I totally get you on your critique, but I think the ambiguity is somewhat intentional - think koans in Zen Buddhism. Haven't read it in over 10 years now, so if I were to read it again I might not think the same, however. He probably directly mentions the koans thing himself haha.

Around the same time I read Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman [1], and Illusions by Richard Bach [2], and felt they were both better than Zen. At the end of the day I think the real value of any of those texts is the introduction to philosophy/self-discovery in general, in a really accessible form.

"A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now.

But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." - Illusions

1. https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp...

2. https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Messia...