Wisdom to Create a Life of Passion, Purpose, and

Peace!!

Author: Robin S Sharma.

Publication: - Jaico Publishing House
(In arrangement with Harper Collins
Publishers Ltd. Toronto, Canada.)
Distributed by: - India Book Distributors (Bombay) Ltd.
Print:
2005
Price:
Rs.175
Pages:
198
By:

Vishal Kumar

Overview:
The monk who sold his Ferrari is a fable that tries to give
some unique lesson for living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Todays world is running very fast and therefore most the
people are not able to get time for their own betterment.
We remain highly busy is achieving goals and money;
however we forget to consider about health. At a time,
when people have everything in world, but unfortunately,
they do not have health to enjoy all this. This book is
written with this basic purpose in mind. This is beautifully
dealt through the story of a lawyer who appears to have it
all - the corner office, the life style, the cars, women.then
he gives it all up and tours the East. While there he comes
across this strange monk and monastery. He comes to live
life in a much different way. Yet he is challenged by the
monk who has trained him to go back home and share the
message he has learnt, with the West. The main character
returns to his old law firm and to his protagonist John. He
tells him a parable; then the rest of the book explains the
parable and how it relates to different aspects of our lives.
It focuses on the benefits of good health. This book also
gives emphases on ancient wisdom which is available to
sages. It fold open to us many wisdom from ancient time.

About the Author:

Robin Sharma is a world-renowned authority on
organizational and personal leadership. Robin Sharma holds
2 law degrees including a Masters of Law and has had a
distinguished career as a litigation lawyer. The widely
acclaimed author of seven #1 international bestsellers
including the million-copy blockbuster The Monk Who Sold
His Ferrari, The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO, which was
the #1 selling book in the world at amazon.com.

Robin Sharma is also the Chief Visionary Officer of Sharma

Leadership International Inc., a widely respected coaching
services firm whose mission is to grow leaders and help
organizations become extraordinary. He is a well-known
media personality who has appeared in TIME Magazine, The
New York Times and other national publications. His
bestseller Who Will Cry When You Die? was listed as one
of the 10 Best Leadership Books by The Globe and Mail
and Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His
Ferrari written in 1999 has been used as a handbook for
professional excellence and success by numerous Fortune
500 CEOs.

Summary:
This well crafted story by Robin S Sharma is the tale of
Julian Mantle, a lawyer brought face to face with a spiritual
crisis. Julians spark of life begins to flicker. He embarks on
a life-changing odyssey and discovers the ancient culture
of India. During this journey he learns the value time as the
most important commodity and how to cherish
relationships, develop joyful thoughts and live fully, one
day at a time.
The eleven chapters are meticulously planned and flow
seamlessly from one to the next. Julian Mantle, a very
successful lawyer was the epitome of success. He had
achieved everything most of us could ever want:
professional success with a seven figure income, a grand
mansion in a neighborhood inhabited by celebrities, a
private jet, a summer home on a tropical island and his
prized possession a shiny red Ferrari parked in the center of
his driveway. Suddenly he has to come terms with the
unexpected effects of his unbalanced lifestyle.
John, who is a friend as well as co-worker of Julian, narrates
the story. He begins by describing Julians flamboyant

lifestyle, his exaggerated courtroom theatrics, which

regularly made the front pages of newspapers and his late
night visits to the citys finest restaurants with sexy young
models.
Julian Mantle, the great lawyer collapses in the courtroom,
sweating and shivering. His obsession with work has
caused this heart attack. The last few years Julian had
worked day and night without caring about his mental and
physical health. That helped him become a very rich and
successful lawyer but took a toll on his health and mental
state. At fifty-three he looked seventy and had lost his
sense of humor. Julian refused to meet any of his friends
and colleagues at the hospital. One fine day he quit his law
firm and took off without saying where he was headed.
Three years passed without any news from Julian. One day
he paid a visit to his friend and former colleague John, who
was now a cynical older lawyer. But Julian, in the past three
years, had been miraculously transformed into a healthy
man with physical vitality and spiritual strength.
Following his heart attack Julian Mantle had sold all his
property (Yes, his Ferrari too) and left for India. The author
tells us about Julians Indian odyssey, how he met the
sages of Sivana who had a life changing effect on him.
Julian Mantle shares his story of transformation, his secrets
of a happy and fulfilling life with his friend John. Julian
describes Sivana- a small place located in the Himalayas,
the land of rose covered huts, placid blue waters with white
lotuses floating, youth and vitality, beautiful glowing faces,
fresh and exotic fruits. He tells John about the sages of
Sivana who knew all secrets of how to live life happily and
how to fulfill ones dreams and reach ones destiny.
Julian relates his experiences with Yogi Raman the leader of
the sages of Sivana and the person who taught Julian his

