Teachings of Rumi - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1570623465 ISBN 13: 9781570623462

Publisher: Shambhala, 1999

Synopsis

A profound, in-depth collection of Rumi's prose and poetry—from his most celebrated works to his more obscure teachings

Jelalludin Rumi (1207-1273) led the quiet life of an Islamic teacher in the central Anatolia (modern Turkey) until the age of thirty-seven, when he met a wandering dervish named Shams Tabriz—through whom he encountered the Divine Presence in a way that utterly transformed him. The result of this epiphany was the greatest body of mystical poetry the world has ever seen, and the establishment of a spiritual movement that would eventually stretch from Africa to China, enduring to our own day.

This collection of versions of Rumi by Andrew Harvey contains some of the master's most luminous verse, along with selections from his lesser-read prose works, with the aim of presenting a balanced view of his teaching that includes both the high-flying love of God and the rigorous path of discipline essential for those who seek it.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Harvey is the author of Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ and more than thirty other books. He has also published several other collections of Rumi, including The Way of Passion.

Reviews

YA-A 13th-century Islamic mystic might seem an unlikely figure to be enjoying celebrity in the modern West, but Jelalludin Rumi has been receiving a good deal of attention lately. In his introduction, Harvey explains that "Rumi's work has an uncanny direct force of illumination; anyone approaching it with an open heart and mind, at whatever stage of his or her evolution, will derive from it inspiration, excitement, and help of the highest kind." Working from original sources as well as a variety of translations, he has gleaned from the vast body of Rumi's work an elegantly honed collection of poetry and prose, which he organizes into four sections ("The Call," "Be a Lover," "Ordeal," and "Union"). The result is a guide to the disciplines necessary to achieve, in a continuing process throughout life, an ever-evolving consciousness. As Harvey sees it, Rumi's path to ecstasy requires a "rigorous, even ferocious austerity" that can yield for the seeker a unique perspective on modern problems. For teens venturing outside the lines of religious dogma, this book is a lucid and accessible introduction to Rumi's writings, while for those already somewhat familiar with Rumi through other sources, it offers a challenging method for deeper exploration.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Shambhala
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1570623465
• ISBN 13: 9781570623462
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Harvey Andrew