Tattva

 The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable about Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny, by Robin Sharma 

Combining ancient wisdom with modern life, Robin Sharma’s international bestseller The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari eloquently portrays the very essence of Hinduism. The story revolves around a high-powered lawyer, Julian Mantle, who at first glance appears to have it all: a multi-million dollar fortune, expensive cars, and a prominent status in society. He lives a fast-paced, stressful lifestyle, with money and prestige as his only goals. However, after suffering a heart attack during one of his cases, Julian experiences an epiphany and suddenly realizes the meaninglessness behind his materialistic pursuits. Convinced that there is more to life than wealth, and determined to discover the true purpose of his existence, Julian unexpectedly decides to sell all of his worldly possessions and embarks on a journey to India. After studying with yogis and monks in the Himalayas, he gains physical vitality and spiritual strength, and experiences a type of peace and joy that he never found in his previous hectic lifestyle. During the course of Julian’s transformation, Sharma relays valuable insight behind the purpose of human life. He essentially guides the readers on their own personal odysseys, showing them how to use the universal truths that are taught in our Hindu scriptures, to lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling lives.

It is Sharma’s interesting, yet informative, narrative style, and his ability to make Hindu values relevant for modern times that makes The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari such a valuable book. Though many of the concepts and advice that he offers may seem simple, it is amazing how often we unknowingly ignore or contradict them. Like Julian Mantle, we became lost in our busy, chaotic lifestyles. Spending our time trying to balance between schoolwork, jobs, family commitments, and other activities, we forget about our own personal growth and soon become out of touch with ourselves. Sharma teaches us how we can use the ancient techniques of yogis to solve these problems and improve our lives professionally, personally, and spiritually. The beauty of these exercises is that we do not necessarily have to sacrifice all our belongings and sit atop the Himalayas to practice them; Sharma shows us how we can continue to live our normal, everyday lifestyles and still use yoga, meditation, etc. to enhance the quality of our lives.

 In this way, Robin Sharma affirms the relevance and even necessity of Hinduism in present times. He emphasizes that ancient Hindu concepts have the power to solve the problems caused by our harried lifestyles. In The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, the yogis tell Julian that he must take his newly found wisdom back to the West and share it with all those whom it will benefit. In the same way, Sharma urges all of us to practice, preserve, and promote the timeless truths of Hinduism, and use this great knowledge for the upliftment of the whole world. 

Aparna Garg is an undergraduate student at Boston University, studying journalism. Her interests are karate and reading. You can reach her at aparna.garg@yahoo.com 

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 at 1:49 pm and is filed under Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.