The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: Review

Title: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

Author: Robin S. Sharma

Genre: Self-Help, Buddhism, Philosophy, Fable, nonfiction

Quick Review: I really did enjoy this book, particularly that it opened space to ask a lot of questions. Although, at times it felt quite repetitive, but I suppose it acts as a conversation. I view this book as a warning, similar to A Christmas Carol, where an elder comes to warn a younger person following a similar path of what is yet to come.

After a meditation practise with the Buddhist Society, I decided to search for books on Buddhism. So, I believe my algorithm noticed this and suggested The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari to me when I opened my library app. Now, this title is very interesting and especially how the cover designer chose to highlight ‘Monk’ and ‘Ferrari’. Monk, is often associated with an individual who often devote themselves to their religion and lives modestly.¹ So, when paired with the word ‘Ferrari’, something that connotes wealth and modernity. Thus, it drew me in to find out more about the history of this character who gave up that lavish lifestyle. Very cleverly done.

Synopsis

This inspiring tale provides a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance, and joy. A wonderfully crafted fable, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari tells the extraordinary story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life. On a life-changing odyssey to an ancient culture, he discovers powerful, wise, and practical lessons that teach us to:

Develop Joyful Thoughts, Follow Our Life’s Mission and Calling, Cultivate Self-Discipline and Act Courageously, Value Time as Our Most Important Commodity, Nourish Our Relationships, and Live Fully, One Day at a Time.²

Review

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, in my opinion, does what it sets out to do. This is probably because I am a beginner and have limited knowledge of Buddhism, but I do believe that it opened doors and windows to self reflect on our own values and life purpose.

The writing was divided into lessons, which act as a conversation. An old colleague, who almost died, finds enlightenment and returns to the younger colleague who is following a similar path to teach him what he had learnt. So, Sharma creates a teacher and student relationship where the student asks further questions to dig deeper into what the teacher is expressing. This is a little repetitive and slightly tedious as it slows down the pace. Oftentimes, the question is naive like that of a grandchild talking with his elder. But, on reflection, I suppose it serves its purpose just in-case the reader does have these internal questions as they progress through the book. Q&A almost.

Despite the format and writing style, it did spark interest and I did share information from the book as a conversation starter. It offered various perspectives which enabled me to dig deeper into the subject or reflect on my own experience relating to the topic. I do recommend this book, especially to younger adults, as it may had been a topic I wish I was taught before making huge life choices. When I was young, I needed to make my future career choice when I was just 16, and often we were blinded by glamour and wealth at this age. We watch people burn themselves out and think this is normal. I did make this normal, too, by working outside my designated hours to provide high quality material. My colleagues, too. We burnt out regularly.

Books, such as The Monk who Sold his Ferrari, really can work. It provides that opportunity to take a step back and analyse your life, your wants, and what possibly is missing. To become present again. Though, as mentioned in my Think like a Monk review, it may not teach you anything new. They are very similar but approach the topic differently. Yet, they do the job in sharing the same stories and spreading the word to the world.

What do you think about self-help books? Which would you recommend to me?

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