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Others besides Plato have compared philosophy to the art of dying while yet still living. In Buddha's case it meant dying to all desires which sought satisfaction in the outer world, renouncing that world in order to enter the monastic world of monks and nuns. In the philosopher's case this is not a necessary outcome, although it was a perfectly logical conclusion for the Buddha to make. The philosopher seeks to free himself as much as possible from worldly chains, but the essence of his achievement is more positive than merely leaving the worldly life.

-- Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? > Chapter 1 : Toward Defining Philosophy > # 110