The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

The monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma is the story of Julian Mantle, a superstar lawyer whose fast and out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to an almost fatal heart attack in the middle of a courtroom. His physical collapse leaves him with two choices:

1. Recover and continue to live a fast and unhealthy life, fueled by material desires or

2. Confront his spiritual crisis and seek answers to life's most important questions.

Julian chooses the latter and his quest for finding happiness and fulfilment leads him to an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, deep in the mountains of the Himalayas. Here he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of the mind, body and soul and learns how to live with greater passion, purpose and peace.

The book gives timeless methods in which we can all find peace, happiness and fulfillment. Many of our lives mirror that of the main character in the book, Julian. We lead such 'fast' lives and have no time to savour the important things in life - family, friends, our hobbies, dreams and just as importantly, ourselves.

How many of us are consumed with hunger? Hunger for more prestige, more glory and more money? We live in a work centred world where material gains are an illusory version of success. Our desires will never be satisfied but instead will blaze like adding fuel to a fire.

The book vividly describes the lack of fulfillment that Julian goes through despite his abundant wealth and beautifully explains the solution to his predicament, his 'personal odyssey of the self.' To aid him in his quest for fulfilment, Julian was taught by the ancient great Sages of Sivana. They taught him many techniques which if applied on a daily basis will bring great joy to our lives.

The Sages taught him countless methods, I will not discuss them all but if we try to implement the following in our lives then we will be able to lead a more fulfilling life and find our purpose in and really appreciate the smaller things in life:

1. Try doing yogasanas, pranayama and meditation every morning

2. Ensure you carry out one of your hobbies on a daily basis. E.g. drawing, painting, play football etc...

3. Read for at least 30 minutes everyday but not just any book; read one which will add value to your life and challenges you intellectually

4. Take daily walks

5. Spend time with nature, even if it's just sitting in the garden or gazing at the stars

6. Use mantras, meaning 'freeing the mind' and positive thinking to your advantage - if you're ever feeling low, constantly repeat to yourself, 'I am strong, I am confident, I am able.' Never under estimate the power of words and positive thoughts

7. Reflection - spend 10 minutes analysing your day. Note down all the good things you did in the day and all the bad things in the day. Also write down any negative thoughts you had during this time also. By doing this, we are aware of our actions and thoughts and can actively go out to improve ourselves.

The monk who sold his Ferrari is a beautifully written book which gives us countless guidance on how to improve ourselves, advance spiritually and live a life of purpose and happiness.

The Importance of Yogasanas & Pranayama

The book I'm currently reading is Yogasana & Pranayam For Health by Dr P.D. Sharma. Here is a brief summary of what yogasana is and the benefits of it.

Yogasanas are simple actions for keeping the internal & external parts of the body in good health. The body & mind are closely interrelated so both should be taken care of. There are 7 ways in which daily waste produced by the body through physical activity & functioning of the digestive system can be eliminated through: both nostrils; eyes; ears; mouth; anus & genitals and the skin. Many diseases are the result of the absence of sufficient and regular elimination of waste matter such as urine and stool from the body. Yogic exercises help the process of elimination of waste matter from the body and keep the body in perfectly sound health.

Yogasanas have a preference over other systems of physical exercises due to the following reasons:

1. In other physical exercises, the internal organs of the body do not get proper exercise, while yogasanas give sufficient exercise to the internal organs of the body.

2. Yogasanas have a greater impact on the mind & senses than other physical exercise, with the result that yogasans help to develop one's physical & mental powers to calm the mind & control the senses.

3. It eliminates waste toxins from the body. As a result, it has more resistance power to keep disease away.

4. The body becomes flexible by yogasanas which makes one more active.

5. Blood in different blood vessels is purified through different yogasanas.

6. The power of contraction & expansion of lungs is increased by practicing yogasanas & pranayama. This leads in the purification of blood to a great extent.

7. Life span, youth & health depend upon the flexibility of the spinal cord. Yogasanas keep the spinal cord flexible.

8. Yogasanas help the mind to experience tranquillity. There is a progressive intellectual development because of the calm mind.

9. They stimulate different glands of the body. These stimulated glands produce secretions in proper proportion, which having mixed with the blood helps the body to acquire a well balanced growth.

10. Diseases such as constipation, gas trouble, diabetes, blood pressure, hernia, headache etc...can be cured by practicing yogasanas & pranayam.

