In 2017, I read a book about monk mindset named A monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Where the character Julian, a seven-figure-making lawyer sold his Ferrari. Now you may think How crazy Julian was that he sold his Ferrari where We don’t have at least one. Listen dear, this is not insanity — after he collapsed from all the strain with a heart attack, he sold everything and ventured into the Himalayan mountains. It turns out that he sold his Ferrari because he needed wisdom, and wisdom doesn’t come from owning a Ferrari or BMW but from monk mindset. So why I, confidently, said that It comes from a monk mindset. Let’s get back to the idea of wisdom to have a hint of monk mindset —What is wisdom? It is comprised of inner peace, the purpose of life and true intention. And you can only achieve these wisdom by making a monk mindset. With curiosity, you might have been wondering how you can achieve the monk mindset. To shed light on your how, Jay Shetty, a former monk and motivational speaker, wrote a book named Think Like A Monk.
Why the book name is Think Like a Monk and not Be a monk or something else. The story behind the name lies in some traditional customs what we use to believe(and I’m not the exception). I always thought that to become a monk, one needs to leave his family, be unmarried, abandon his religion —in summary, one needs to be ascetic. And most importantly, as I’m a Muslim, I used to believe that I shouldn’t follow a monk because we don’t support asceticism (In fact, I, personally, don’t support asceticism. I’m a kind of comfort seeker😁). Surprisingly, I came to know that It’s not like what we used to think, you don’t need to be ascetic. To become a monk doesn’t mean that “you need to be bald, wear robes”, abandon your family and be unmarried (In fact Jay Shetty is married too and his wife is more Monk than he). Besides “[y]ou don’t need to light candles in your home, walk around barefoot, or post photos of yourself doing tree pose on a mountaintop”, rather “[b]ecoming a monk is a mindset that anyone can adopt”. And Jay Shetty “know[s] monks who were in finance and in rock bands. They grow up in schools, towns, and cities just like you”. In fact, you can have a monk mindset by maintaining your religion properly (as I know every religion believes in peace and calm). In sum, you need to think like a monk.
Now You may wonder Why we need to read the book and “think like a monk”. Here Jay Shetty says:
If you wanted to know how to dominate the basketball court, you might turn to Michael Jordan; if you wanted to innovate, you might investigate Elon Musk; you might study Beyoncé to learn how to perform. If you want to train your mind to find peace, calm, and purpose? Monks are the expert.
To me whether you want “to find peace, calm and purpose” or not, “adopting the monk mindset is necessary”, because “we have no other choice. We need to find calm, stillness, and peace”. And what the author did is to write the book to help and direct you in achieving your peace, calm and purpose.
The book is split into three parts with four chapters in each part. The most appealing part, to me, is Let Go. That part is divided into four chapters, namely Identity, Negativity, Fear and Intention. In describing identity, Jay Shetty quoted from his teacher Gauranga Das that “identity is a mirror covered with dust. When you first look in the mirror, the truth of who you are and what you value is obscured. Clearing it may not be pleasant, but only when that dust is gone you can see your true reflection”. In daily lives, our everything is shaped by others’ view and “[o]ur identity is wrapped up in what others think of us—or, more accurately, what we think others think of us”. Unlike The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari , Jay Shetty gave some tasks — which are the distinct features of the book — at the end of each Chapter by which you can train your mind to find your true identity and to abandon negativity and fear what can hinder you achieving your true purpose.
So why “letting go” is important? Because It “is a big part of the rhythm of nature, as is rebirth- leaves sprout, transform, and drop. Reptiles, birds, and mammals shed their skins, feathers, fur”.
If It comes about the writing style, then I would say the book is written in a pellucid writing-style so that mass people can understand, though sometimes you may encounter some jargon from the Sanskrit language. But you don’t need to be worried, because every Sanskrit terms are written with its English meaning.
In a nutshell, I would say the book is a masterpiece for everyone. If I had the ability, I would give it as a gift to everyone. Before putting an end to my long, boring review ride, I would like to quote from Jay Shetty:
When you are not alone, surround yourself with people who fit well with your values. It helps to find a community that reflects who you want to be.
Happy Journey towards training your mind and achieving your true values.
Rating: 4.5/5
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