THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI: ROBIN SHARMA

"Stop ignoring, what is your SOUL is asking you to do"

                                             - Intelligent Investor

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This wonderful book is written by Robin Sharma 
About Robin Sharma:

He is considered to be one of the top 5 leadership experts in the world. This books became the #1 international bestselling book, inspiring the young and the old. This book goes beyond the normal teaching we receive on a day to day basis.

Now, without wasting any further time let us start our journey of getting better:

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We will start with a story that concerns the life of a super successful lawyer who ends up selling everything including his Ferrari and becoming a monk.

While working as a wealthy, high-power lawyer, Julian Mantle had a spiritual awakening.

This is the fictitious tale of Julian Mantle, a man who, seemingly, had it all. A graduate of the famous Harvard Law School, Mantle was one of the most well-known trial lawyers in the United States. 
He was making seven-figures; he lived in a mansion; a red Ferrari was parked outside. He was living the dream.

However, underneath it all, he was struggling. He had a huge workload. 
Each day there was a new, important case to take on and he approached every proceeding diligently. Eventually, the stress became too much for him, and one day Mantle suffered a severe heart attack and collapsed in the courtroom.

After that incident, he never returned to practising law.
Rumours said he moved to India in search of some answers and a simpler life – and, indeed, that is exactly what he had done.
And then, three years later, he returned. He was the picture of health, with a Buddha-like smile stretched across his face.

On his journey to Himalayan Mountains, he heard legends of a group of monks called Sages of Sivana. The tales of their wisdom were more majestic than the mountains. Souls from far away came in search of these monks, unfortunately, no one could meet them and many among them had tragic ends

However, Mantle's determination to learn was bigger than nature’s ability to hide these monks

It was here that Mantle had a reawakening and finally found his soul.

This magical tale teaches the Seven Principles of the Sivana System:

In the mountains, Mantle found the group of monks known as the Sages of Sivana. One monk, Yogi Raman, shared his wisdom with Mantle.

He was taught the meaning of life on one condition – that he would return to where he came from and spread the word. And this is why he went back to his law practice: to teach the life-changing Sivana System.

Seven basic virtues underpin the Sivana System:

The story begins in a gorgeous green garden, silent and serene with beautiful flowers.

In the middle of the garden is an enormous red lighthouse. But the calmness is suddenly disturbed by a sumo wrestler who comes striding out of the lighthouse door. 
Nine-feet tall and weighing 900 pounds, the wrestler is clad in nothing but a pink wire cable to cover his modesty.

While wandering around the garden, he stumbles upon a golden stopwatch. Out of curiosity, he puts it on – and immediately loses consciousness and crashes to the ground.

Eventually, he awakens and is filled with energy thanks to the fragrance of the surrounding yellow roses. He quickly leaps up and looks to his left; to his amazement, he sees a path covered with diamonds. Entranced, he walks along it. And this path leads him to everlasting bliss and joy.

To some, this story may sound ridiculous. But each element represents an aspect of the Sivana System. Now, we will gain a greater understanding of these principles.

Finding fulfilment is a matter of mastering your mind:

The garden in the above story represents the mind. A lot of people end up littering their mental gardens with waste – that is, negative thoughts or fears.

The first virtue of the Sivana System is to control your mind. 

You have to tend to your mental garden, and the best way to take care of it is to stand guard at its gates. Only let pleasant, positive thoughts in and ban the negative ones.

At the end of the day, our thoughts shape our lives. 

We will have a better standard of living if we fill our head with worthwhile thoughts. Do you want to live a peaceful, meaningful life? Ensure only peaceful, meaningful thoughts are let in!

But how do we get our minds to focus solely on fulfilling thoughts? 

Well, we all have the ability to choose what we think about, so it all comes down to exercising our minds like a muscle. Keep practising and blocking negative thoughts, eventually, you will be the master of your thoughts.  

To lead a fulfilling life, you need a purpose to guide you:

The second virtue of the Sivana System is all about purpose. This principle is represented in the tale by the lighthouse.

The Sages of Sivana have a clear sense of purpose, and therefore never waste time. They know that they have a duty to fulfil this purpose.

When referring to their purpose, the monks use the Sanskrit word dharma – which means “life’s purpose.” Dharma comes from the ancient belief that, while on earth, we each have a mission to complete. By honouring dharma, we can achieve lasting satisfaction and inner harmony.

The best way to realize our life’s mission is to set clearly defined goals – after all, 

We can only hit a target, if we are able to see it.

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Here is the five-step method developed by the Sages to achieve the personal purpose: 

First, you must create a mental image of the outcome. If your goal is to lose weight, you should envision a leaner, fitter version of yourself.

The second stage is to place pressure on yourself but in a good way. Pressure can be a wonderful source of inspiration as it can often push a person to realize their full potential. A great way to generate pressure is to tell others about your plan.

The third step is constructing a timeline. To get your goal underway, you have to have a deadline in sight.

The fourth step is what Yogi Raman dubbed the Magic Rule of 21. This is the idea that new behaviour becomes a habit after you have done it for 21 days in a row.

The last step? Just enjoy the process!

Constant self-improvement is key to a radiant life:

Remember the sumo wrestler? Well, he represents a virtue in the Sivana System, too.

This virtue is called kaizen, a Japanese word that means constant, never-ending improvement. It is all about unlocking your potential.

For this virtue, the Sages created ten steps known as the Ten Rituals of Radiant Living.