11. Yogasanas make possible not only physical & mental development but also intellectual & spiritual development.

The Six Glorious Epoch of Indian History

India has been subject to various invasions over the past 2,500 years. Due to the propaganda of these foreign aggressors, we have come to believe that the Hindus have been weak and folded easily at the different invasions in our history. The 6 Glorious Epoch of Indian History, by Veer Savarkar, shows that this conception is totally FALSE and from a Hindu & Sikh point of view, we should never forget the great figures who fought heroically to save our motherland from the onslaught of foreign aggression. Savarkar writes passionately about the history of his nation & blends poetry, emotion of pain, suffering & joy quite beautifully. He expresses his views quite bluntly, some of which I do not entirely agree with but his patrioism & quest of correcting facts of our history deserves nothing but admiration.

Most of you will have heard of Alexander the 'Great'. He led a massive army to India and conquered many states. However, the Hindus resisted so rigorously that he never managed to fully conquer India & was forced to retreat back to Greece, a fallen & broken man. Historians refer to him as 'great' but he never managed to conquer Bharat due to the bravery of the Indians. After his death, his successor attacked India once again. However, he was destroyed easily as the great Emperor Chandragupta had united the whole of Bharat & fought the Greeks as one nation. This ideology of unity was crucial to their success & is something that we must achieve again today. The defeat of the Greeks was the 1st Glorious Epoch of Indian History.

However, a century later, the Greeks attacked again. This time they succeeded in conquering many parts of India - the reason being a lack of unity between Hindus & the spread of Ahimsa, non-violence. This concept of non-violence is beautiful but one must remember that there is always a time & place for such virtues. The great epics of the Ramayana & Mahabharat have taught us that we must be humble & seek peace but if war is necessary to overcome evil & bring righteousness in the world then we must not shy away from war; a message that India at the time had forgotten. It took the valiant Emperor of Pataliputra, Pushyamitra to lead a revolution & defeat the Greeks once and for all. This was the 2nd Glorious Epoch of Indian History.

Around 150 BC India was surrounded by groups of barbaric tribes - the Sakas & Huns. After 100 years of war, the Sakas had gained much territory in the north of India. During this time the Pataliputra empire had been lost. It took the valour of Samudragupta, often referred to as the 'Indian Napoleon' to overthrow the Sakas & reestablish a Hindu state. After his death, his younger brother, Prince Chandragupta destroyed the Sakas for good & united the whole of India. He was given the great title, Vikramaditya. The vanquishing of the Sakas was the 3rd Glorious Epoch.

The 4th Glorious Epoch of Indian History was Yashodharma - the conqueror of the Huns. The Huns were even fiercer than the barbaric Sakas. They had occupied land & slaughtered many from China to Rome. Their first attacks on India were paralysed by Prince Skundgupta & they retreated before they attacked again 40 years later. At this time, Skundgupta was an aging Emperor but he continued to fight even though his brother was plotting to dethrone him back home. He died valiantly in battle with the ethos, 'an Emperor must die standing'. The Huns caused havoc in northern India & continued to do so until an adventurous youth, Yashodharma organised neighbouring states to unite & fight the Huns under his leadership. They did so & overthrew the Huns in 528. It is important to note at this point that the south of India was unconquered for 1300 years - only the north were subject to constant attacks; mainly Punjab & Gujarat. However, after the defeat of the Huns, India remained independent for over 500 years!

The first major Muslim attack on India came 50 years before Mohammed Bin Kasim but was put down easily. However, Kasim's invasion in 711 was successful & he initiated large scale massacres in Sindh. Most historians ignore the fact that despite this defeat, the Indian nation defended its independence for over 300 years. From the year 1000 the epic Hindu-Muslim wars began. In the early years, the Muslims won most the contests & converted, killed & destoryed many temples along their way. However, there were many heroic figures in our history who fought to protect their motherland. The likes of King Jaipal & his son Anangpal; Sambhaji; Guru Teg Bahadur & many other of our Sikh Gurus fought till their last breath. It is crucial to note that it was during these years of war, killings & mass conversions that created the present day caste system. The issue of conversion caused divide amongst Hindus & they were obsessed with 'purity'. Therefore, they did not integrate with other communities in order to stay 'pure' & this was the basis of the caste system. Thus, we must ALL remember that the caste system has NOTHING to do with Hinduism & was a social phenomena which led to the demise of the Hindu samaj.

