Idries Shah

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

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

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

En La sabidur a de los idiotas, los "idiotas" son los Sufis, llamados as debido a que su sabidur a penetra a una profundidad que la transforma en inaccesible para el conocedor meramente acad mico o inteligente. Los cuentos-ejercicios de los Sufis son herramientas preparadas para prop sitos espec ficos. En este nivel, los movimientos de los personajes que forman parte de los cuentos retratan procesos psicol gicos internos, transform ndose el relato en un plan de trabajo, en un retrato perfecto de dichos procesos. La sabidur a de los idiotas ha recibido muchos premios, incluyendo dos medallas de oro, una de ellas por ser "El Mejor Libro" como parte del A o Mundial del Libro patrocinado por la UNESCO.

En La sabiduria de los idiotas, los "idiotas" son los Sufis, llamados asi debido a que su sabiduria penetra a una profundidad que la transforma en inaccesible para el conocedor meramente academico o inteligente. Los cuentos-ejercicios de los Sufis son herramientas preparadas para propositos especificos.

In December of 1979, Soviet tanks rolled across the borders of Afghanistan, beginning a period of barbaric aggression that triggered a turning point in modern history. Idries Shah's brilliant novel chronicles the courageous 10-year resistance of the Afghan people, an epic story of triumph over tyranny that deserves to be immortalized.

Oriental Magic is recognized as a brilliant study of how, what and why people think, in territories extending from North Africa to Japan. Profusely illustrated, the book is the product of years of research and field-work in a dozen different cultural regions. Its scholarly accuracy and genuine contribution to cultural understanding have made it a key text for anyone interested in informal beliefs, and esoteric practices. The work includes material on Indian alchemy, the Arabian Abjad system, on divination and talismanic charms, and it even contains an ancient Brahmin spell for immortality. "The main purpose of my books on magic was to make this material available to the general reader. For too long people believed that there were secret books, hidden places, and amazing things. They held onto this information as something to frighten themselves with. So the first purpose was information. This is the magic of East and West. That's all. There is no more. The second purpose of those books was to show that there do seem to be forces, some of which are either rationalized by this magic or may be developed from it, which do not come within customary physics or within the experience of ordinary people. I think this should be studied, that we should gather the data and analyze the phenomena. We need to separate the chemistry of magic from the alchemy, as it were."

Oriental Magic is recognized as a brilliant study of how, what and why people think, in territories extending from North Africa to Japan. Profusely illustrated, the book is the product of years of research and field-work in a dozen different cultural regions.

En La sabidur a de los idiotas, los "idiotas" son los Sufis, llamados as debido a que su sabidur a penetra a una profundidad que la transforma en inaccesible para el conocedor meramente acad mico o inteligente. Los cuentos-ejercicios de los Sufis son herramientas preparadas para prop sitos espec ficos. En este nivel, los movimientos de los personajes que forman parte de los cuentos retratan procesos psicol gicos internos, transform ndose el relato en un plan de trabajo, en un retrato perfecto de dichos procesos. La sabidur a de los idiotas ha recibido muchos premios, incluyendo dos medallas de oro, una de ellas por ser "El Mejor Libro" como parte del A o Mundial del Libro patrocinado por la UNESCO.

En La sabidur a de los idiotas, los "idiotas" son los Sufis, llamados as debido a que su sabidur a penetra a una profundidad que la transforma en inaccesible para el conocedor meramente acad mico o inteligente. Los cuentos-ejercicios de los Sufis son herramientas preparadas para prop sitos espec ficos. En este nivel, los movimientos de los personajes que forman parte de los cuentos retratan procesos psicol gicos internos, transform ndose el relato en un plan de trabajo, en un retrato perfecto de dichos procesos. La sabidur a de los idiotas ha recibido muchos premios, incluyendo dos medallas de oro, una de ellas por ser "El Mejor Libro" como parte del A o Mundial del Libro patrocinado por la UNESCO.

In Idries Shah's Wisdom of the Idiots, the 'idiots' are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable. The exercise-stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose. On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes, and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes. Wisdom of the Idiots has been awarded many prizes, including two gold medals, one for being 'Best Book', in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.

In Idries Shah's Wisdom of the Idiots, the "idiots" are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable. The exercise-stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose. On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes, and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes. Wisdom of the Idiots has been awarded many prizes, including two gold medals, one for being "Best Book", in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.

Caravana de sue os condensa la esencia del pensamiento oriental a trav s de un banquete de cuentos, dichos, poemas y alegor as, recopilado por uno de los m s destacados expertos en filosof a oriental. Idries Shah construye una imagen completa de una consciencia nica, relacionando la mitolog a con la realidad, iluminando patrones y dise os hist ricos, y presentando leyendas filos ficas en esta antolog a excepcional. Su t tulo est inspirado en este d stico escrito por el m stico Sufi Bahaudin: "Aqu estamos, todos nosotros: en una caravana-sue o. Una caravana, mas un sue o; un sue o, mas una caravana. Y sabemos cu les son los sue os. En ello yace la esperanza."

Caravana de sue os condensa la esencia del pensamiento oriental a trav s de un banquete de cuentos, dichos, poemas y alegor as, recopilado por uno de los m s destacados expertos en filosof a oriental. Idries Shah construye una imagen completa de una consciencia nica, relacionando la mitolog a con la realidad, iluminando patrones y dise os hist ricos, y presentando leyendas filos ficas en esta antolog a excepcional. Su t tulo est inspirado en este d stico escrito por el m stico Sufi Bahaudin: "Aqu estamos, todos nosotros: en una caravana-sue o. Una caravana, mas un sue o; un sue o, mas una caravana. Y sabemos cu les son los sue os. En ello yace la esperanza."