I first read this book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Only a few books have managed to enlighten me on the act of living a purposeful life, and this is one of them.

Book Overview

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, is the story of a highly sought litigator, Julian Mantle, who turned Monk. His high-flying career is put to halt after a heart failure while he is representing in the court. He is then left with two choices – ending his career or ending his life.

Fortunately, he chooses the former. He sells all he has (including his Ferrari) and ventures onto a journey to the east, to discover the secret to happiness and life. Along this journey, he meets with teachers and sages who help him learn the timeless virtues of enlightened living.

These virtues are 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 then comes back from the mountains after three years looking ten years younger, livelier, energetic and wiser. He then meets John, his former associate, and shares the secrets he had learned from the mountains with him.

Key Takeaways

1. Learn to guard your mind with The Heart of the Rose exercise

Julian’s teacher Yogi Raman, shares a fable that takes place in a garden. It’s full of beautiful flowers that smell great. Think of it as a calm, serene place where you can refuel your energy whenever you need to. Imagine if our minds were like that! Instead, they mostly filled with mental clutter, anxiety and negative thoughts.

Therefore, the first seven virtues of the Sivana system is to control your mind. What you’re trying to do here is to control what even comes into your garden in the first place. Think of yourself like a guardian, standing at the gate of your brain, choosing who and what gets in.

One exercise where Julian achieves this is ‘The Heart of the Rose’. To practice, you will need an actual rose and some quiet space. Then, simply stare at the centre of the rose and aim to fill your mind with thoughts about how beautiful it is. Think of this as a form of meditation. At the beginning, you may find it difficult and begin to get distracting thoughts. However, if you stick with it, you will get better at keeping those distracting thoughts out of your head. Eventually, you will become more disciplined. As you do, you will nourish your garden (mind), and this will become even more vibrant and beautiful.

2. The Ten Rituals of Radiant Living are a simple morning routine that covers everything we need.

Yogi Raman also tells a story where a sumo wrestler appears. Sumo wrestlers subscribe to an ancient, Japanese idea called kaizen. This means never-ending improvement. This idea, is also another principle of the Sivana system.

The sages suggest a 10-step morning routine they call the Ten Rituals of Radiant Living to help you live this virtue.

1. The Ritual of Early Awakening. Six hours of sleep and seeing the sunrise. Of course, you have to figure out how much you need yourself, but this is what they suggest.
2. The Ritual of Solitude. Always make a few minutes to practice silence after waking up.
3. The Ritual of Physicality. Move, get up, do some exercise. Whatever gets the blood flowing.
4. The Ritual of Live Nourishment. A vegetarian diet based on fresh food is what the sages follow.
5. The Ritual of Abundant Knowledge. Keep your mind stimulated with a bit of reading or studying.
6. The Ritual of Personal Reflection. Did you do your best today? What could you have done better?
7. The Ritual of Music. Listen to music often to never get stuck in a bad mood.
8. The Ritual of Spoken Word. Write down a short mantra you can repeat to yourself throughout the day.
9. The Ritual of Congruent Character. Always follow your principles. Write them down, be aware of them and stick to them.
10. The Ritual of Simplicity. Ruthlessly live your priorities and remove everything else that’s unnecessary.

3. Selflessly serve others and you’ll be better off yourself.

Later in the story, the sumo collapses but then reawakens to the smell of beautiful, yellow roses. These roses represent another virtue – the idea of selflessly serving others. It’s beautifully summarised in this ancient, Chinese proverb:

A trace of fragrance always remains on the hands that present you with roses.

It’s a metaphor, which says whenever you help someone else, some of the benefits will come back right to you. You rarely know when and how, but karma always comes around. This doesn’t mean you have to join the salvation army, but small, simple acts of kindness and compassion go a long way.

Every morning, take a few seconds to think about what good you can do today. Whether it’s calling your grandmother or praising a colleague, it’ll bring you one step closer to what the Yogi would call an enlightened life.

Favourite Quotes

1. Sure I am that this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength, that its pangs and toils are not beyond my endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause, and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied to us.
2. Every purpose and every setback has its lesson. I have realized that failure whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. Never regret your past. Rather embrace it as the teacher that is.
3. ‘Great dreamers’ dreams are never fulfilled, they are always transcended.
4. If you meet with an outcome you did not expect and feel a little disappointed, remember that the laws of nature always ensure that when one door closes another opens.
5. Enlightened thinkers know that their thoughts form their world and the quality of one’s life comes down to the richness of one’s thoughts. If you want to live a more peaceful, meaningful life, you must think more peaceful, meaningful thoughts.
6. Be patient and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it.
7. A rose is very much like life: you will meet thorns along the way but if you have faith and believe in your dreams you will eventually move beyond the thorns into the glory of the flower.
8. What lies behind you and what lies in front of you is nothing when compared to what lies within you.
9. When you get out of your circle of comfort and explore the unknown, you start to liberate your true human potential.
10. When you invest in yourself and start to devote yourself to raising your mind, body and character to their highest levels, you will almost feel as if you have a personal navigator inside you telling you which things you must do to see the greatest and most rewarding results.
11. When you have the courage to advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, you begin to draw upon the power of the universe.
12. Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be assured. Wipe out every thought of not achieving your objectives, whether they are material or spiritual. Be brave, and set no limits on the workings of your imagination. Never be a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future. You will never be the same.