Tales of the : Teaching-stories of the Sufi Masters Over the Past Thousand Years, , Ltd, 1967, 0900860472, 9780900860478, 221 pages. A mysterious chest is buried unopened. A wondrous caravan brings fortune to a simple cobbler. An outcast princess creates a new life in the wilderness. Some of the 78 tales in this remarkable book first appeared in print over a thousand years ago; others are medieval classics. Yet each has a special relevance for us at the dawn of the 21st century. All are told with Idries Shah's distinctive wit and grace and the author's own commentary notes. These are in the Sufi tradition. Those who probe beyond the surface will find multiple meanings to challenge assumptions and foster new ways of thinking and perceiving. is essential reading for anyone interested in Sufi thought, the significance and history of tales, or simply superb entertainment..

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The blind men and the elephant an old tale from the land of India, Lillian Fox Quigley, 1959, Social Science, 30 pages. Six blind men each feel a different part of the elephant and then try to describe what he is like..

A Perfumed Scorpion , Idries Shah, Oct 1, 2000, , 193 pages. Using the powerful approach of classical teachers, Shah has crafted a contemporary teaching tool that blends a fastpaced look at today's world with the timeless teachings of ....

The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin , Idries Shah, 1983, Philosophy, 169 pages. .

God's unruly friends groups in the Islamic later middle period, 1200-1550, Ahmet T. Karamustafa, 1994, History, 159 pages. .

The Way of the Sufi , Idries Shah, 2004, Philosophy, 288 pages. .

Special Illumination The Sufi Use of Humour, Idries Shah, Jan 1, 1977, Humor, 64 pages. These lines by the great teacher and mystic Jalaludin indicate the many-faceted role of humor in Sufi teaching. Shah writes: "As a shock-applier and tension-releaser and ....

Favorite Folktales from Around the World , Jane Yolen, 1988, Fiction, 498 pages. A one volume collection of 160 tales from over 40 cultures and traditions, containing both classics and lesser known tales..

The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin , Idries Shah, 1983, Philosophy, 107 pages. Collected stories about a popular figure in the of many Asian and European countries..

The Man And the Fox , Idries Shah, Jun 1, 2006, , 32 pages. Relates how a clever fox outwits the man who set a trap for him by promising him a chicken..

Quantum Theory , David Bohm, 1951, Science, 646 pages. This advanced undergraduate-level text presents the quantum theory in terms of qualitative and imaginative concepts, followed by specific applications worked out in ....

Mystical An Introduction to , Julian Baldick, 2000, Sufism, 208 pages. Sufism is Islam's principal mystical tradition. To its followers it provides the inner, esoteric or purely spiritual dimension of the faith. It is a centuries-old path to ....

Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters Heroines in Folktales from Around the World, Kathleen Ragan, 1998, Fiction, 450 pages. Retells more than a hundred folktales form Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East that feature active heroines of all types..

The Commanding Self , Idries Shah, 1994, Philosophy, 332 pages. A mixture of primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding.. Wisdom of the Idiots , Idries Shah, Jan 1, 1989, Philosophy, 179 pages. A carefully chosen collection of illustrative anecdotes and stories used in Sufi teaching..

Knowing How to Know A Practical Philosophy in the Sufi Tradition, Idries Shah, 1998, , 343 pages. Contemporary esoteric systems almost invariably play on the desire of mankind to seek or acquire knowledge. Almost universally neglected in such systems are barriers-often ....

Thinkers of the East Studies in Experientialism, Idries Shah, 1971, Philosophy, 198 pages. Drawn from teachings of more than a hundred sages from three continents, Thinkers of the East is a book of enormous breadth and depth, the impact and vitality of which is ....

Reflections , Idries Shah, 1983, Social Science, 147 pages. 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 ....

A mysterious chest is buried unopened. A wondrous caravan brings fortune to a simple cobbler. An outcast princess creates a new life in the wilderness. Some of the 78 tales in this remarkable book first appeared in print over a thousand years ago; others are medieval classics. Yet, each has a special relevance for us on the eve of the 21st century. All are told with Idries Shah's distinctive wit and grace and the author's own commentary notes. These are teaching stories in the Sufi tradition. Those who probe beyond the surface will find multiple meanings to challenge assumptions and foster new ways of thinking and perceiving.

As the urgency of our global situation becomes apparent, more and more readers are turning to the books of writer Idries Shah 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." His lively contemporary books have sold more than 15 million copies in 12 languages worldwide. They have been reviewed positively by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times (), The Tribune, The Telegraph, and numerous other international journals and newspapers. "The most interesting books in the English language."

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."

Tales of the Dervishes was my first experience of Shah's works. People sometimes describe a book as "having changed their lives." This was my experience with Shah and more. The concept of a book that "does" something is not common to our culture. Shah has the abililty to place the reader in a "paralell" world as it were; a world where our typical expectations and assumptions about cause and effect no longer operate. It is a world organized at a more subtle yet powerful level. Shah's work introduces his reader to that world in ways the reader himself cannot imagine at the time. I highly recommend this, and Shah's others books.

