Reflections: Fables in the Sufi Tradition - Softcover

Shah, Idries

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140034110 ISBN 13: 9780140034110

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1972

Synopsis

"Do you imagine that fables exist only to amuse or instruct, and are based upon fiction? The best ones are delineations of what happens in real life, in the community, and in the individual's mental processes." --from the Introduction

This pocket-size collection of sayings and stories from real life, and from the author's observations of our mental processes, is a perfect gift book. It's contemporary, fun to read--like a splash of ice water for the mind.

About this title

About the Author

As the urgency of our global situation becomes apparent, more and more readers are turning to the books of Idries Shah (1924-1996) as a way to train new capacities and new ways of thinking. Shah has been described as "the most significant worker adapting classical spiritual thought to the modern world."

Shah was educated in both the East and West, by private tutors and through wide-ranging travel and personal encounters - the series of journeys which characterize Sufi education and development. In keeping with Sufi tradition, his life was essentially one of service. His knowledge and interests appeared limitless, and his activities and accomplishments took place in many different countries and in numerous fields of endeavor.

Shah was Director of Studies of the Institute for Cultural Research, an educational organization sponsoring interdisciplinary and crosscultural studies of human thought; a founding member of the Club of Rome; a Governor of the Royal Humane Society and the Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables; and the founder of publishing house Octagon Press.

Shah's landmark book, "The Sufis", invited readers to approach Sufi ideas and test them out. The evident and common sense made it clear that here was a sane, authoritative voice in the wilderness of the gobbledegookish mysticism of the sixties. The lively, contemporary books on traditional psychologies, literature, philosophy and Sufi thought that followed established a broad historical and cultural context for Sufi thought and action. These have so far sold over 15 million copies in 12 languages worldwide and have been awarded many prizes. They have been reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times, The Tribune, The Telegraph, and numerous other international journals and newspapers.

University and college courses throughout the world are employing Shah's books, or works based on them, in a wide variety of disciplines including sociology, psychology and literature.

In 1969, Idries Shah was awarded the Dictionary of International Biography's Certificate of Merit for Distinguished Service to Human Thought. Other honors included a Two Thousand Men of Achievement award (1971), Six First Prizes awarded by the UNESCO International Book Year (1972), and the International Who's Who in Poetry's Gold Medal for Poetry (1975).

According to his obituary in the London Daily Telegraph "it is impossible to assess his influence, and his legacy is incalculable".

He was, it is said, the Sufi Teacher of the Age.

"The most interesting books in the English language." Saturday Review

"A major psychological and cultural event of our time." Psychology Today

"One is immediately forced to use one's mind in a new way." New York Times

The instrumental function of Shah's work is now well established among people from all walks of life. Stockbrokers, scientists, lawyers, managers, writers, physicians, and diplomats have found Shah's literature for human development "extraordinary".

"It presents a blueprint of the human mental structure." Robert Ornstein, Ph.D.

"Extremely useful in teaching students about management and computers." Thomas Malone, MIT

"Idries Shah provides the unique perspective that allows us to assess real motivations and social biases in a more accurate light." E. Neilsen, Attorney at Law

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

REPORT ON THE PLANET EARTH

A body of celestial beings, who wanted to develop their influence upon the people of the earth, commissioned an experienced and independent investigator to provide them with a feasibility report.

When he came back, he said:

"Here is a complete analysis of the situation. To get through to mankind, you must promise happiness to those who are sad, and threaten with distress those who are happy. They are all to be exposed to tension, anxiety, joy and repetition. They must be induced to think, when they are hypocrites, that they are honest and straightforward. You will also sanctify self-indulgence, by making people enjoy suffering and then tell them that they are not enjoying it, because it is a punishment."

"But this is terrible!" exclaimed the celestial ones. "We could never do that. To turn people into automata, to manipulate them ..."

"Now listen," said the expert, "do you or do you not want to extend your territory? If you plan expansion in this field, you must remember that - for thousands of years - your competitors have been ahead of you. They are well established there, and they are successful. In fact there are only a very few, quite insignificant, exceptions ..."

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1972
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140034110
• ISBN 13: 9780140034110
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 146