I finished the book the The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari which is a fictional story based on the life lessons learned by Robin Sharma after he gave up his career in law to search for a spiritual path. The book shares valuable knowledge that relates to the teachings of Sikhi.
In one of his early chapters, Sharma emphasizes the importance of mastering the mind. This is the basis of a Sikh’s life- to conquer our thoughts and overcome the mind which is under the influence of kaam, krodh, lob, moh, and hankaar. One of the examples he uses to gain mastery of the mind is mantras, and in Sikhi we have the Mool Mantar (Ik Onkaar Satnam Karta Purak Nirbou Nirvair Akal Moorat Ajooni Saibhang Gurparsaad) and the Gurmantar (Waheguru) which we indeed use to master our minds. Gurbani also describes how the Hindus use Ram Ram for this purpose and the importance of mantras in achieving our life purpose. Sharma discusses following one’s purpose and even mentions the concept of dharma. He expands upon the topic of selfless service which we call sewa. The concepts of kirat karni comes across in the book when discussing how self-discipline allows one to follow through with all of these teachings, including morning awakening at amritvela and doing morning sadhana. These are all described in different words in the book. In Sikhi, we are taught to be aware of the transient nature of this human life, and be mindful of our breaths; Sharma discusses how this is a tool to live a life where we are aware of how we impact others and prioritize our time.
The book had an excellent overview of concepts taken from eastern religions and shared life lessons. There were some excellent summary points at the end of each chapter to remind one of the tools we could use. I enjoyed some of the practical points like creating a journal of the day’s activities, dreams, weaknesses you want to improve, etc. Certainly, this has worked well for me over the years, and I found the book to be motivational and uplifting. I think it has multiple take-home messages that will relate to everyone.
Robin Sharma provided a gift in being able to share these teachings in a universal way so that others could incorporate them into their lives. These methods certainly do transform lives and remind us of the importance of a daily spiritual routine in staying healthy. Although I had kind of hoped that he would dig a bit deeper, the more generalized method allows it to have an impact on a larger audience. People then have the flexibility to relate from whatever background they are coming from and be able to figure out how these concepts fit into their life. The deeper the knowledge becomes, the less amount of people will relate and understand, yet if you give people the basic tools they will be able to find that way themselves and discover the deeper elements on their own journey.
From my own transformative journey, I feel what ties all these lessons and concepts together is Ik Onkaar- our universal Creator Waheguru. Otherwise it is simply a list of rules and that isn’t sustainable. Dharam is about a path and a way of living. I personally understood Sikhi a lot better when I understood it isn’t about rules, but about our purpose in ending our cycle of reincarnation through merging with Waheguru. It answered why certain aspects of our spiritual life are important at all. The concept of maya, thoughts, time/breaths, discipline, meditation, and sewa all tie together nicely when explaining it through our purpose. The concept of maya luring the mind also helps to explain why it is so difficult for us to follow through with walking this path, and why it isn’t just about willpower but about the rules of the game and blessings of Waheguru.
Our own lessons and stories will inspire others if we share them. Again and again in Sharma’s book, he encouraged the main character to share these teachings with others; we too should share what works in our lives with others, to share the teachings of our Guru Jis.
References
Sharma, R. (2007). The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. 4th ed. Toronto: HarperCollins.
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