The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari By Robin S. Sharma Book Review
Only a few books have been able to enlighten me on the act of living a purposeful life as this book has.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, is the story of a highly sought litigator, Julian Mantle, who turned Monk. His high flying career was put to a halt after a heart failure while he was representing in the court. He was left with two choices — ending his career or ending his life.
Fortunately, he chose the former, sold all he has and ventured on a journey to the east to discover the secret to happiness and life.
He met with teachers and sages who helped, but they couldn’t satisfy his thirst for knowledge until he was referred to the Sages who lived high up in the mountains of Sivana, away from all civilization and corruption. There he learnt, under the tutelage of Yogi Raman and others, the timeless virtues of enlightened living.
These virtues were taught using an age long fable with symbols (The magnificent garden; The towering lighthouse; The Sumo wrestler; The pink wire cable; The Gold stopwatch; The fragrant Roses; The path of diamonds) to aid memorability and practicality. Julian Mantle came back from the mountains after three years looking 10 years younger, livelier, energetic, and wiser. He sought his former associate, John, and shared the secrets he had learned from the mountains with him, with a charge to pass the knowledge on to as many that cared to know.
Master your mind; Follow your purpose; Practice Kaizen; Live with discipline; Respect your time; Selflessly serve others; Embrace the present; These are the seven timeless virtues of enlightened living.
Personally, I find these virtues true, yielding, and very practical. Although they may seem basic and foolish, they hold the true potential for purposeful living.
In summary, I’ll leave you with the closing words of Julian Mantle, “Begin to live each day as if it was your last. Starting today, learn more, laugh more and do what you truly love to do. Do not be denied your destiny. For what lies behind you and what lies in front of you matters little when compared to what lies within you.”