The first is the Ritual of Solitude, and it stipulates that your daily routine must feature a moment of silence. By doing it you can calm your mind and access your creativity.

Second is the Ritual of Physicality. The aim of this stage is to get your body moving. By caring for your body, you ultimately care for your mind.

Next is the Ritual of Live Nourishment. You should only eat live foods, so it is best to follow a vegetarian diet.

Fourth is the Ritual of Abundant Knowledge. Throughout your life you should keep learning – so find a way to keep your mind stimulated by reading or studying. 

Investing in yourself is th best investment you will ever make, it will not only improve your life, it will also improve the lives of all those around YOU

The fifth is the Ritual of Personal Reflection. This is about looking at the way you behave on a daily basis. Could you have done anything better today?

Sixth is the Ritual of Early Awakening. This one is tough for those who enjoy sleeping in, because the idea is to sleep for around six hours and to rise with the sun.

Next up is the Ritual of Music. It is wonderful to listen to music as much as you can because it lifts your mood.

Number eight is the Ritual of the Spoken Word. This is about creating a personal mantra to inspire you.

Ninth is the Ritual of a Congruent Character. We must have principles in life. The point of this step is to make sure that we should always follow the principles.

Last is the Ritual of Simplicity. Conduct a simple life and focus on your priorities and meaningful activities.

Live a disciplined life and manage your time wisely: 

There is another quality to recall about the sumo wrestler in the story. He was stark naked apart from the pink wire cable covering his privates!

The cable represents the fourth virtue of the Sivana System. This principle is concerned with living a disciplined life.

During his discussions with the Sages, Mantle learned that the wire is a symbol for strict self-discipline.

Just like your concentration, you can build up your sense of self-discipline. Yogi Raman explained to Mantle that one of his favourite exercises for doing so was to not speak for a day. The Sages assured Mantle that a vow of silence for a prolonged period of time is an excellent way to condition the will.

As the story progressed, the sumo went on to discover a golden stopwatch.

This symbolizes the fifth virtue of the Sivana System, which is about respecting your time. They taught Mantle that time mastery is life mastery. They see hourglasses as a stark reminder of mortality and believe that we should always live life to the fullest.

Therefore, it is important to use your time efficiently and plan how you spend it. To do this, you could take 15 minutes before you go to bed to plan out the next day. On Sundays, take an hour to plan the following week.

Another teaching is to be ruthless with your time and learn when to say no. Live each day as if it were your last – that way, you won’t end up wasting time agreeing to an activity that you don’t want to engage in.

It helps to ask yourself, “Would I want to spend my last day on earth doing this?”

Failing to plan, is planning to fail

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Selflessly serve others and live in the present for a joyful, rewarding existence:

In the same way that Mantle collapsed at work under the weight of his responsibilities, the sumo in the story went unconscious and fell to the ground. But he awakened full of energy, thanks to the scent of the yellow roses.

So what do these flowers symbolize? An ancient Chinese proverb says that 'a trace of fragrance always remains on the hands that present you with roses.'

Therefore, the roses stand for the sixth virtue in the Sivana System – the concept of selflessly serving others.

The monks said that you should always be kind and compassionate toward others, as it improves your own life.

Take a moment every morning to think about what good you can spread in the world and how you can better the lives of other people. (Writing blogs, summarising wonderful books is my way of helping others)

You can do this by sincerely praising others, helping your friends when they are in need and by showing affection toward your family. Behaving in such a kind, earnest way will lead to a happier way of life.

After being revived by the roses, the wrestler discovered a diamond-encrusted path that led him to everlasting bliss and joy.
For the Sages, “living in the now” is the seventh virtue. They understood that,

Happiness is not the destination, but the journey itself.

As we travel through life, the path will be decorated with small wonders – here the author calls it diamonds. To appreciate the diamonds, you have to practice gratitude daily.

That means always appreciating your health, your family and even the sound of the birds singing in the trees.

Nothing is more important than right now.

Upon his return, Mantle amused his former colleague with the tale of his journey to meet the Sages of Sivana. Ever since he has continued to share their wisdom and has therefore fulfilled his pledge.

I hope you loved reading this summary! 

Please Note: I have omitted many key points and examples from the book, if you have liked the summary I am sure you will love the book. Please go ahead and purchase the book and encourage the publishers.

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Reading the key points regularly is very critical, only then we can remember and apply the lesson at the right moments. 

The best time to plant a tree was forty years ago, the second-best time is today

Summary of Summary:

It is possible for each and every one of us to live a joyful, rewarding life. By following the seven virtues of the Sages of Sivana, as told in Yogi Raman’s story, we can eliminate negativity and focus on achieving what we were born to do.

Seven Basic virtue of Sivana:

Control your mind

Clear sense of purpose

Do things that you fear the most

Live with Discipline

Respect your time

Practice a daily act of kindness

Never Sacrifice Happiness for Achievement

Personal Closing Advise:
Never ever stop learning, irrespective of your age. Always make it a habit to learn new things, be open to learn new ideas that will add value to your life.

Welcome it by reading books/blogs, attending sessions, watching informative videos, talking to inspiring people.

Dear Readers,

This blog is my personal attempt to help you.  If you find this article to be helpful, kindly share it with your near and dear ones.

I would be very glad to hear your feedback, in fact, it will motivate me to continue my journey of, Blog and Teach.

Thanks for reading, I hope you apply some or all the lessons learned and become a better person consistently.

All the best!! 👍👍👍

Cheers 🍹

Intelligent Investor