Think Like A Monk
Jay Shetty
Thorsons
Review: Roshiela Moonsamy
This book has hit the shelves at the right time.
Never before have people spent so much time, or had so much time, to look inward.
Having watched a number of former monk Jay Shetty’s videos online, his voice is familiar to me and I could hear it as I read this book.
He writes as clearly and eloquently as he speaks and although tackling the complex issues that affect us as human beings, he is able to offer a simple perspective and solutions.
Why think like a monk? “The monk mindset lifts us out of confusion and distraction and helps us find clarity, meaning and direction,” says Jay, who grew up in England.
Not only does the book offer coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety, it attempts to help us get right to the root of our fears.
Other lessons involve considering your values, dealing with negativity, appreciating ordinary moments, navigating relationships and being of service to others.
Subtitled “Train your mind for peace and purpose every day”, the book is structured into three parts: Let Go, Grow, and Give and is interspersed with Jay’s stories of becoming a monk and living in an ashram in India.
While many of his teachings and practices are steeped in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, he makes reference to plenty of other sources in the book, including some western research, and even our own Nelson Mandela gets quoted.
Jay and his wife, Radhi, have a massive social media following so if you already love what he shares you will love this book, which has exercises for you to stop and work through, as well as meditations.
That also means it will take you a while to get through it.
And if you are serious about working through the tasks, you might want your own copy to refer back to.
For this reason, I don’t think it is a book you would want to lend out; we all know how quickly those books come back and I doubt this one ever will.
I would recommend this book to anyone (probably everyone) looking for ways to find purpose, healing and peace in their lives.