A counter offensive began with great religious reformers & intellects such as Maharishi Deval & Acharya Madhatith. They taught the Hindus new religious thoughts, new weapons & reminded them of the bravery that lies in each in and every one of us, the soul. Maharishi Deval lived between 800-900 & abolished the ban on reconverting Muslims who were originally Hindus. He also criticised the caste system & empowered the women of the time. He was largely followed & thousands reconverted back to Hinduism - he led a political & religious triumph which was crucial to reducing the power of the foreign aggressors. Acharya Medhatith continued to spread Deval's teachings & taught of the glorious days when Bharat was united. He proposed a treaty whereby if one Hindu state was attacked, another must come to its aid. So while the north of India was under constant attack, the south was still independent & Hindu philosophy had spread in countries like Burma, Thailand & Maldiva.

In 1320, an event took place which gave much confidence to the Hindus to overthrow the Muslim empire. A young Hindu child was taken slave under Emperor Alludin & as was given the name, Kushrukhan. As he grew up he became a great warrior & political leader & eventually ran the administration. However, he did not forget his Hindu roots & along with the Sultanate of Delhi, Devaldevi, also a Hindu, they plotted the downfall of the Muslim empire & on 15th April 1320, he was declared Emperor of India & declared it a Hindu state. Although he was defeated a few years later, his exploits were not futile as he raised Hindu morale. Taking inspiration from him, a Hindu state in Vijaynagar was established in 1336 & led to great figures in our histroy such as Emperor Harihar (Maharajadhiraj), Bukka, Hemoo, Queen Durgawati & Rana Pratap Singh.

The rise of the Sikhs also added to India's conquest of national independence. It was Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru that militarised the Sikhs into a powerful force. To do this he wanted fearless warriors & introduced the 5 kakkas - kesh, kangha, kaccha, kara & kripan. He began to reclaim many Muslim states until a large Moghul army led to his army's retreat where both his young children were caught & cruelly buried alive - they were offered the chance to convert to Islam to spare their lives but they refused. That was the pride & love that they had of their religion; a love that was so strong that they gave up their lives for it. After his defeat, Guru Gobind Singh settled in Maharashtra where he composed lots of poetry & was later compiled as part of the Dasham Granth. Despite not liberating India from foreign rule, Guru Gobind Singh was key to forming a powerful force that India could use to oust the Moghuls from Punjab.

The 5th Glorious Epoch of Indian History was the fall of the Moghul empire & it arose largely due to the great Marathas. 4 great Heroes were born in Maharashtra & they were aglow with the fire of war & arose a whole generation of brave warriors. Shivaji was born in 1627 & during his lifetime the tide of the epic Hindu-Muslim war changed; from the 17th century onwards whenever they met in battle, the Hindus were always victorious. The great Marathas liberated India from Punjab to Kanya Kumari. The principle of their strategy was aggression & guerilla warfare tactics. Every time they conquered territory, they moved on to a different state & liberated them too. The brave Marathas fought valiantly for the freedom of Bharat & should never be forgotten.

Along with the Muslim invasion, there were also many European attacks on India including those by the Dutch, French, Portugese & British. The latter two being the most severe & brutal. After toppling the Muslim power, the Marathas ruled & fought bravely from 1818-1850 to try & hold back the British. A decade had not yet passed after the British victory when King Ranjit Singh of Punjab led a joint Hindu-Muslim revolt against them in 1857. Both sides suffered great losses but the British prevailed & Queen Victoria was proclamed Empress of India. They promised to treat all Indians equally & so offered them jobs & educated many in British schools. However, these British schools taught a perverted version of Indian history & Hinduism to 3 generations of Indians. Hence, the many misconceptions that Indians have of their own history & faith even today! Due to the British appeasing the Indian public, the period between 1860-1900 was rather stable with many believing India would only prosper under British rule. However, 1900 saw the beginning of the Lokmanya Tilak movement & millions followed the Hindutwa organisation - a movement for the solidarity of Hindus to fight an armed revolution against the British. The British realised that they were losing the support of the public who were are ready to rebel at any moment. In addition, a 50,000 army led by Subhas Chandra Bose was ready to attack & the Indian Army, which was under British command were beginning to show signs of mutiny. The British had no choice but to give back India & on 15th August 1947, India was declared an independent state.

