Sufi Thought and Action

Wie gelingt es dem Fluss, auf seiner Reise zum Meer die Wüste zu durchqueren, ohne sich selbst aufzugeben und zu versickern? Dieses Märchen erzählt vom Mut, seinenganz eigenen Weg zu finden und ihn auch zu meistern ¿ über alle Grenzen und Hindernisse hinweg.

The Idries Shah Anthology is a special collection of previously published work by Idries Shah, and was edited by Saira Shah. This title includes an Introduction by Saira Shah, as well as comments and annotations throughout the text. Each chapter includes a selection from the works of Idries Shah on topics such as Sufism, Nasrudin, fables, poetry, proverbs, and teaching stories. It includes methods of the masters and themes for study and contemplation. This new compilation of excerpts from the classic texts of Idries Shah will leave you with a new perspective on his work.From the introduction:In his writing about Sufism, Idries Shah did some revolutionary things. Critically, and almost alone, he said that it was possible to divorce the essence of Sufi philosophy from what he insisted were secondary accretions of islamic culture and religion. Moreover, he said, in making this material available to the West, you could not only do this, you must do it. This is because, he believed, you can only absorb materials that are designed for your own time and place. Sufism as an essence may be ‘truth without form’ but, in order to penetrate into the human mind, it must be delivered in a package shaped to fit the receiving culture.‘When something new enters a culture, there is a period where, like a new object being thrown into the chimpanzee pen at a zoo, all the chimps rush over to touch it, throw it on the floor, fight over it and so on,’ he once told me. ‘We must wait until the dust settles; only then will people be in a position to assess this material.’My father died in 1996 and the dust is settling fast. He leaves a body of work behind and, on this work alone, he believed, he should and would be judged. This anthology is intended to provide a basic sample of his work, an essential reader, to allow people to do exactly what he would have wished them to do: to think for themselves and to make up their own minds.— From the Editor’s Note, by Saira Shah

When a little boy wakes up with a dry throat, those around him run about trying to work out what caused the condition. One by one, servants, doctors, and medical students try remedies that only complicate the situation and make the condition worse, ignoring what readers will see as the obvious solution. This is one of a series of illustrated books for the young written by the Afghan philosopher and educator Idries Shah, whose collections of narratives and teaching stories have captivated the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life. It belongs to a rich storytelling tradition from Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East that is more than 1,000 years old. Teaching stories are designed specifically to foster thinking skills and perception. They suggest in their structure and in the movement of their characters ways of looking at difficulties that can help solve them. This story illustrates in a very humorous way just how foolish people can be when they fail to consider a situation before springing into action.

(Bilingual English-Spanish edition / Edición bilingüe inglés-español) This is the story of a very badly behaved man, how a young boy in the village hatches a plan to change the man's behavior - and how, with the help of the other villagers, the plan succeeds, to everyone's benefit. Children, of course, love the idea of an adult behaving badly. At the same time, the story helps them learn valuable lessons about initiative, negotiation, conflict resolution and cooperation. Rose Mary Santiago's illustrations provide delightful and amusing counterpoint to the tale. The Man with Bad Manners is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. In the Sufi tradition, there is a continuum between the children's story, the entertainment or folklore story and the instructional or instrumental story. A story can help children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold on to, but it can also stimulate a deeper understanding in adults. Esta es la historia de un hombre que se porta muy mal, de cómo un niño en el pueblo inventa un plan para cambiar el comportamiento del hombre y de cómo, con la ayuda de los demás aldeanos, el plan tiene éxito, para beneficio de todos. A los niños, por supuesto, les encanta la idea de que un adulto se comporte mal. Al mismo tiempo, la historia les ayuda a aprender valiosas lecciones sobre iniciativa, negociación, resolución de conflictos y cooperación. Las ilustraciones de Rose Mary Santiago proporcionan un contrapunto encantador y divertido al cuento. El hombre maleducado forma parte de una serie ilustrada de historias de enseñanza sufíes de Oriente Medio y Asia central que fueron recopiladas y adaptadas para niños por Idries Shah, y que han cautivado corazones y mentes durante más de mil años. Las historias están diseñadas para ayudar a los niños a aprender a examinar sus suposiciones y a pensar por sí mismos. En la tradición sufí, existe un continuo entre el cuento infantil, el cuento de entretenimiento o folclórico y el cuento instrumental o instructivo. Una historia puede ayudar a los niños a lidiar con situaciones difíciles y darles algo a lo que aferrarse, pero también puede estimular una comprensión más profunda en los adultos.

