[Buddha-l] The Buddha, an 'emotional weakling'?

[Stefan Detrez]

Dear Listmembers,

Reading an introduction to ethics, I encountered this citation on the Stoic.

   'The Stoic, though he seems strong and brave and imperturbable, is really
an emotional weakling who cannot stand to get hurt and so takes out
insurance against failure in advance by toning down his desires and hopes to
the point where he knows they can be fulfilled. ... He is afraid to gamble
lusitly and play for great stakes. ... In his fear of suffering the death of
great dissappointment, he chooses to live half-dead rather than taste the
full joy of living, with all its possibilities of tragic ending.'

(from John Hospers, 'Human Conduct. Problem of Ehtics', Thomson-Wadsworth,
1996, p. 55.)

How does this differ from the Buddha's attitude towards life and suffering?
Could it be that the Buddha, too, tried to tone down his desires and hopes
in order to escape dissappointment? Would, if so, that not be illustrative
of a person who doesn't like to run the risk of getting emotionally hurt and
rather locks himself up emotionally? How does 'Tis better to have loved and
lost than never to have loved at all' apply to the Buddha? Does the
Ariyapariyesana Sutta not suggest that the motives for leaving a luxury life
were not only the feeling of discomfort and boredom from the incapacitating
power of excess, but more so an existential an emotional handicap to deal
with live's tougher issues. Or maybe the fear of having to handle the
responsibilities of a worldly leader?

Best wishes,

Stefan
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