Despite the numerous problems in India today, we must all remember that after 2,500 years of attack by foreigners, Bharat still stands strong. Which other country has had this much resilience? Taking inspiration from the great heroes in our culture will help India strengthen & realise its potential as a global super power.

Sadhana of Service

With most film or book adverts these days they all seem to say, 'must watch!' or 'must see!' Sadhana of Service by Eknath Ranade is most definitely one of those MUST read books!!

Sadhana can be translated as devotion. A simple example to illustrare devotion is the unconditional love that a mother gives to her child. When serving others, sadhana is the stage that we should all aspire to be at - we serve unconditionally.

The book covers many topics such as the urge to serve, bravery & cowardice, India as a nation, faith, organisation & individual freedom. The issues that intrigued me the most in the book, however, were the chapters on living a purposeful life and the mission of life.

Throughout the book, Eknath states that we must live a purposeful life. To do this, we all must ask ourselves, 'what is the goal of my life?' and 'what is the meaning of my life?' Until this question is recognised, we are 'like a boy who believes that it is the tap that gives water.'

As a student, these are the types of questions that we often avoid. The daily questions that we are posed with are often those like, 'we sessioning on bacardi or vodka tonight??' We are absorbed in our own little world, thinking of only going out and having fun - I admit, I've fallen into this trap to a certain degree but after reading this book, asking myself 'what is the purpose of my life?' is something that I've tried to address.

In Hinduism, the purpose of life is to become self realised - realise the divinity that is within every individual. Our scriptures clearly tell us that it is up to us as to which avenue we should follow to reach our goal. Finding my avenue is something that I've been pondering deeply. One way to live a purposeful life is to serve God by serving humanity to the best of our ability. But this begs the question, 'how can we serve others whilst living in an affluent country such as the UK?' Does it require us to move to India & do work there?

This is a question that I am still grappling with. What I've concluded so far is that if we live our lives abiding by our morals, use our conscience and faculties to discriminate between what we feel is right and wrong and always think how we can contribute to the betterment of the world then we can live a purposeful life. This can be something as small as smiling at someone who walks by; being a friend who people can fully trust & never speak ill of anyone.

The book has posed many questions and those which I will continue to probe. The last chapter finished quite beautifully with:

'You can safely rely at all times on your own self for the fulfilment of your mission. There is a power within you which will never let you down. It is your own Self. Depend on it and march ahead with unceasing prayer to God to give you strength to fulfil his will.'

The Relevance Of Swami Vivekananda's Teachings

Despite living over a hundred years ago, Swami Vivekanand’s message is still as vibrant and relevant as it was back than.

He found that spirituality could solve the problems confronting humanity. He preached that the best and sincerest way of worshiping God was to love fellow beings, especially the poor and the weak and alleviate their suffering and distress. For a combination of reasons, I will not indulge in them; poverty and suffering is still rife throughout the world. We live in a society where we are encouraged to care only for ourselves, buy the nicest and latest products and ignore the shortcomings and problems in our world. How many of us switch the channel when reports of widespread suffering are on? How many of us desensitise ourselves so that we do not feel guilty at not helping another man’s suffering?

In order to live a purposeful life, we must decide our goals and then find a way of achieving them – Swami Vivekananda showed us the most beautiful way to achieve this goal, serving humanity with the sincerest of love and devotion. He always used to spread the message: to live for others, to conquer egoism.

Swamiji harmonized east and west, religion and science, past and present. That is why he is so great. Terrorism is a major issue today and it arises due to a misunderstanding of other people’s views and beliefs. Vivekananda promoted ideas from our scriptures and emphatically stated that, ‘people born in different religions finally reach the same God, as rivers born in different places finally reach the sea. No religion is superior and none is inferior.’ If we applied this philosophy today, it would surely lead to greater harmony between different religions of the world.

Swamiji put great emphasis on character building. He taught us to ignore the negatives of our culture and go back to the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita and find in them the truth of our culture. I, like many others are second generation born outside Bharat. Many of us face an identity crisis. Are we British or Indian? This is a question that we must all ponder and the answer to this may lie in our scriptures – these will give us our Hindu identity and with this, it does not matter which country we are from; Hindu Dharma is universal and applicable to all.

