Middle Eastern category: 410 books

Sufi Thought and ActionPreviously published only as separate essays, Sufi Thought and Action - assembled and introduced by Idries Shah - covers an extraordinary diversity of Sufi ideas and activities in many countries and cultures. Included in the volume are papers on Sufi Principles and Learning Methods;...

Special Illumination is a term used by the great poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi to stress the importance of humor in metaphysical experience. Of it, Idries Shah says, 'Rumi directly contradicts such numerous sour-faced religionists as, in all persuasions, find that humor disturbs the indoctrination which is all that they usually have to offer.'

A treasure house of teaching materials, assembled in the Sufi manner. Seeker after Truth contains both traditional tales and stories gleaned from contemporary sources, and snippets of table talk, discussions and teachings, letters and lectures by Idries Shah. Taken together, it constitutes a handbook of materials designed to provoke a different kind of thought.

Although enormously attractive as sheer entertainment, Dervish tales were never presented merely on the level of a fable, legend or folklore. They stand comparison in wit, construction and piquancy with the finest stories of any culture, yet their true function as Sufi teaching stories is so little-known...

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...

Traditionally known as The Hundred Tales of Wisdom, this collection comprises excerpts from the life, teachings and miracles of the Sufi teacher Jalaluddin Rumi, together with certain important stories from his works. As well as being part of the bedrock of classical Persian literature, these...

The 'perfuming of a scorpion', referred to by the great Sufi teacher Bahaudin, symbolizes hypocrisy and self-deception: both in the individual and in institutions.In A Perfumed Scorpion, Idries Shah directs attention to both the perfume and the scorpion - the overlay and the reality - in psychology,...

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...

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...

Cuando apareció por primera vez en 1964, Los Sufis fue acogido como la obra decisiva sobre la materia. Rico en su alcance, explica por primera vez a un público occidental las tradiciones y la filosofía de los Sufis de un modo claro y didáctico. Durante las cinco décadas posteriores a su...

Utilizado durante más de setecientos años como cuento-enseñante, El libro del libro es uno de los textos más asombrosos y fascinantes que jamás hayan emergido de Oriente. Su premisa central es la simple frase: 'Cuando te des cuenta de la diferencia entre el contenedor y el contenido, tendrás...

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...

En La sabiduría de los idiotas, los 'idiotas' son los Sufis, llamados asà­ debido a que su sabiduría penetra a una profundidad que la transforma en inaccesible para el conocedor meramente acadà©mico o inteligente. Los cuentos-ejercicios de los Sufis son herramientas preparadas para propà³sitos...

Caravana de sueños condensa la esencia del pensamiento oriental a través de un banquete de cuentos, dichos, poemas y alegorías, recopilado por uno de los más destacados expertos en filosofía oriental. Idries Shah construye una imagen completa de una consciencia única, relacionando la mitología...