The way of the Sufi

Fülszöveg

THE WAY OF THE SUFI
Sufism has a large following in the West, not only as a study for Orientalists, but as a prac-tical path of spiritual development. It is alsó the source of inspiration for somé remarkable literature. In an earlier book, The Sufis, Idries Shah - currently at the head of the Sufi tradi-tion - outlined Sufi concepts against a historical account of their immense infiuence over the centuries on many diverse cultures. In The Way of the Sufi, he 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 p.uzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He deals with various attitudes to Sufi ideas, and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism and modern philosophical systems like that of Gurdjieff. He goes on to examine more closely somé startiing Sufi claims such as... Tovább

Fülszöveg

THE WAY OF THE SUFI
Sufism has a large following in the West, not only as a study for Orientalists, but as a prac-tical path of spiritual development. It is alsó the source of inspiration for somé remarkable literature. In an earlier book, The Sufis, Idries Shah - currently at the head of the Sufi tradi-tion - outlined Sufi concepts against a historical account of their immense infiuence over the centuries on many diverse cultures. In The Way of the Sufi, he 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 p.uzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He deals with various attitudes to Sufi ideas, and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism and modern philosophical systems like that of Gurdjieff. He goes on to examine more closely somé startiing Sufi claims such as precognition by direct perception, and the anticipation of scientific and therapeutic conclusions long before they became generally accepted. The laborious clinical and experimentál methods which characterize approaches to knowledge in the world today are here clearly demon-strated to have little place in the Sufi way to understanding. Somé fascinating notes on sources are given, with a detailed bibliography.
The greater part of the book illuminates aspects of the secret of Sufi activity and prac-tice relevant to the contemporary world. Much of this material is not available to scholastics, yet it forms a background to Idries Shah's Sussex University seminar, upon which the first section of the book is based. Its assembly here brings to fruition the publication of a unique collection of spiritual teaching material of which the author's two books of Nasrudin stories and his Tales of the Dervishes were highly entertaining foretastes. Vissza