Tales of the Dervishes is just that, Sufi tales dating back almost 2000 years. Lovers of first-rate storytelling will find this collection especially enjoyable. These stories, many of them written by classical masters, have been masterfully retold by Shah in his usual elegant precise prose. However these engaging tales are also Sufi teaching-stories, specially constructed to impart and preserve Sufi concepts. Many of the stories in this collection are followed by brief comments by Shah adding historical perspective and/or insight to the particular purpose of the tale. As with everything Shah writes, these appealing stories keep delivering insights and entertainment even after many readings.

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 in the modern world that no technical or popular term exist to describe them. For centuries, dervish masters have instructed their disciples by means of these tales, which are held to convey powers of increasing perception unknown to the ordinary man.

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, "", 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 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.

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).

Stories that will shake your assumptions and strict belief in the established, conventional, trusted and safe relationship between cause and effect. These stories, if nothing else, open your mind to a different way of thinking. By doing that, it awakens parts of your brain that normally stay dormant. A fresh look at everyday occurrences, unquestioned practices and established thought-processes. It has an invigorating value. You don't have to 'believe' anything the author says: he is not selling anything, not even ideas. Just read and observe what happens to yourself, since these stories are about you.

I first read TALES OF THE DERVISHES thirty years ago, and I've been re-reading them ever since. My daughter preferred these ancient stories to the standard Western fairy tales at bedtime, asking me to read them to her over and over again, which delighted me because I too found them spellbinding. It's easy to understand why they've endured a thousand years because they are perhaps the most beautiful and intriguing examples of the storytelling art that I've ever encountered.

Most books that deal with metaphysics or consciousness are written by people who like to tell others what they have found. We get an individual interpretation magnified and glorified. There seems to be quite a market for such books, which I suppose must mean there is a taste for them. Tales of the Dervishes, a book which contains Teaching Stories from Sufi Masters, is very short on interpretation of Reality, or descriptions of Reality, or categorizations of Reality, and very long on the means to develope one's own perception and understanding. In these pages we find animals and Kings, beggars and fools, a princess, the water of life and many other familar characters and subjects. Watching themes develope and characters interact is like watching a map of human experience slowly develop. What emerges is that you have just been shown yourself.

"`I am', he said to himself, `a man. As such I get a portion of the world's goods, every day. This portion comes to me by my own efforts, coupled with the efforts of others. By simplifying this process, I shall find the means by which sustenance comes to mankind, and learn something about how and why. I shall therefore adopt the religious way, which exhorts man to rely on almighty God for his sustenance. Rather than live in the world of confusion, where food and other things come apparently through society, I shall throw myself on the direct support of the Power that rules over all. The beggar depends upon intermediaries: charitable men and women who are subject to secondary impulses. They give goods or money because they have been trained to do so. I shall accept no indirect contribution.'

The more I read these tales, the more I realize that they they do more than simply point the limitations of certain ways of thinking. They also point to alternative ways of approaching life and the experiences offered during a lifetime. Each time I read it, the book offers me new insights, always helping me move to fresh realizations. I cannot overemphasize how these tales have enabled me to focus and orient my mind so as to make it more receptive. The stories in this collection are thus not only enjoyable reads, they are valuable instruments as well. I strongly recommend this book.

After 10+ years of reading the stories in this book, I still come away with a different level of understanding of each story with each passing year. A master storyteller, Idries Shah's writing reaches right into the very thought processes that make you who you think you are and then snaps you into remembering who you really are on Earth and beyond. Like an onion, the stories all have multiple layers. Only with time do they reveal themselves. Good for the beginner as well as the most advanced --

I have just reread Idries Shah's Tales of the Dervishes. The 82 tales from Sufi teaching of the last thousand years include current material. Shah calls it "work material". These vivid and vital accounts are communications, really. They invite the reader to experience the challenge and mystery of Sufi lore and teaching. I was surprised to find that after ten years, I still remember nearly every tale: the feel of the words and drama as well as details of action. The characters, though often odd and unlikely also seem oddly familiar. Their escapades stimulate emotional as well as intellectual involvement. The outcomes seem at once impossible and inevitable. We are reading about ourselves here: the lucky time when we got it right and all the missed opportunities.

There was a statue with pointing finger, upon which was inscribed: 'Strike on this spot for treasure.' Its origin was unknown, but generations of people had hammered the place marked by the sign. Because it was made of the hardest stone, little impression was made on it, and the meaning remained cryptic.

Marking the place he obtained the necessary instruments and prised up by chisel-blows the flagstone, which proved to be the trapdoor in the roof of a subterranean cave which contained strange articles of a workmanship which enabled him to deduce the science of their manufacture, long since lost and hence to acquire the treasures and those of a more formal kind which accompanied them.

