Think Like a Monk – Book Review

Have you noticed that many “spiritual” people seem to have access to an inner peace, sense of meaning and happiness which many of us lack? Regardless of your religious or philosophical outlook, there is much all of us can learn from different cultures and traditions to enhance our own well-being. Think Like A Monk is a great book in this respect, offering wisdom from the Vedic tradition to provide practical advice on how to overcome negative thoughts and habits.

Whilst Think Like a Monk might suggest that you need to sell your house and don a brown robe, the good news from author Jay Shetty is that calm and purpose exist within all of us. The goal is to learn how to apply the lessons learned by Vedic monks to access them in your own unique case. With the pandemic overshadowing each of us in 2020, these lessons are more timely than ever – especially since our ways of thinking have often made our experience far more difficult.

Shetty offers daily routines, practices and habits such as the Vedic Personality Test which help the reader to understand themselves better, and identify ways to react more positively to life’s inevitable problems. He refers to ancient texts in a manner which offers wisdom without proselytising, showing that you don’t have to be a monk to think like a monk.

Think Like a Monk is not a memoir or autobiography. Yet it does bring meaningful life stories to the table for helpful illustration of how to overcome fear and negativity. Shetty writes with softness and humility in a “monk-like” fashion, offering ideas rather than laws in a “Try this” style.

Some great, practical ideas which the reader will benefit from include the daily practices of Morning Rituals and Gratitude – helping you to train your mind for peace and purpose every day. One of the book’s great strengths is that it offers immense depth whilst offering writing which can be easily understood by a beginner level reader.

Overall, this is a great book for those looking to live a life more defined by gratitude whilst also brimming with positivity. If you want more calm, purpose and clarity in your life then this book is a great resource to try – and one that you’ll likely refer to again and again.