INTRODUCTION

“Think like a Monk” by Jay Shetty, invites readers to embark on a transformative journey towards uncovering inner peace and purpose amid life’s chaos. Shetty was a former monk, and he derived ancient wisdom from his learnings and experiences and converted them into practical lessons that individuals can use to practice mindful living and navigate the challenges of our modern life.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

“Think Like a Monk” is a book for seekers of inner peace, individuals facing life transitions, professionals seeking work-life balance, spiritual seekers, entrepreneurs, students, parents, and anyone seeking to cultivate a mindset of resilience, compassion, and purpose in life.

SUMMARY AND KEY TAKEAWAYS

THE MONK MINDSET

Shetty introduces a powerful concept called “The Monk Mindset,” which urges readers to integrate mindfulness, gratitude, service, and intention into their daily lives. He integrates this wisdom into contemporary principles and inspires everyone to embrace a conscious and purposeful existence.

DROWNING OUT THE NOISE

In our current generation of distractions, we are constantly occupied with noise, screens, social media, etc. This book provides strategies on how to calm the noise and hone in on what truly matters. There are 2 kinds of negativities: External and Internal. External is caused by outside factors like people, situations, media, etc., and internal is caused by our mind. Shetty dives into a few strategies for silencing the noise.

EXTERNAL NEGATIVITY

  1. Keep a tally of every criticism you speak or think. For each one, write down 10 good things about that person. 
  2. Become an objective observer.
  3. Back slowly away from the situation.
  4. Allocate time when spending time with negative people and don’t exceed it.
  5. For every negative person in your life, have 3 uplifting people. (The 25/75 Principle)

INTERNAL NEGATIVITY

  1. Let go of things that are not wanted. That’s real freedom for anyone. 
  2. SPOT, STOP, SWAP: First, we become aware of a feeling or issue – we spot it. Then, we pause to address what the feeling is and where it comes from – we stop to consider it. And last, we amend our behavior – we swap in a new way of processing the moment.
  3. Become accepting of the fact that we don’t truly own or control anything. Identify attachment-related fears and foster detachment.
  4. Don’t judge the moment. See the whole story.

INTENTION

Living a life of intention is essential for a peaceful life. Happiness and fulfillment come only from mastering the mind and connecting with the soul – not from objects or attainments. The author goes over strategies like Why ladder, Internal, and External goals, doing the work, creating a to-be list along with your to-do list, meditation, etc.

“If we live intentionally, we sustain a sense of purpose and meaning that isn’t tied to what we accomplish but who we are.”

PURPOSE

Discovering purpose is one of the key concepts of the book. Shetty offers guides that readers can use to identify their passions, values, and strengths. By aligning our actions with purpose, we can achieve greater fulfillment in our lives.

“Knowing your purpose and fulfilling it easier and more fruitful when you use your time and energy wisely every day.”

ROUTINE

Creating a routine in our lives has huge benefits in the long term. Routine frees our minds. Rather than running to catch up every day, a morning routine sets the tone for the day and a well-planned evening routine prepares you for the morning. It saves energy and time which can be used to make focused decisions throughout the day instead of taking the shortest path.

A few ideas include early rise, meditation, workouts, mindful eating, environmental awareness, etc.

“Marrying habits is a way of circumventing excuses. Build routines and train yourself as monks do, to find focus and achieve deep immersion.”

EGO

The ego is something that needs to be kept in check. If you don’t break your ego, life will break if for you. If we let ego occupy of minds, we deny ourselves opportunities to learn, grow, and change. Practicing humility is the elixir of ego.

Monk’s mental exercise to become aware of our ego daily. They were taught 2 things to remember and 2 things to try and forget.

  1. The two things to remember are the bad we’ve done to others and the good others have done for us. 
  2. The two things to forget are the good we’ve done for others and the bad others have done for us.

“Remembering your mistakes and forgetting your achievements restrains the ego and increases gratitude – a simple, effective recipe for humility.”

RELATIONSHIPS

This book explores the significance of nurturing meaningful connections. The author goes over practical strategies for effective communication, spending quality time, empathy, etc., that are required for building meaningful relationships. By fostering positive relationships, we can enhance our overall well-being and create great friends and family.

“When it comes to the energy we expend and receive in relationships, the focus is quality, not quantity.”

3 STAGES OF MONK TRANSFORMATION

  1. We let go of the external and the ego.
  2. We recognize our value and learn that we don’t need to own anything to serve.
  3. We continually seek a higher level of service.

RESILIENCE

Everyone faces challenges in our lives. The author provides tools for building resilience for handling those challenges. He offers valuable advice from his personal experience on how to overcome setbacks, reframing adversity and how to maintain a positive outlook on the situation instead of falling into a spiral when faced with difficulties.

STILLNESS AND REFLECTION

Incorporating meditation and practicing mindfulness into our daily routines would foster self-discovery and get an understanding of our thoughts, emotions, triggers, etc. Practicing stillness and reflection would enhance understanding of our own minds and is a key aspect of monk’s philosophy.

CONCLUSION

“Think like a Monk” provides a roadmap for personal transformation. Jay Shetty combines ancient wisdom with contemporary insights that suit our modern lives. We don’t have to go live in a monastery to become a monk, we can incorporate the same practices of intention, purpose, routine, gratitude, sense of inner being, meditation, etc. for living a fulfilling and purposeful life. 

“Monks believe we should prepare for death. We don’t want to arrive at the end of our days knowing we haven’t lived a purposeful, service-death, meaningful life.”

QUOTES

  1. “Selflessness is the surest route to inner peace and a meaningful life: Selflessness heals the self.”
  2. “Love and duty are more likely to lead to happiness.”
  3. “The cause of fear: Attachment. The cure for fear: Detachment.”
  4. “In the act of criticizing others for failing to live up to higher standards, we ourselves are failing to live up to the highest standards.”
  5. “Money and mansions are not the only wealth. Hoard the wealth of the spirit. Character is wealth: good conduct is wealth, and spiritual wisdom is wealth.”
  6. “To build your competence without regard for character is narcissistic, and to build character without working on skills is devoid of impact. We need to work on both to serve our souls and a higher purpose.”
  7. “Overcoming your ego is a practice not an accomplishment.”
  8. “The highest purpose is to live in service. Service is the direct path to a meaningful life.”
Post Views: 289