Dhammapada. I was most certain that #4 doesn’t at all fit the Buddha’s speech or his ideas. It was someone else’s idea.
What I learned
About #1, the Fake Buddha Quotes website says:
There’s nothing at all unBuddhist about this quote, or the sentiment it expresses, but as far as I’m aware “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” isn’t found in any Buddhist scriptures.
It seems to be one of those quotations whose original source is uncertain, but there’s no reason to attribute it to the Buddha. Verdict: FAKE
About #2, my memory was correct. I went to the Dhammapada (Gil Fronsdal translation) that I keep alongside my desk:
Hatred never ends through hatred. By non-hate alone does it end. This is the ancient truth. (verse 5)
So many translations of the Dhammapada exist that at least one of them may use “love” instead of “non-hate” and “eternal rule” rather than “ancient truth.” Verdict: REAL
About #3, I find the sentiment consistent with Buddhism, but the phrasing seems too modern to be the Buddha’s. Bodhipaksa is a tenacious researcher and wrote here about its origin. He’s certain that it’s much more recent (by a couple of thousand years) than the Buddha’s time. Verdict: FAKE
About #4, I’ve already mentioned that it’s got to be someone else’s idea. Here’s Bodhipaksa:
It doesn’t sound anything like the Buddha. It’s not the Buddha.
It seems to be by Frederic William Farrar, an Indian-born Dean of Canterbury who lived from 1831 to 1903, and who wrote several books. I think I’d have liked Frederic. He was a believer that everyone was headed to heaven eventually, and also argued against the notion that one of the great things about being in heaven is getting to watch the eternal torment of souls in hell.
Farrar’s quote was often used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with slight variations. I haven’t found an original, so I don’t know what the exact wording is.
Verdict: FAKE
About #5, I doubt that the word “hollow” was used figuratively in the Buddha’s time, but the thought expressed could be the Buddha’s. Again, I went to Fake Buddha Quotes. Here’s what Bodhipaksa had to say:
“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace” is commonly found attributed to the Buddha. And it’s more or less genuine. Here’s Buddharakkhita’s translation of the same verse:
Better than a thousand useless words is one useful word, hearing which one attains peace.
Dhammapada, verse 100This is from Thomas Byrom’s rendering of the Dhammapada, which is generally very inaccurate, although poetic. In this case he was reasonably close to the mark.
When I went to my Gil Fronsdal translation, it was:
Better than a thousand meaningless statements Is one meaningful word, Which, having been heard, Brings peace.
Verdict: an unenthusiastic REAL
So, of the five quotes Google gave me, the score was two real and three fake, or 40%. If it was an exam, I’d knock off another five percentage points for not providing a better version of #5 (one that doesn’t use “hollow” to mean empty).
As the Buddha said:
You can’t win them all.
FAKE
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