The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny

The garden in Yogi Raman’s fable symbolizes the mind and the promise that “if you cultivate it just like a fertile, rich garden, it will blossom far beyond your expectations” (41). Julian explains that most people do not tend their mind-gardens and let contaminants “wreak havoc” (42). Getting into the habit of positive thinking and working toward “mental mastery” (44) can unlock a person’s potential. Julian tells the story of Malika Chand, a Calcutta teacher whose school was burned down by an arsonist and how her positive thinking turned this tragedy into an opportunity to raise funds for a better school.

Julian tells John that growth comes from persevering through challenges rather than by living in plateau. This prompts John to reflect on his childhood dreams and curiosity that have been stifled as an adult. Julian challenges John “to dust off your dreams […] Start to revere life again” (49). Inner change is the key to external change, and self-created boundaries hinder potential. To master one’s own mind requires concentration. Through concentration one finds the secret to happiness, which is to “find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it” (55). Discovering one’s purpose makes the world “come alive” (56). Losing focus and worrying about unimportant matters leaks energy away from what we should be doing. Julian explains that taking risks is necessary to discover one’s potential.

Julian recommends a form of meditation called The Heart of the Rose as a technique to master one’s mind, which involves staring at the inside of a rose in a tranquil environment, noticing its features, and returning attention to the rose whenever you lose focus. Daily practice is important for “taking back control of the fortress of your mind” (61). 

Julian learned another technique from Yogi Raman, Opposition Thinking, in which one replaces negative thoughts with positive ones to change one’s reality. The sages dwelled in pure or Sattvic thoughts and punished themselves by standing under an icy waterfall if they let negative thoughts gain domain in the mind. The final technique Julian discusses is a form of visualization called the Secret of the Lake. The sages would peer into the still waters of the lake “and envision their dreams becoming reality” (66). 

John feels these instructions could serve as a wake-up call to him. Julian tells him to focus on improving himself and forgetting what anybody else thinks or comparing himself to others.