Stumbling Down the Eightfold Path

In classical Buddhism there is a way known as the Eightfold Path. Basically many of the precepts laid out in many other philosophies and religions are here too. Like many worthwhile things it's pretty simple. Just not easy. Being an old Stoic myself I place more value on some things and less on others than Buddhists do but feel by and large it's the most compatible of modern Eastern philosophies with the ancient Eastern philosophies of Stoicism and Epicureanism. Where is this going? I don't know. I've just been reading an old book of mine again and comparing the way I feel now about my personal philosophy with how I felt being exposed to Buddhist philosophy as a teen.

IMO, too often philosophies like Buddhism devolve (and not for the better) into religion. I'm not a big fan of religion. Most (if not all) are just watered down versions of deep philosophies that honestly are probably too hard to understand and practice for most people. I mean really, who wants to practice the strict never ending integrity of Stoicism or the constant search for true happiness of Epicureanism when you can just recite a couple of religious incantations and not worry. Almost all the truly happy and content people I know have taken whatever religion they are handed and personalized it in such a way that it is a workable philosophy to guide them. And after all, that's exactly what the aim of the Greek and Buddhist philosophies were.