After the inauguration of Barack Obama, the world thought that we have finally found a true leader who can bring change and lead us into a new era of peace and co-existence. However, what tools does he have to achieve this? Yes, he may have charisma but I firmly believe that it is the message of Vivekananda that can truly achieve peace in our time. He has taught us to live for others. To serve mankind, is to serve God.

Vivekananda's Mission

The sacred task of wiping the tears of his unfortunate brothers was dear to Vivekananda's heart. Travelling around India he met many and had debates and exchanged ideas with many scholars on his travels. He triumphed over every philosophical disputes. One such debate occurred when a Prince argued that worshipping idols is pointless. Vivekananda replied, 'an idol is only a symbol and not something to sneer at. Every devotee has his own way of realising God.' The prince was not satisfied with this answer & so Vivekananda told him to spit on an image of the King. He refused because it reminded him of the King; despite being devoid of flesh and blood. He realised his mistake & apologised.

As Swamiji traveled and won over the hearts of more & more people, he aspired to go to America & spread the message of Vedanta. Vivekananda decided to attend the Conference of World Religions in America after meditating on a rock in Kanyakumari. He reflected on the state of affairs in India which made him miserable - unless casteism was rooted out, there could be no salvation for his countrymen. He concluded that he must go to the west and teach them the spiritual values of India. He would then return to awaken his own slumbering land.

Swamiji arrived in Chicago in the middle of July but the Conference was some three months away. With no money and no place to stay, Swamiji moved to Boston where he was offered to stay as a guest at a lady's house. She introduced him to many scholars including Professor at Harvard University. He wrote Swamiji's letter of introduction to the Conference saying, 'a scholar who surpasses all of us professors.'

The Conference started on 11th September 1893. Thousands of delegates belonging to different religions and countries gathered. Vivekananda was the last speaker and before he spoke, his heart was pounded and his throat went dry. He began his speech by saying, 'brothers and sisters of America.' There was a thunderous applause which lasted three whole minutes. He propagated the idea of Advaita and stating that 'all religions reach the same God.' The delegates praised his speech and over night, Vivekananda had become world famous. He continued doing talks and debates in America, overcoming great adversity along his way.

Vivekananda spread the philosophy of Hinduism to the west and rectified many misconceptions of the Indian race. After four years, he returned to India and was given a hero's welcome. He continued to spread his message throughout India despite his failing health. His body grew weak but the mind and soul remained alert and active. On 4th July 1902 he attained his eternal bliss and left this world.

From Narendra to Vivekananda

Sri Ramakrishna was a priest in the temple of Goddess Kali. He was not a scholar but was a great devotee. His devotion was so great that it was said that he had realised God. Narendra and some friends went to see him in Dakshineswar one day. Memories of an earlier meeting seemed circulated around Sri Ramakrishna's mind.

He gently patted Narendra on the back and said, 'my child, why are you so late? I have grown weary, waiting for you all these days.' Narendra was puzzled by his behaviour and thought that he was mentally deranged but thought it is not proper to judge without investigating first.

At first, Narendra was highly critical of people who worshipped idols and out rightly rejected the concept of 'Advaita' (oneness). Whenever he would criticise the idea, Sri Ramakrishna would always bring him back to the right path by saying, 'there are many roads to reach a destination. No one has the right to say that the path the other man takes is not the right one.' Over time, Narendra's views changed and his hunger for realising God never ceased. He gradually turned towards renunciation, giving up all worldly desires.

In 1884, Narendra heard news of his father's death. Poverty hit the family immediately after with money lenders harassing the family. Narendra wandered far and wide looking for a job. His clothes were torn and getting a meal for the day was arduous. Many a day he would fast so that his mother, brother and sisters could eat. Despite the gloom, he never lost faith in God and Sri Ramakrishna would remind him that, 'you are here to serve mankind and do mother Kali's work. You must be brave'.

One day Narendra asked his Guru to pray on his behalf to the mother Goddess to rid him and his family of poverty. Sri Ramakrishna told him to approach her yourself. Before the deity of Goddess Kali, Narendra lost himself in meditation and was so focused on her that he forgot to ask her to rid him of poverty. Again and again whilst meditating upon her he forgot to speak about poverty but instead repeatedly asked for 'the spirit of renunciation.' Sri Ramakrishna was joyous and saw a change in his disciple and said, 'my child, you should not crave for only food and clothes. They are not the ultimate goals of man. Have faith in God and he will look after the welfare of your family.'