A remarkable conspectus of philosophical contacts between East and West through the ages. This important monograph constitutes the whole text of Idries Shah's Seminar at Sussex University, fully annotated, indexed and with a bibliography and notes. It knits together the available knowledge about Sufi thought and literature in its passage through many deforming influences, such as the development of cults, the misinterpretation by literalist scholars, and the fallacious comparisons of committed "specialists".

When a little boy wakes up with a dry throat, those around him run about trying to work out what caused the condition. One by one, servants, doctors, and medical students try remedies that only complicate the situation and make the condition worse, ignoring what readers will see as the obvious solution. This is one of a series of illustrated books for the young written by the Afghan philosopher and educator Idries Shah, whose collections of narratives and teaching stories have captivated the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life. It belongs to a rich storytelling tradition from Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East that is more than 1,000 years old. Teaching stories are designed specifically to foster thinking skills and perception. They suggest in their structure and in the movement of their characters ways of looking at difficulties that can help solve them. This story illustrates in a very humorous way just how foolish people can be when they fail to consider a situation before springing into action.

El camino del Sufi presenta una incomparable variedad de materiales enseñantes y escritos clásicos provenientes de las principales Órdenes Sufis, los cuales conforman un curso básico de estudio Sufi.El autor comienza con los aspectos externos de la enseñanza que probablemente resulten desconcertantes para el estudiante que recién se adentra en el tema.Entre otras cuestiones, Idries Shah considera las diversas actitudes históricas y del presente para con las ideas Sufis y las evidencias que muestran su absorción tanto por parte del cristianismo del medioevo como también del hinduismo y el misticismo judío; las modernas enseñanzas filosóficas tampoco están exentas de dicha influencia.Esencialmente, el libro está destinado a iluminar e ilustrar diversos aspectos de las actividades y prácticas Sufis que son relevantes al mundo contemporáneo.

How can you develop spiritual understanding?This sequel to Learning How to Learn and The Commanding Self turns that question on its head.It claims that we’re bombarded by a spiritual impulse all the time.So it’s more useful to look at the reasons we don’t learn. This book – found amongst Idries Shah’s papers after his death – works like a precision tool.Let it chisel away at the habits of thought that prevent you learning.

(Bilingual English-Turkish edition) Wanting badly to have a son, the Queen of Hich-Hich consults Arif the Wise Man on the matter. But because she fails to follow his precise instructions, she gives birth to a half-boy, whom she calls Neem. That Neem is able to make himself complete by an act of cleverness, negotiation and compromise teaches children much more than the expected, usual lesson of bravery. This enchanting tale, complete with fairies and a fire-breathing dragon, is marvelously and magically illustrated by Midori Mori and Robert Revels. Neem the Half-Boy is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves.(¿ngilizce-Türkçe ¿ki Dilli Bask¿) Hiçhiçistan Kraliçesi, Bilge Adam Arif'in kendisine verdi¿i kesin talimatlar¿ yerine getirmedi¿i için yar¿m bir o¿lan do¿urur. Bunun nas¿l oldu¿u ve yar¿m o¿lan Prens Nini'nin nas¿l tam hâle geldi¿i, Orta Asya ve Orta Do¿u'da bin y¿ldan fazla bir süredir dilden dile anlat¿lan bir hikâye.Bu hikâye, otuz y¿l¿ äk¿n bir süredir bölgedeki sözlü ve yaz¿l¿ kaynaklardan geleneksel hikâyeler toplayan Afgan yazar ve e¿itimci ¿dris ¿ah taraf¿ndan çocuklara sunuluyor.