/lit/ - Literature

Why does Eastern philosophy read like self-help?

I've now read a mixture of ancient classics (Lau Tzu, Confucious etc.) and modern reinterpretations (pic related, also Eckhart Tolle and Alan Watts). Here's what I learned:

>something is a problem only if you make it one
I've seen this principle being applied to everything from personal issues to wider problems. The principle is that you should accept things as they are and not make value judgements. If your wife cheats on you or there's a war going on, just let it be, then it's no longer a problem. Thanks doctor, I'm cured.

>learning is bad
The accumulation of knowledge is pointless. Some of these authors make it quite explicit too. You should, instead, focus on your inner experiences and "seeing things for yourself" rather than (what they consider) being spoon-fed. Throw away those textbooks and JUST FEEL.

>don't do anything
This really confuses me. They really seem to have a problem with things like "thinking". Apparently we should all stop thinking so much because thinking is what the brain does and we are not our brains. We need to just stop and experience life. What the shit.

I think you get the recurring theme here. I found it ironic that these people are dishing out life advice to people that want to improve, and their advice amounts to "don't try to improve" and "chill out bro". Now I know how this could be useful to some people, the kind that are stuck in a rut, but to most this does more harm than good.