Böcker av Idries Shah

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.

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

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 questions and more are answered in Idries Shah's remarkable volume World Tales, which is subtitled, 'The extraordinary coincidence of stories told in all times, in all places'. In his introduction, Shah remarks, 'Working for thirty-five years among the written and oral sources of our world heritage in tales, one feels a truly living element in them which is startlingly evident when one isolates the 'basic' stories; the ones which tend to have travelled farthest, to have featured in the largest number of classical collections, to have inspired great writers of the past and present'.

Based on university lectures at the New School for Social Research, New York, and the University of California, San Francisco, Neglected Aspects of Sufi Study deals with many of the problems of Sufic methods of study and those which militate against its effective progress in the modern world; notably the unrecognised assumptions which we make about ourselves and about learning and its process.

Previously 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; Ritual, Initiation and Secrets in Sufi Circles; and Key Concepts in Sufi Understanding. The volume stands as a clear and simple handbook to many facets of Sufi study and thought. Shah's introduction begins, 'The object of Sufi spiritual teaching can be expressed as: to help to refine the individual's consciousness so that it may reach the Radiances of Truth, from which one is cut off by ordinary activities of the world'.

Many of Idries Shah's books are comprised of tales and teaching stories taken from both written and oral sources, which illustrate the instructional methods employed by Eastern wise men for thousands of years.The Magic Monastery differs from its predecessors in that it contains not only traditional tales, mostly unpublished - but also stories specially written by Shah to complete the book as a 'course in non-linear thinking'. As with all of his works, The Magic Monastery is rich in thought-provoking material, and can be read and enjoyed at many levels.

In a darkened room a group of men once sought to examine an elephant.Taking hold of a different part - an ear, a leg, the tail - each one mistook his particular part for the whole. In the darkness, each of the men became convinced that the elephant was the object he himself had felt - a fan, a rope, a pillar - and so on.With this ancient fable, first described by the Sufi Master Jalaluddin Rumi, Idries Shah presents the Sufi perspective that Christianity and Islam stem from one, inner, origin.Based on Shah's celebrated Geneva University lectures, this book dazzles with the breadth of its scholarship, and the profound depth of its message.In a world riven by cultural and religious differences, The Elephant in the Dark offers fresh thinking, hope, and the ability to look at what we think we know in new ways.

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 in the modern world, that no technical or popular terms exist to describe them. The material in Tales of the Dervishes is the result of a thousand years of development, during which Dervish masters used these and other teaching stories to instruct their disciples. The tales are held to convey powers of increasing perception unknown to the ordinary man.

Thinkers of the East is a collection of anecdotes and 'parables in action' illustrating the eminently practical and lucid approach of Eastern Dervish teachers.Distilled from the teachings of more than one hundred sages in three continents, this material stresses the experimental rather than the theoretical - and it is that characteristic of Sufi study which provides its impact and vitality.The emphasis of Thinkers of the East contrasts sharply with the Western concept of the East as a place of theory without practice, or thought without action.The book's author, Idries Shah, says 'Without direct experience of such teaching, or at least a direct recording of it, I cannot see how Eastern thought can ever be understood'.

First published in 1957, Destination Mecca was both an ambitious travel book and a work of ethnographic and cultural research.Shah documents a wide range of fascinating journeys, from his quest for the gold mines of King Solomon on Sudan's Red Sea Coast, to encounters in desert caravanserais and sojourns with Mediterranean contraband smugglers, to his time as a personal guest of the elderly King Ibn Saud.As readable now as it was when first published, Destination Mecca acts as a beacon for hands on adventurers and those of a more sedate kind.

A serious, yet entertaining, look at the impediments in current thought which prevent certain forms of understanding between people. The title story was made into an award-winning film with script by Idries Shah, and chosen as an Outstanding Film of the Year.The Dermis Probe comprises a collection of extracts from the written and oral tradition of Eastern thinkers.In his preface, Shah notes, 'In this book you can find illustrated some of the peculiarities of thought in the country which is today's world, seen by its inhabitants and by those who call themselves visitors.'

In Idries Shah's Wisdom of the Idiots, the 'idiots' are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable. The exercise-stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose.On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes, and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes.Wisdom of the Idiots has been awarded many prizes, including two gold medals, one for being 'Best Book', in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.

AMERICAN ENGLISH EDITION

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."