Abdul Abdullah able animals Ansari answered appearance arrived asked Baghdad Bahaudin Bakhtiar Bayazid beneﬕt bird Bokhara bottle brought Caliph called candlestick caravan caravanserai carpet century decided Deep Knowledge dervish died Dinar disciple donkey door elephant Emperor Fatima ﬕeld ﬕgure ﬕnd ﬕre ﬕrst ﬕsh ﬕsherman flew fly Food of Paradise gave ghoul Gilan give gold Hakim halwa happened Hatim heard jewels jinn journey Khidr Khorasan king knew known learned look magical Malamati Malik man’s Maruf master means merchant Mevlevi mind Mohammed Mojud Namouss night once piece of advice princess Qadiri Qandahar realized reflected ring Rumi sacriﬕce sage Saif-Baba Saifulmuluk Samarkand Savetime Seeker Shah Sheikh signiﬕcance Snake soon story strange Suﬕ Sultan tale talk teacher tell things thought Timur told took tradition travellers treasure truth trying walking Wazir wife wise Yunus

Idries Shah (1924-1996), whose family lived in for a thousand years, is an internationally known authority on the region and his books on Sufism are considered seminal. "The Sufis," first published in 1964, is a first-of-its-kind modern statement on Sufism. Shah is the author of more than twenty books and has a readership spanning East and West.

Tales of the Dervishes Preface The Three Fishes The Food of Paradise When the Waters Were Changed The Tale of the Sands The Blind Ones and the Matter of the Elephant The Dog, the Stick and the Sufi How to Catch Monkeys The Ancient Coffer of Nuri Bey The Three Truths The Sultan Who Became an Exile The Story of Fire The Ogre and the Sufi The Merchant and the Christian Dervish The Golden Fortune The Candlestick of Iron Strike on this Spot Why the Clay Birds Flew Away The Gnat Namouss - and the Elephant The Idiot, the Wise Man, and the Jug The Wayward Princess The Bequest The Oath The Idiot in the Great City The Founding of a Tradition Fatima the Spinner and the Tent The Gates of Paradise The Man Who Was Aware of Death The Man Who Was Easily Angered The Dog and the Donkey Carrying Shoes The Man Who Walked on Water The Ant and the Dragonfly The Story of Tea The King Who Decided to Be Generous The Cure of Human Blood The Dam The Three Dervishes The Four Magic Treasures The Dreams and the Loaf of Bread Bread and Jewels The Limitations of Dogma The Fisherman and the Genie The Time, the Place and the People The of the Three Domains Valuable - and Worthless The Bird and the Egg Three Pieces of Advice The Mountain Path The Snake and the Peacock The Water of Paradise The Horseman and the Snake Isa and the Doubters In the Street of the Perfume-Sellers The Parable of the Greedy Sons The Nature of Discipleship The Initiation of The Idiot and the Browsing Camel The Three Jewelled Rings The Man with the Inexplicable Life The Man Whose Time Was Wrong Maruf the Cobbler Wisdom for Sale The King and the Poor Boy The Three Teachers and the Muleteers Bayazid and the Selfish Man The People Who Attain Wayfarer, Strangeness and Savetime Timur Agha and the Speech of Animals The Indian Bird When Death Came to Baghdad The Grammarian and the Dervish The Dervish and the Princess The Increasing of Necessity The Man Who Looked Only at the Obvious How Knowledge Was Earned The Lamp Shop The Chariot The Lame Man and the Blind Man The Servants and the House The Generous Man The Host and the Guests The King's Son Appendix: Authors and teachers, in chronological order

Almost 30 years after first encountering 'Tales of the Dervishes' it still ranks as one of those books I¿d happily be marooned with on a desert island. The stories in 'Tales of the Dervishes' are truly magical, it's word that best decribes their effect. After repeated re-reading over the years their freshness hasn¿t diminished at all. It¿s the closest I know, as an adult, to what children may experience when hearing one of the great fairy stories. As with all Idries Shah works the writing is a delight. Shah¿s of Aflaki¿s ¿The Merchant and the Christian Dervish¿ resonates with economical power and shows his ability to make a story from another time and culture speak to the present moment. As a true desert island book 'Tales of the Dervishes'must do more than just entertain; and it does this with an inexhaustible wealth of intimations and insights. Read `The Dam¿ if you are nonplussed by the parlous state of the world¿s great religions; `The Cure of Human Blood¿ if you want perspectives on how faith works or `The Golden Fortune¿ if you want insights into spiritual method. What¿s most precious in humanity: elegance and profundity, passion and pity, wisdom and community ¿ all parade through the pages of 'Tales of the Dervishes'. If not a desert island maybe your bedside table. http://edufb.net/3470.pdf http://edufb.net/3017.pdf http://edufb.net/2643.pdf http://edufb.net/371.pdf http://edufb.net/1023.pdf http://edufb.net/1527.pdf http://edufb.net/1577.pdf