By Alistair Hendrie
A book was inevitable given Shetty’s three years at a monastic ashram in India and his public speaking engagements at business conferences and leadership events the world over. Think Like A Monk brings that together by detailing Shetty’s growth as a monk, while also offering practical advice on how to live a happier, calmer life.
Key to this, the book reveals, are three pillars: peace, love, and understanding. Shetty believes relationships are one of the surest routes to that triumvirate. For instance, his monk teacher Sunata told him we shouldn’t label others at their worst moments. We should instead remember the good they do and take their actions into context. In any interaction, we must ask ourselves: “Were they frustrated? Exhausted?” After all, Shetty admits we all talk out of turn thanks to our “monkey mind.”
The Londoner, who refers to texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, writes eloquently and vividly about how his mind played tricks on him when he tried to connect with his fellow monks. Would they look down on him? Worse still, would they judge him? The idea that a monk would criticise anyone might seem ludicrous, but Shetty recalls how much pressure he put on himself.
“God, I hate this, it’s so difficult,” he writes, remembering a meditation session with the monks. “I’m supposed to be bringing awareness to my breath, but I keep thinking about my friends in London … In my frustration, my ego spoke up: I wanted to be the best meditator, the smartest person at the ashram, the one who made an impact.” There it was again, Shetty’s “monkey mind” racing ahead and jumping to conclusions.
Those vulnerable moments are what make the book special. There may be an image of Shetty as an impenetrable force, a portrait of Zen, but he reveals his anxieties with clarity and humility. His emotions can get ahead of him. He describes the mind as a chariot and the senses as horses, bucking and thrusting to veer off in different directions.
We’ve all felt a little out of place, as if we’re doing something incorrectly, but Shetty implores us to “walk towards fear … You’ve got to recognise fear. I see you, fear. I see you, pain.” Indeed, the book describes fear as an abstract entity, allowing us to detach and disidentify with feelings of unease.
Shetty asks why we run from fear and avoid solving problems head-on. He wants us to widen our lens and observe with perspective. One of the book’s arguments states how if a fire alarm went off, we wouldn’t stroll through the billowing flames, reach up and remove the battery, so why do we abstain from solving problems in relationships, work, and home life?
Gratitude is a theme in Think Like A Monk, too. In the ashram Shetty would begin each morning lying on a flimsy mat, face down, giving thanks for the earth beneath him, the air around him, and the sky above him. He believes gratitude can come from small joys. A thankyou note. A quirky piece of fruit. A flower you’ve never noticed before.
After all, if you appreciate what you have and what you see, you’ll gain happiness through what is, rather than cradling disappointment because of what you lack. The author’s idea that “happiness comes from within” follows on from this.
Inner harmony is difficult to obtain, though, and Shetty admits some of his points can appear “woo-woo.” There’s the added barricade that Shetty is a walking, talking contradiction. He writes about thinking like a monk, yet he’s rich, dresses resplendently, and lives in LA where he rubs shoulders with Eva Longoria and the Kardashians. You might wonder why we should listen to him. What would he know? How much can a social media frontrunner understand about our struggles and insecurities?
Well, perhaps we should respect Shetty even more for giving up monkhood - he did all he could to engross himself in the monk lifestyle, but in the end it wasn’t for him. Sure, he grew his hair again, ditched the robes, but he practices what he preaches. Who are we to criticise? He supports charities. He strives to boost our wellbeing.
Indeed, towards the end of Think Like A Monk, he states the utmost purpose in life is to serve others. This could be anything. Selling fruit. Driving an Uber. Forming the next Spotify or Netflix. And there in a roundabout way is Shetty’s emphasis on relationships. We must do things for other people. We must serve others. It’s here that he recites ones of his favourite quotes, taken from his monk master, Gauranga Das: “Plant trees under whose shade you do not plan to sit.” If catering for others is life’s most noble act, Shetty is doing just fine for now.
