Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. In this episode, we explore a powerful Buddhist concept that mirrors Stoic wisdom: the Second Arrow. The first arrow is the pain life throws at us - rejection, loss, failure. The second arrow? That's the one we shoot at ourselves through our reactions, stories, and judgments.

Michael Tremblay discusses the Buddhist parable of the second arrow and what it means for practicing Stoics.

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Author and Podcaster Noah Rasheta explores the parallels between Buddhism and Stoicism with Michael Tremblay.

Whether you're seeking practical wisdom or philosophical insight, this conversation offers tools for living more skillfully – regardless of which tradition resonates with you.

From handling grief and identity to achieving wisdom, we uncover where these philosophies converge and diverge.

Noah breaks down core Buddhist concepts like the three poisons (desire, aversion, and ignorance) and the practice of mindful awareness, and Michael talks about how these ideas map onto Stoic ideas about reflection and living according to nature. He shares personal stories about losing his business identity and finding peace during difficult parenting moments.

Whether you're seeking practical wisdom or philosophical insight, this conversation offers tools for living more skillfully – regardless of which tradition resonates with you.

(01:24) The Goal Of Life

(13:11) Judging Ourselves

(19:23) Habitual Responses

(25:04) The Middle Way

(30:44) Identity

(43:37) Wisdom

(54:00) Practice

***

Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Caleb and Michael discuss Stoic epistemology—how to think well, avoid ignorance, and form justified beliefs. They explore the importance of skepticism, setting realistic standards for truth, and cultivating expertise to navigate complex decisions.

(00:00) Common Sense

(04:54) Default To Skepticism

(09:38) Criterion of Truth

(18:31) Common Sense

(29:10) Building Confidence Through Expertise 

(35:01) Epistemic Reserve Clause

(42:27) Takeaways

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Caleb Ontiveros makes the case that Stoicism is more intuitive than you might think. He argues that if minor setbacks don't ruin our lives, why should major ones? This episode explores how Stoic ideas about virtue, happiness, and adversity align with our deepest intuitions about living well.

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Bryan Caplan, economist and bestselling author, discusses practical wisdom from modern economics and ancient philosophy.

He argues against medicalization of human behavior, champions personal agency, and reveals why appeasement often beats confrontation. Caplan shows how lessons from economics can serve as self-help and why creating a "social bubble" – the modern version of an Epicurean garden – might be the smartest way to navigate modern life.

The conversation spans Epicurean and Stoic perspectives on death, social obligations, and the thinker Thomas Szasz.

Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine

The Myth of the Rational Voter

Caplan on Szasz

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Michael and Caleb explore how understanding ourselves as our faculty of choice—not our bodies, possessions, or reputation—transforms our approach to life's challenges.

Learn how clarifying what we are (and aren't) guides self-improvement and decision-making, unlocks insights in Stoic theory, and ultimately leads to a more tranquil existence.

(06:10) Why It Matters Who We Are

(09:30) What Are We?

(16:28) You Are Not Your Thoughts 

(24:25) Personal Identity And Indifferents

(30:29) Solving What Is Up To You

(34:34) So How Do We Live?

(43:22) We Really Really Cannot Be Harmed By Others

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Why Epictetus tells us to compare our suffering to others.  This simple exercise can help you in times of crisis.  

Join Michael as he breaks down Epictetus’s Handbook 26.

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Has Science proven that the world is nothing more than a physical machine without overarching purpose?

Spencer Klavan’s most recent book answers with an emphatic no. Ancient philosophy and modern science reveal that the worldview of materialism is not enough.

Instead, our picture of the world must include mind as a fundamental ingredient – just as the Stoic and Christian worldviews do.

Light of the Mind, Light of the World

Young Heretics Podcast

(01:28) Resetting the Narrative About Science

(10:14) Science vs. Religion

(23:30) Secularism and the Sacred

(29:48) Genesis

(42:50) The Stoic View of the World

(49:48) Determinism

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

What if the things you obsess over daily don't ultimately matter? The ancient Stoics had a radical idea: most of what we chase - wealth, fame, even health - is neither good nor bad. They called these things "indifferents."

In this episode, Caleb reads his short piece on indifferents and adds additional commentary.

Read the piece: https://www.stoaletter.com/p/indifferents

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

In this episode, Michael and Caleb break down Handbook 42, where Epictetus lays out Socratic Intellectualism and explains why people's harsh words say more about them than you

This episode will challenge your assumptions about conflict and equip you with practical Stoic tools for navigating a world of criticism and misunderstanding.

(00:52) Epictetus's Handbook 42

(05:48) Empathy

(09:26) People's Words Say More About Them

(14:41) It Seemed So To Him

(18:48) This Applies To Everything

(23:36) Stoic Determinism

(26:22) Difficulty With Socratic Intellectualism

(33:40) Handbook 42

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/