When the good-natured Share the Lion, King of all the animals, sees his reflection in a pool of water, he gasps at the fierce creature staring back at him. He is too frightened to drink, until finally, he learns to overcome his fear. Children learn through Share how to deal positively with the fears and inhibitions that so often arise from situations they may not yet understand. This is one of a series of stories collected by Idries Shah – a Teaching-Story – used for hundreds of years in the East as an educational instrument to help children understand life. This story was originally told by the 13th century Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi. Ingrid Rodriguez's beautiful illustrations bring the story to life with warmth and humor and a distinctive richness of detail. Als der gutmütige Löwe Share, der König aller Tiere, sein Spiegelbild im Wasser eines Tümpel sieht, verschlägt es ihm beim Anblick des Wesens, das ihn ansieht, den Atem. Er fürchtet sich zu sehr, um zu trinken, bis er schließlich lernt, seine Angst zu überwinden. Durch das Erlebnis von Share, dem Löwen, können Kinder lernen, mit ihren Ängsten, deren Ursprünge sie vielleicht noch nicht verstehen, positiv umzugehen. Diese Fabel gehört zu einer Reihe von Lehrgeschichten, die von Idries Shah gesammelt wurden. Diese Geschichten dienen im Osten schon seit Hunderten von Jahren als pädagogische Werkzeuge und sollen Kindern helfen, das Leben besser zu verstehen. Die ursprüngliche Version dieser Geschichte stammt von Jalaluddin Rumi, einem Sufi-Dichter aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Die wunderschönen, humorvollen Illustrationen von Ingrid Rodriguez zeichnen sich durch ihr Detail, ihre Lebendigkeit und Wärme aus.

A serious, yet entertaining, look at the impediments in current thought which prevent certain forms of understanding between people. The title story was made into an award-winning film with script by Idries Shah, and chosen as an Outstanding Film of the Year.

AMERICAN ENGLISH EDITION

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) This is the story of two brothers: one skilled in the practical arts and the other, Prince Tambal, considered by most people to be only a dreamer. Their father, the king, announces a competition to produce "interesting and useful devices." The entry produced by a woodcarver appears to be only a simple wooden horse of little value, but when Tambal looks more closely, he discovers that it's able to magically travel to whatever place is in its rider's mind. With the help of this magic horse, Tambal comes to learn a great many things and, eventually, to know his heart's desire. Julie Freeman's beautiful illustrations capture the magic of this tale, with the images and text inset in rich borders of oriental patterns. The Magic Horse is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. In the Sufi tradition, there is a continuum between the children's story, the entertainment or folklore story and the instructional or instrumental story. A story can help children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold on to, but it can also stimulate a deeper understanding in adults. Through the instrumental function of this rich body of material, readers of all ages can learn to develop the capacity to be more flexible and to understand many more things about themselves and about life.Dies ist die Geschichte zweier Brüder: Der eine ist ein Meister der praktischen Künste und der andere Prinz Tambal, der von den meisten nur als Träumer angesehen wird. Ihr Vater, der König, kündigt einen Wettbewerb an, um ¿interessante und nützliche Geräte" herzustellen. Der von einem Holzschnitzer produzierte Beitrag scheint nur ein einfaches Holzpferd von geringem Wert zu sein aber als Tambal genauer hinschaut entdeckt er, dass es in der Lage ist, auf magische Weise an jeden Ort zu reisen, den sein Reiter im Sinn hat. Mit Hilfe dieses magischen Pferdes lernt Tambal sehr viel und lernt schließlich seinen Herzenswunsch kennen. Die wunderschönen Illustrationen von Julie Freeman fangen die Magie dieser Geschichte ein, mit den Bildern und Texten, die in üppige Umrandungen aus orientalischen Mustern eingefügt sind. Das Zauberpferd ist eine von einer illustrierten Reihe von Sufi-Lehrgeschichten aus dem Nahen Osten und Zentralasien, die von Idries Shah gesammelt und für Kinder adaptiert wurden und die Herzen und Köpfe seit mehr als tausend Jahren fesseln. Die Geschichten sollen Kindern helfen, ihre Annahmen zu überprüfen und selbstständig zu denken. In der Sufi-Tradition gibt es ein Kontinuum zwischen der Kindergeschichte, der Unterhaltungs- oder Folkloregeschichte und der Lehr- oder Instrumentalgeschichte. Eine Geschichte kann Kindern helfen, mit schwierigen Situationen umzugehen und etwas zum Festhalten geben, sie kann aber auch bei Erwachsenen zu einem tieferen Verständnis anregen. Durch die instrumentelle Funktion dieses reichhaltigen Spektrums an Materie können Leser jeden Alters lernen, die Fähigkeit zu entwickeln, flexibler zu sein und viele weitere Dinge über sich selbst und über das Leben zu verstehen.

