That's always been my impression, too, and yet one sees a lot of socially engaged Buddhists, yet not so many Stoics. Is that just because there are a lot more Buddhists than Stoics, or is it in the ideas themselves?
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I think this is because Mahayana Buddhism, more so than other forms, stresses compassion.
See <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana>
Indeed, the Pali canon tells us that Siddartha, having achieved understanding of samsara and discarding illusion, rested in equipoise within a state of enlightenment for a time, only setting out on a teaching mission to share his insights because of supreme compassion for the sufferings of all sentient beings.
Stoicism, as I understand it, has no analog to this.
.d.
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...................... http://monroelab.net/blog/