Here is my main beef with Eastern philosophy. (It actually is a complaint against Western philosophy as well, but I have already rejected that to some extent)
I agree that we should not be too hard on ourselves. We need to take more time to appreciate our own laboring and soak up the scenery while life passes us by. We also shouldn't be vain, materialistic creatures. I get that.
However wouldn't you also agree that the part of you that pays attention to detail and pushes yourself to achieve better plays a hand in your personal success? How does Buddhism or Taoism allow for us to hold onto our razor sharp competitive edges and killer business instincts? How does it allow us to care how we look in corporate drag, and spend too much money on clothes to impress people we don't even like? These tasks may not seem like very laudable activities to some, but they are sometimes necessary.
I also have some ethical problems with the concept of pacifism to the death. I am all for neutrality where armed conflict is concerned, but if someone comes for me, my instinct is to fight back. I believe that if Americans were Buddhist when WWII was going on, then we would all be speaking German right now.
Ultimately my problem is with the duality of it all. Just because I am pacifist does not mean I will refuse to fight. I know it sounds funny, doesn't it? I mean it, though. Just because you agree with black sometimes, does not mean that you must necessarily oppose white. They do not have to be mutually exclusive. There is room in the universe to be a little hard on yourself at the gym. To push yourself to shave off a couple minutes from your 5K. To want to win. To (gasp) engage.
The limitations here are using a single philosophy to rule them all. We are complex organisms swimming around in a complex universe, and we use a limitless number of tools to get ahead, each and every day. Where one philosophy backs you into a corner, find another that will see you through. Don't spend one more second limiting your own potential, because your toolset needs to be updated. Find the tools you need to solve the problem in front of you.
