Think like a monk…

Halfway through the horrific turn of events of this eventful year, our modern day monk Jay Shetty released his first ever book. Since its release it has been the talk of the town, with celebrities like Ellen Degeneres, Will Smith,  Jada Pinkett Smith, Robin Sharma, Arianna Huffington, Novak Djokovic calling it a must read masterpiece.

After topping the charts worldwide and Forbes and Amazon claiming it to be one of the best, the expectations are pretty high when you turn the first page over and they are met.

The most simple sounding complex questions like “how to stop over thinking?”, “how to find purpose?”, “how to learn from everyone you meet?” are effortlessly answered by a monk himself.

Two celebrity reviews among the dozens that this book has been blessed with, perfectly capture what and how this book is.

‘Jay Shetty’s book is profound, poignant and practical. We believe it will help so many people create new habits, practices and wisdom that will guide them to the lives they truly desire.’ – Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

 ‘Combining ancient wisdom with the practicalities of today, Think like a monk provides essential guidance for traveling a balanced path to success.’ – Ray Dalio.

Being an avid reader of philosophy publications myself I was immediately drawn to it. However when you are not a fan of philosophy works they tend to get a bit boring, but I think it is safe to say that this book has managed to attract all kinds of readers and for that matter non-readers as well. Jay Shetty has always been an active preacher of the monk way of life. As the name suggests it is a book about how you can turn your lives into one that is similar to a monk life. 

Obviously, a rush hour crammed up concrete city street is nowhere near to a range of peaceful snowcapped mountains, but Shetty manages to teach us that the backdrop of where you live isn’t really a factor when ‘thinking like a monk’. 

Another plus point to keep in mind while reading this book is that while it is a self-help book it isn’t exactly a ‘to do journal’. It is more like a book of very fascinating experiences that Jay has had over the years and at the ashram he got most of his knowledge from.

It is a very promising read but at the same time I would not recommend it to people as a first book to explore the philosophy genre. While the book is very interesting the world of literature has had various philosophical greats like “illusions or the bridge across forever by Richard Bach” which would suit better for first time readers. 

“Think like a monk” as a book is very interconnected and rightly so. For the kind of enlightening knowledge the book offers each concept is based upon the previous chapter and written for the next. Bottom line is, this is not a book to be read in installments, it has to be a continuous single read. 

A book with essential spiritual ancient knowledge simplified with easy words. A short excerpt from this read correctly answers why this knowledge is essential. 

“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 Beyonce to learn how to perform. If you want to train your mind to find peace, calm and purpose? Monks are the experts.” – Jay Shetty.

The traditional Vedic learning from our old scriptures is not only complete with scientific reasoning and logic but it is also the kind that we can adopt in any era, situation that we are in. These teachings can also be simplified linguistically and otherwise. If one wants to get introduced to the teachings of old Vedic scriptures Jay Shetty’s book is definitely where you can begin.

What is also compelling about this book is how the author has managed to keep the reader hooked on to it which you would normally expect from a good murder mystery. Each chapter of the book leaves you wanting to know more, hunger for knowledge in the true sense. Half the credit also goes to the teachings that are being passed on, fascinating from the get go. 

If you are the kind of reader who do not indulge themselves into deep Jean Paul Sartre kind of philosophical reads or if you do not mind them then, ‘Think like a Monk’ is definitely worth a read, however if you are someone who loves only Leo Tolstoy type of reads then you probably should not go for this particular publication.

Important side note, if you follow Jay Shetty and his work otherwise on social media, thinking it would be like divulging into the same teachings he usually gives is natural, but it is quite the contrary. He has managed to offer a fresh perspective and knowledge. The teaching he passes on in itself is so profound that repetition should not be an issue at all.

When the author of “the monk who sold his Ferrari” tells you that this book offers new content it’s pretty clear that the profound monk/Vedic knowledge is very vast and each new read on it is like learning something new.

An excerpt from a review by Novac Djokovic convinces you that the ‘monk way of thinking’ is possible for anyone with the will and purpose to learn it. Here is the excerpt,

“Jay has made a fascinating journey from classroom to ashram to finance and now entrepreneurship.” – Novac Djokovic.

Jay Shetty has cracked the code on how to maintain the ‘monk way of living’ no matter where you go and what you do. 

The entire book has been divided into three main concepts of Vedic teachings, “let go” “grow” “give”. These concepts are more like steps towards the kind of life that the book promises. When you begin reading it you realize that apart from being a profound read it is also a process of changing your life, if you wish to. 

Jay Shetty was introduced to the magic of the monk way of thinking at eighteen at Cass Business School in London, certain monk ashram village locals are introduced to it at the age of five; I was introduced to it at the age of seventeen in India. This just proves that this knowledge finds you if you wish to have it and that it does not matter where you are in life or in the world, anyone can learn to ‘think like a monk’.

Authored by - Sahishnuta Rajyadhyaksha