Idries Shah

In this wide-ranging anthology of Sufi writings, Idries Shah, who was one of Sufism's leading exponents, offers a broad selection of poetry, contemplations, letters, lectures, and teaching stories that together form an illuminating introduction to this unique body of thought. Sufism, the mystical aspect of Islam, has had a dynamic and lasting effect on the literature of that religion. Its teachings, often elusive and subtle, aim at the perfecting and completing of the human mind. In contrast to certain other beliefs and philosophies, Sufism is continually evolving and progressing and is consequently always relevant to the contemporary world. "His work is as exciting as a good novel"--The Times Literary Supplement

The Way of the Sufi

Caravan of Dreams

Teaching-stories of the Sufi Masters Over the Past Thousand Years : Selected from the Sufi Classics, from Oral Tradition, from Unpublished Manuscripts and Schools of Sufi Teaching in Many Countries

Tales of the Dervishes

Sufis

Wisdom of the Idiots by Idries Shah

Drawn from teachings of more than a hundred sages from three continents, Thinkers of the East is a book of enormous breadth and depth, the impact and vitality of which is characteristic of the Sufi emphasis on experience rather than theory.

Studies in Experientialism

Thinkers of the East

The appeal of Nasrudin is as universal and timeless as the truths he illustrates. This delightful collection of teaching stories in which Mulla Nasrudin is the main actor is both an outstanding anthology of humor and a book of Sufi wisdom. Here are stories by the Sufi masters Rumi, Jami, and Attar, plus others collected by Idries Shah from the Persian, Afghan, Turkish, and Arabic cultures.

The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin

The Way of the Sufi (Penguin Arkana)

An apple falls into a hole while the Farmer's Wife is gathering apples and tries to command a series of animals, people, and inanimate objects to retrieve the apple for her.

However, the Farmer's Wife never says "please" and declares each animal, person, and object to be naughty, which my little reader noticed right away.   My little reader found the Farmer's Wife to be an uninteresting character, and that made the book not fun.


Additionally, there is repetitive incorrect grammar and unnecessary run-on sentences.  (By run-on's, I do not mean the sentences with the multiple "because" clauses, which were fine.)   The book editor simply did a poor job.

The Farmer's Wife

An illustrated collection of 65 folktales, each with an introduction outlining the appearance of the tale in various cultures.

The Extraordinary Coincidence of Stories Told in All Times, in All Places

World Tales

Collected stories about a popular figure in the folklore of many Asian and European countries.

The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin

Errol Le Cain

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

El libro Magia oriental es reconocido como un brillante estudio acerca de caAmo, quaA(c) y por quaA(c) piensa la gente, en territorios que se extienden desde el norte de aAfrica hasta JapaAn.Profusamente ilustrado, el libro es el resultado de aaAos de investigaciaAn y trabajo de campo en una docena de diversas regiones culturales.Su erudita precisiaAn y genuina contribuciaAn al entendimiento cultural lo han transformado en un texto fundamental para cualquiera interesado en creencias informales y pra!cticas esotaA(c)ricas.El trabajo incluye material sobre alquimia india, el sistema abjad de los a!rabes, la adivinaciaAn y los hechizos talisma!nicos, e incluso contiene un antiguo conjuro Brahma!n para conseguir la inmortalidad.

Magia oriental

How can it be that the same story is found in Scotland and also in Pre-Columbian America? What can account for the durability and persistence of tales? Was the tale of Aladdin and his wondrous lamp really taken from Wales (where it has been found) to the ancient East and, if so, when and by whom?These questions and more are answered in Idries Shah's remarkable volume World Tales, which is subtitled, 'The extraordinary coincidence of stories told in all times, in all places'. In his introduction, Shah remarks, 'Working for thirty-five years among the written and oral sources of our world heritage in tales, one feels a truly living element in them which is startlingly evident when one isolates the 'basic' stories; the ones which tend to have travelled farthest, to have featured in the largest number of classical collections, to have inspired great writers of the past and present'.

Edición bilingüe español-inglés de Speak First and Lose

Quien Habla Primero Pierde

Speak First and Lose (English-Spanish Edition)

The Natives Are Restless chronicles some of the amazing, amusing, and thought-provoking adventures of the Afghan traveller and writer, Idries Shah, among members of what he calls the 'English tribe'.It is an enthralling sequel to his bestselling Darkest England, the narrative illustrating his practised eye as an anthropologist. Shah observes how the English see themselves, and contrasts it with how the rest of the world views this eccentric island race. He also speculates on the likely continuing effect of Englishness on the future development of global society, offering unsuspecting parallels between English attitudes and Oriental wisdom.

Natives are Restless

The Way of the Sufi presents an unparalleled cross-section of material from Sufi schools, teachings and classical writings, as a basic course of Sufi study. The author begins with the outward aspects of the teaching most likely to puzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He considers various attitudes to Sufi ideas, and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism and modern philosophical teachings. The greater part of the book illuminates aspects of Sufi activity and practice relevant to the contemporary world.

Way of the Sufi

A man tricks a young fox into believing that he will give him a chicken. However, the fox gets trapped, but through his ingenuity and perseverance he manages to escape. This story can inspire children to face challenges and to overcome and, sometimes, make use of obstacles in their path.

The Old Woman and the Eagle/La Senora Y El Aguila

A Sufi teaching tale of a chicken that has learned to speak as people do and spreads an alarming warning, which causes the townspeople to panic without first considering the messenger.

Idries Shah

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