Book Review: InnerEngineering and Think Like a monk

 

Just completed Inner Engineering and Think like a monk by Jay Shetty, Both the book are beautifully, explained  but I  would prefer reading Inner engineering  to enhance my lifestyle. Both the book at first talks about the author’s spiritual journey which was quiet interesting and  aimed for enhancing lifestyle by cutting out negativity in life

What I felt Sadhguru has a beautiful way of explaining the things with little stories  which are always funny and obviously with  logic and science behind it.  What is true is explained here, and I could completely connect with what he said. Finding Joy in life doesn’t need one to follow spiritual path. But at times his thoughts contradict with what we have read in BhagavatGeeta.   So you may get confuse which one to follow. 

For example

“One of the biggest problems in the world today is loneliness. It is quite incredible. The planet is teeming with seven billion people, but people are lonely! If someone enjoys being alone, there is no problem at all. But most people are suffering because of it! They are going through serious psychological problems as a consequence. If you are lonely, it is because you have chosen to become an island unto yourself. It doesn’t have to be this way. “I am not responsible” makes you unwilling to get along with anyone—until you can’t even get along with yourself. It often comes to a point when you believe you are not even responsible for what is happening within yourself!”
― Sadhguru,  

The practical exercise are good enough for any individual who wants to discover oneself, but please don’t read the book in hurry. Read slowly and highlight line which  touched you. Sadhguru’s inner engineering have touched that one nerve in me, who now wants to try out the programme in the ashram. I hope one day when my daughter  grows up, I would definitely try doing the course, not because I want to be a monk or want my  thoughts to be like a monk but I want to explore more of science and technology and the uncharted terrain of Inner dimension and this only possible with live road map  Aka Gurus.

 JayShetty’s think like a monk is written in very simple English compared to Sadhguru’s Inner Engineering but I didn’t find anything new or engrossing like Sadhguru though he tried to connect many things with Bhagavad Geeta but I wished it  had more substance to it which are yet to be discovered by readers. 

“Your identity is a mirror covered with dust. When you first look in the mirror, the truth of who you are and what you value is obscured. Clearing it may not be pleasant, but only when that dust is gone can you see your true reflection.”
― Jay Shetty, 

Did the above books help me in finding peace and contentment? 

No not yet, but hope reading it regularly the highlighting points may bring some change in me some day.

Purple Lotus by Veena Rao

 Ratings:⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Like the purple lotus, rarest of rare, you shall rise from muddy waters to rule the world'

 The plot revolves around  our female protagonist Tara. When Tara was a little girl her parents left her to her grandparents’ house with a schizophrenic uncle and moved to Dubai with their newly born son for a better life. Tara as a little girl craved for parental love and struggled with her feelings. She always felt lonely and wished to live with her parents in Dubai. 

Later in her life when she grew up she faces constant societal pressure, being 28 not married and not even beautiful. In a hurry her parents  marries her with a man in US.While the guy abandons her for three years right after marriage but soon as she lands in US , Tara faces domestic abuses, neglect, ignored. Little did she know her husband was having affair with someone else.

  What shocked me was in such abusive relationship, her parents asked her to compromise and stay with the husband, as women are supposed to do that.  A man can live  with no fear while the  wife gets disowned by the society. She feared to take decision and come out of her abusive life in an unknown country. Didn’t know where to go , or what to do. It is how Tara got her inner strength, fought back and lived the way she wanted to live and not how others wanted her to do.  What daring she did was marry her  childhood love who belongs to different religion without caring about the medieval societal norms.

Why I loved it

What I loved about the book is the overwhelming usage of simple english making the reading appealing, while portraying the old fashion mind-set of the Indian society.. It has beautifully portrayed the cultural differences and Tara’s lonely years in US , which destroyed her  self-worthiness.. This cultural reference reminds me of  Jhumpa Lahiri's style, were  she  explores expatriate  Indian in America, I felt happy when Tara met her Russian friend and took a step to come out of the abusive relationship. The insight of Tara’s disturb life, domestic abuse and coming out and facing the situation and settling back to new life was flawlessly explored by the author, making the book feel so real. The ending was perfect, you cannot have anything better than this.

Thank You Net galley for the  ARC.