A contemporary sufi shining brightly
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Shah inspires superlatives from the good and great, but there is little doubt he has brought an important part of the living tradition of sufi spirituality to the West, through the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him), to the hilarious aphorisms about modern life written by the pseudonymous 'Mulla Dopiaza'! Shah draws on contemporary western psychology, scholarship and sensibilities to give the sufi tradition a sense of being a living faith in both the west and east, not least by demonstrating that the first step towards spiritual truth is a pragmatic one: to make each of us see outselves as we really are - warts and all. I have met few people who have walked away from Shah's work without thinking they have learned something about themselves, and this warm, humouress, gentle introduction to sufism remains one of the best starting points in the Shah corpus.
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A beautiful book which presents new opportunities
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This book presents teaching stories and narratives (both old and new) from the Sufi tradition. It also presents sayings collected by Idries Shah, as well as history, travel, and aphorisms. By scattering these materials, the book has a certain impact on the mind of the reader, all of the material working in a number of ways- never does a teaching story simply have one meaning. The book is entertaining, but it is clear that entertainment is useful, but only one use of the stories. Here there are ways of thought, ways of living and thinking, ways of seeing both others and ourselves. Some stories are funny, others beautiful, and each one yields new ways of thinking and interpretation as time goes on, constantly unfolding and revealing new patterns.
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