Jay Shetty has written a fascinating book that chronicles the time he spent training to be a monk in India. The book, Think Like a Monk, posits that we can lead far more fulfilling lives by ridding ourselves of the all-pervasive ‘monkey mindset’ (overthinking, procrastination and anxiety) and adopting a healthier ‘monk mindset’ (clarity, meaning and direction). Shetty writes that “thinking like a monk is another way of viewing and approaching life. A way of rebellion, detachment, rediscovery, focus, discipline – and service. The goal of monk thinking is a life free of ego, envy, lust, anxiety, anger, bitterness, baggage”.

The book has a very informative chapter, The Mind, that offers insight into the human brain. Shetty writes that “our minds are only in present time for about three seconds. Other than that, our brains are thinking forward and backward, filling in ideas about present time based on what we’ve experienced in the past”. He quotes Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made, who said, most of the time “your brain is not reacting to events in the world, it’s predicting…constantly guessing what’s going to happen next”. Here are some of Shetty’s reflections on the mind:

  • “True growth requires understanding the mind. It is the filter, judge and director of all our experiences”.
  • “Sometimes our own minds work against us. They convince us to do something, then make us feel guilty or bad about it, often because it’s gone against our values or morals”.
  • “Our thoughts are like clouds passing by. The self, like the sun, is always there. We are not our minds”.
  • “Our minds should work in our own best interest. Why would we stand in our own way? The complication is that we are weighing input from different sources: our five senses, telling us what appeals in the moment; our memories, recalling what we have experienced in the past; and our intellects, synthesizing and evaluating the best choice for the long term”.
  • “The senses are responsible for our desires and attachments, and they pull us in the direction of impulsivity, passion and pleasure, destabilizing the mind”.
  • “Our subconscious has been programmed and defaults to the same thoughts and actions day after day”.
  • “Our conscious isn’t awake to make edits. The narration playing in your mind is stuck in its beliefs about relationships, money, how you feel about yourself, how you should behave”.
  • “Just as you are not your mind, you are not your thoughts”.
  • “If you don’t deliberately rewire your mindset, you are destined to repeat and re-create the pain you’ve already endured”.
  • According to psychiatrist Linda Sapadin, “talking to yourself “helps you clarify your thoughts, tend to what’s important and firm up any decisions you’re contemplating””.
  • “Rather than amplifying your failures, amplify your progress”.
  • “Putting a solution-oriented spin on your statement reminds you to be proactive and take responsibility rather than languishing in wishful thinking”.
  • “Use the awareness of what deep pain really is to keep smaller disruptions in perspective”.
  • “One of the benefits of writing may have been helping students render their worst experiences as a coherent narrative”.
  • “We are defined by the narrative that we write for ourselves every day. Is it a story of joy, perseverance, love and kindness or is it a story of guilt, blame, bitterness and failure? Find a new vocabulary to match the emotions and feelings that you want to live by. Talk to yourself with love”.
  • “Only by detaching can we truly gain control of the mind”. Detachment involves “stripping out of a situation to become objective observers”. Detachment is also “stepping away from fear””.
  • “Detachment means “doing the right thing for its own sake, because it needs to be done, without worrying about success or failure…It means detaching from your selfish interest, from being right, from being seen in a certain way, from what you want now…You have the perspective of an objective observer”.

The key to the above is training your brain to “cultivate compassion, joy and inner freedom” instead of “ruminating on sadness and negativity”. Shetty writes, “In the end, it is your mind that translates the outside world into happiness or misery”. Think Like a Monk is an important read that offers insight into the human mind and is a prescription for living life for peace and purpose every day.