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) A young fox's ingenuity and perseverance enable it to escape from a clever trap set by a man. This engaging story can inspire children to face challenges directly and to overcome obstacles in their path - and even to make use of those obstacles to solve problems. Adapted for children by Idries Shah, it is one of hundreds of Sufi developmental tales he collected from oral and written sources in Central Asia and the Middle East. Sally Mallam's illustrations provide delightful and imaginative depictions of the characters. For more than a millennium, the story of the man and the fox has entertained young people and helped foster in them the ability to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. Der Einfallsreichtum und die Ausdauer eines jungen Fuchses ermöglichen es ihm, einer cleveren Falle eines Mannes zu entkommen. Diese spannende Geschichte kann Kinder dazu inspirieren, sich Herausforderungen direkt zu stellen und Hindernisse auf ihrem Weg zu überwinden - und sogar, diese Hindernisse zur Lösung von Problemen zu nutzen. Die Geschichte wurde von Idries Shah für Kinder adaptiert und ist eine von Hunderten von Sufi-Entwicklungsgeschichten, die er aus mündlichen und schriftlichen Quellen in Zentralasien und im Nahen Osten gesammelt hat. Die Illustrationen von Sally Mallam bieten reizvolle und fantasievolle Darstellungen der Charaktere. Seit mehr als einem Jahrtausend hat die Geschichte vom Mann und dem Fuchs junge Menschen unterhalten und ihnen geholfen, ihre Annahmen zu überprüfen und selbstständig zu denken.

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) This is the story of a very badly behaved man, how a young boy in the village hatches a plan to change the man's behavior - and how, with the help of the other villagers, the plan succeeds, to everyone's benefit. Children, of course, love the idea of an adult behaving badly. At the same time, the story helps them learn valuable lessons about initiative, negotiation, conflict resolution and cooperation. Rose Mary Santiago's illustrations provide delightful and amusing counterpoint to the tale. The Man with Bad Manners is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. In the Sufi tradition, there is a continuum between the children's story, the entertainment or folklore story and the instructional or instrumental story. A story can help children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold on to, but it can also stimulate a deeper understanding in adults. ¿Diese Geschichte erzählt von einem sehr schlecht erzogenen Mann, davon,wie ein kleiner Junge im Dorf einen Plan ausheckt, um das Verhalten des Mannes zu ändern - und wie der Plan mit Hilfe der anderen Dorfbewohner zum Vorteil aller gelingt. Kinder lieben natürlich die Vorstellung, dass sich ein Erwachsener schlecht benimmt. Gleichzeitig hilft ihnen die Geschichte, wertvolle Lektionen über Initiative, Verhandlung, Konfliktlösung und Zusammenarbeit zu lernen. Die Illustrationen von Rose Mary Santiago bilden einen reizvollen und amüsanten Kontrapunkt zur Geschichte. Der Mann mit den schlechten Manieren gehört zu einer illustrierten Reihe von Sufi-Lehrgeschichten aus dem Nahen Osten und Zentralasien, die von Idries Shah gesammelt und für Kinder adaptiert wurden und die Herzen und Köpfe seit mehr als tausend Jahren fesseln. Die Geschichten sollen Kindern helfen, ihre Annahmen zu überprüfen und selbstständig zu denken. In der Sufi-Tradition gibt es ein Kontinuum zwischen der Kindergeschichte, der Unterhaltungs- oder Folkloregeschichte und der Lehr- oder Instrumentalgeschichte. Eine Geschichte kann Kindern helfen, mit schwierigen Situationen umzugehen und etwas zum Festhalten geben, sie kann aber auch bei Erwachsenen zu einem tieferen Verständnis anregen.&n

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) On the day a boy is born, his parents are visited by a wise man who tells them, "This is a very, very important boy, and I'm going to give him something marvelous one day, but I will have to give him his name first. So please don't give him a name yet." So they named the boy Benaam, which means "nameless." The story tells how he seeks and eventually finds his own true name, and how he also gives away an old dream that he doesn't want - and gets a wonderful new dream. This is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. Among the many insights The Boy Without a Name can provoke is the idea that it takes patience and resolve to achieve one's goals in life. Mona Caron's beautiful watercolor illustrations embellish this unusual and captivating story, presenting the wonder of this hidden world to both children and adults. An dem Tag, an dem ein Junge geboren wird, besucht ein weiser Mann seine Eltern, der ihnen sagt: ¿Dies ist ein sehr, sehr wichtiger Junge, und ich werde ihm eines Tages etwas Wunderbares schenken, aber ich muss ihm zuerst seinen Name geben. Also gebt ihm bitte noch keinen Namen." Also nannten sie den Jungen Benaam, was ¿namenlos" bedeutet. Die Geschichte erzählt, wie er seinen eigenen wahren Namen sucht und schließlich findet, und wie er auch einen alten Traum verschenkt, den er nicht will - und einen wunderbaren neuen Traum bekommt. Dies ist eine von einer illustrierten Reihe von Sufi-Lehrgeschichten aus dem Nahen Osten und Zentralasien, die von Idries Shah gesammelt und für Kinder adaptiert wurden und die Herzen und Köpfe seit mehr als tausend Jahren fesseln. Die Geschichten sollen Kindern helfen, ihre Annahmen zu überprü