Later, Narendra took up teaching and taught in a school and as a result his family had at least enough food. Meanwhile, his Guru's health began to deteriorate, he had developed a tumour in his throat. Narendra gave up his job and devoted his time caring for his Guru.

Once, while meditating Narendra shouted, 'where is my body?' Others had to touch his body to convince him of its existence. On hearing this, Sri Ramakrishna was happy that at last his desire to find a worthy disciple had been fulfilled.

On his last day of living, Sri Ramakrishna called Narendra to his bedside and invested him with all his spiritual powers. He said, 'Naren, you are all powerful. All these are my children. It is your duty to look after them.' Without their Guru, the young monks continued to carry out his work. They opened a monastery and had two goals: salvation and service of fellow men. They were unmindful of a lack of food and clothing and never neglected their studies and meditation. As a sannyasi, one cannot be tied to a particular place - attachment to a particular place is wrong. It was to the great fortune of India that Narendra took to sannyasa and became 'Vivekananda'.

The Early Years of Swami Vivekananda (Narendra Datta)

Narendra Datta was born on 12^th January 1863. As a child he was very lively and naughty but one thing quality stood out even in his early years was his natural leadership qualities. Meditation, too, was a sport to him. He meditated so deeply that he was oblivious to the whole world and it helped sharpen his concentration.

Even as a child, Narendra had great respect for sannyasis. The spirit of sacrifice and renunciation was also highlighted in his youth – he would give away anything to anybody if asked for. In her spare time, his mum would tell him stories of the Ramayana which led him to have great reverence for Hanuman.

Narendra’s father was a lawyer. Therefore, everyday his house was crowded with clients all belonging to different castes. It was custom to provide the guests with hukkas (long pipes) to smoke after food. There was a different pipe for clients of each caste. Narendra always wondered what would happen if he smoked the pipe meant for people of a different class. Finally he experimented and nothing untoward happened. He concluded that caste had no meaning.

His parents had a great affect on him. His father used to always tell him, ‘you need fear no one so long as you keep to the path of truth and Dharma.’ Love of one’s religion should not mean hatred of other religions. His mother was dear to Narendra as his own life. In his eyes, there was no one as ready to make sacrifices as the mother. She must have the highest place not only in the home but also in society.

By 1880, Narendra had passed his examinations and joined college. Day by day, his thirst for knowledge increased. He would read history, science as well as western philosophy. Doubts and uncertainties overtook him. He gave up blind beliefs but could not realise the truth and had no direct experience of God. This led him in his search for a Guru….

Book Review: Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I picked up this book in Borders. It wasn't the book I'd chosen for this week, but I thought I could have a quick flick through it. I ended up reading the entire book there. Sat in the coffee shop with a mug of peppermint tea, completely engrossed, occasionally nibbling on my home made egg mayo sandwich, with occasional furtive glances towards anyone watching...
This is a magical book. A book where omens are real, where signs can be interpreted in the movement of hawks swirling in the sky, and a kiss can be carried from across the dessert on the wings of the wind. This is exactly how Paulo Coelho makes you feel; you want to use poetic floaty language- it's brilliant!
The story is of a young boy on a journey to realising and fulfilling his destiny. Along the way he learns the universal language, faces tremendous obstacles, falls in love and is sought out by an alchemist who helps him realise what was within him all along. Coelho writes of deep spiritual concepts in simplistic yet beautiful language which makes this novel so very accesible.
"And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to acheive it."

Book Review: Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I picked up this book in Borders. It wasn't the book I'd chosen for this week, but I thought I could have a flick through. I ended up reading the entire book there. Sat in the coffee shop with a mug of peppermint tea, completely engrossed, occasionally nibbling on my home made egg mayo sandwich, with occasional furtive glances towards anyone watching...

This is a magical book. A book where omens are real, where signs can be interpreted in the movement of hawks swirling in the sky, and a kiss can be carried from across the dessert on the wings of the wind! This is exactly how Paulo Coelho makes you feel; you want to use poetic, floaty language- it's brilliant!

The story is of a young boy on a journey to realising and fulfilling his destiny. Along the way he learns the universal language, faces tremendous obstacles, falls in love and is sought out by an alchemist who helps him realise what was within him all along.

Coelho writes of deep spiritual concepts in simplistic yet beautiful language which makes this novel so very accesible.

"And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to acheive it."