secrets of a happy and fulfilling life. He narrates to John the

fable that contained the seven virtues for a life abundant
with inner peace, joy and a wealth of spiritual gifts. He tells
John the techniques that he learned from Yogi Raman on
how to master our minds with simple techniques like the
heart of rose technique and the secret of lake technique.
He tells John how to cultivate the mind and how to use
setbacks for expanding knowledge of the self.
He talks about setting and following our own purpose and
teaches John the ancient art of self-leadership with
techniques such as do the things you fear and the 5
step method for attaining goals. He waxes eloquent about
the value of self-discipline and respect for time. He
describes techniques such as the ancient rule of 20 and
the vow of silence. He teaches how to focus on the
priorities and thereby maintain a balance and simplify life.
He gives examples that prove that willpower is the
essential virtue of a fully actualized life.
Julian teaches John the virtue of selflessness in serving
others. He asks John to embrace the present and live in the
present - Now, never to sacrifice happiness for
achievements and to savor the journey of life and live each
day as his last one. At the end he asks John to spread these
secrets for the benefit of other people. Embracing John like
the brother he never had, Julian leaves.

Critical Analysis:
Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid
torch which I have got hold for the moment, and I
want it to burn as brightly as possible before

handling it to the future generation. ----- George

Bernard Shaw
This is the powerful message the book begins with. Seldom
as human have had we realized the importance of this life.
We conjure ourselves to the quotidian of life. Running as
cats and dogs for material pleasure we forget the
importance of life. We adhere so much to the worldly
desires and its happenings that the small cherishing
moments mean nothing to us, we hardly wait to pay heed
to these. We forget that its not money that we live for, we
live for being we, being together with our family and
laughing at every small bit , enjoying thoroughly each and
every moment.
We should always realize that we are humble, unimportant
little people on this earth and try to help this world as much
as we can in our short span of time here. I expect to pass
through this place but once. Any good, therefore I can do,
or any kindness that I can show to any of my fellow mates
let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall
not pass this way again.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is certainly a gem. This is a
book of self-help but at a glance it does not look so. As we
go along the pages trying to read between lines we feel
that how we ourselves are responsible for self-annihilation.
The book succeeds in its objective of making the readers
aware of the true potent of this life. The book chiefly
focuses on self-actualization. It also focuses on striking a
work-life balance. To quote: Investing in yourself is
the best investment you will ever make. This was
rightly stated as unless we have mastered the art of loving
ourselves we cannot love others. Its only when we feel

centered and alive then we come in a position to be a

better person.

The book depicts some timeless principles and priceless

virtues with a very unusual example.
Garden symbolizing The Mind.
Lighthouse symbolizing Purpose.
Sumo wrestler symbolizing Constant Improvement.
Pink wire cable symbolizing Discipline.
Stopwatch symbolizing Time.
Roses symbolizing Charity and Service.
Winding path of diamonds symbolizing Embracing the
Present.
Such an anecdote is not often. This book also focuses on
Re-enforcement. It simply says that if we keep repeating
things we want to do daily we somehow try and make it
true. The same happens with negative re-enforcement, if
we keep repeating negative ideas it gets struck deep inside
and hinders our growth. Positive thinking is the key. This
book deals with several virtues and ideas but amongst
them is a structure of practical changes that have the
potential to profoundly change our outlook and
achievements. The uses of stories or parables that awaken
understanding in the reader derive their power in this way.
However after reading the story the reader is then left with
the question of what to do with this awakened
understanding; how do they actually change? The
alternative approach is to provide a change instruction

manual which prescribes changes in the hope that these

then create change from which new understanding will
follow. The danger here is that unless understanding is
changed, the result is the mindless application of
prescribed rituals, or the rejection of them.
This book attempts to bridge these two approaches.

Conclusion:
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari imaginatively reiterates the
ancient truths of Sivanan philosophy in a very forceful
manner. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari effectively
expresses ancient truths in a modern idiom. The corporatevariety or the workaholics would do well to read and give
their life a better shape and meaning. Students and others
can also look forward to build a daily-schedule and develop
positive thinking in every aspect. Through the simple and
yet effective techniques like the heart of rose and the
secret of lake one could develop better control on ones
mind and thus can control ones thought.
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.

A must read!