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) This is a delightful and humorous tale about a chicken who learns to speak as we do - with unexpected consequences. The surprising events that follow intrigue young children and, and at the same time, alert them in a very amusing way to the dangers of being too quick to believe everything they hear. Illustrator Jeff Jackson creates a lively and lighthearted world, rich in color and expression, in which anything can happen. This tale is one of the many hundreds of Sufi developmental stories collected by Idries Shah from oral and written sources in Central Asia and the Middle East. For more than a thousand years, it has entertained young people and helped foster in them the ability to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. Dies ist eine entzückende und humorvolle Geschichte über ein Huhn, das wie wir sprechen lernt - mit unerwarteten Konsequenzen. Die überraschenden Ereignisse, die darauf folgen, faszinieren junge Kinder und machen sie gleichzeitig auf sehr amüsante Weise auf die Gefahr aufmerksam, zu schnell alles zu glauben, was sie hören. Illustrator Jeff Jackson schafft eine lebendige und unbeschwerte Welt voller Farben und Ausdruck, in der alles passieren kann. Diese Geschichte ist eine von vielen Hunderten von Sufi-Entwicklungsgeschichten, die Idries Shah aus mündlichen und schriftlichen Quellen in Zentralasien und im Nahen Osten zusammengetragen hat. Seit mehr als tausend Jahren unterhält sie junge Menschen und hilft ihnen, die Fähigkeit zu entwickeln, ihre Annahmen zu überprüfen und selbstständig zu denken.

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) Wanting badly to have a son, the Queen of Hich-Hich consults Arif the Wise Man on the matter. But because she fails to follow his precise instructions, she gives birth to a half-boy, whom she calls Neem. That Neem is able to make himself complete by an act of cleverness, negotiation and compromise teaches children much more than the expected, usual lesson of bravery. This enchanting tale, complete with fairies and a fire-breathing dragon, is marvelously and magically illustrated by Midori Mori and Robert Revels. Neem the Half-Boy is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. Die ¿Königin von Hich-Hich möchte unbedingt einen Sohn haben und konsultiert Arif den Weisen in dieser Angelegenheit. Aber weil sie Arifs genaue Anweisungen nicht befolgt, bringt sie einen Halbjungen zur Welt, den sie Neem nennt. Dass es Neem gelingt, sich durch einen Akt der Klugheit, Verhandlung und Kompromisse zu vervollständigen, lehrt Kinder viel mehr als die erwartete, übliche Lektion des Mutes. Diese bezaubernde Geschichte mit Feen und einem feuerspeienden Drachen wird von Midori Mori und Robert Revels wunderbar und magisch illustriert. Der halbe Junge Neem gehört zu einer illustrierten Reihe von Sufi-Lehrgeschichten aus dem Nahen Osten und Zentralasien, die von Idries Shah gesammelt und für Kinder adaptiert wurden und die Herzen und Köpfe seit mehr als tausend Jahren fesseln. Die Geschichten sollen Kindern helfen, ihre Annahmen zu überprüfen und selbstständig zu denken.&a

(Bilingual English-German edition / Zweisprachige Ausgabe Englisch-Deutsch) This story tells how a woman loses an apple down a hole in the ground and then makes a series of attempts to retrieve it. Children love chanting the action sequence of this cumulative tale from memory, but when the plot takes a sudden turn that's contrary to all expectations, they also learn important lessons about the nature of problem solving and discovery. The strikingly beautiful illustrations by Rose Mary Santiago invoke the origins of the story - which comes from the Sufi tradition and has been told for hundreds of years in the Middle East and Central Asia - while at the same time lending a uniquely playful atmosphere to this very amusing tale. Diese Geschichte erzählt, wie eine Frau einen Apfel in einem Erdloch verliert und dann eine Reihe von Versuchen unternimmt, ihn zu bergen. Kinder lieben es, die Action-Sequenz dieser kumulativen Geschichte aus dem Gedächtnis heraus mitzusprechen, aber in dem Moment, wenn die Handlung eine plötzliche Wendung nimmt, die allen Erwartungen widerspricht, lernen sie auch wichtige Lektionen über die Natur der Problemlösung und über Entdeckung. Die auffallend schönen Illustrationen von Rose Mary Santiago beschwören die Ursprünge der Geschichte - die aus der Sufi-Tradition stammt und seit Hunderten von Jahren im Nahen Osten und Zentralasien erzählt wird - und verleihen dieser sehr amüsanten Geschichte eine einzigartig spielerische Atmosphäre.