Among the Dervishes [Paperback]

O.M. Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1993

O. M. Burke's first-hand account of his modern-day pilgrimage begins in a school built like a medieval rock fortress hidden in northern India. From there he takes the reader to monasteries where ancient lore is still taught, along the pilgrim road to forbidden Mecca and into the heart and mind of Asia.

Burke's experiences with living Sufis and their teachings, practices and actions clearly dispel the notion of Sufism as a phenomenon of the past.

Speaking several Oriental languages, traveling as a dervish pilgrim, O. M. Burke lived and studied with ancient communities in the Near and Middle East. This first-hand report is no ordinary book of travel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Opens horizons that cause the mind to soar." -- Sunday Telegraph

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: Octagon Press, Limited (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863040187
• ISBN-13: 978-0863040184
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,920,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey of a Seeker into a Sufi School, May 19, 2010

By 

William Bagley (Ashland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among the Dervishes (A Dutton paperback) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is about a Scottish seeker of truth traveling to find some Sufis to study with, where he went, and what he learned along the way. The book is pleasant and easy to read. It has a lot of little insights folded into its pages. I found, for instance, it to humerous when Burke simply asks people in the town if there are any Sufis and they soon meet him, while others who are trying to find the right secret handshake, hidden center, or pass word fail. When he asks why, they simply say, "Sincerity opens many doors." I also found chapter 8 interesting in that it talks about Jesus in Kashmir, India. This is a story that I have bumped into many times. Gurdjieff mentioned this story. One of my friends traveled in India, met the Kashmiris, and was shown a book that Jesus left behind in Sanskrit for them to read. Since then I have found other books that mention this story of Jesus traveling to Kashmir. This book was, at the time, the third time I heard this story mentioned. It is interesting that Jesus, burned out on the violence of the Middle East, decides to teach the Kashmiris the "ring dance" in order to promote harmony within a village. While this book is not really enough to learn Sufism by itself, it is worthwhile to read to get a living feel about the Sufis and how they work with people. I would not recommend this book to be the first one that one reads about Sufism. Instead I would recommend THE SUFIS and THE WAY OF THE SUFI by Idies Shah (all the books by Idries Shah I feel are worth reading, but these two are more scholarly and historical).

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immensely Entertaining - But True?, March 22, 2005

By 

Stephen Triesch (Shoreline/Seattle USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Among the Dervishes (Paperback)

This is an extremely enjoyable travelogue to remote outposts of Asian and Middle Eastern Sufism. As did another reviewer, I have some doubts as to the veracity of all of the anecdotes, and am suspicious that there is a hidden agenda to promote a somewhat cultish attitude towards the late Idries Shah.

That notwithstanding, the book is entertaining from start to finish, and provides glimpses into a world that is alternately attractive and menacing. (By the way, the incidents described in this book took place several decades ago, so the book will not necessarily provide insights into current events or current happenings within Sufism or the Islamic world.) Author O.M. Burke is an intelligent but pleasantly naive traveler, anticipating many of my questions and sharing many of my reactions to the unexpected twists and turns of his journey.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The early years of Idries Shah's career., June 26, 2004

By 

Roger L. Schultz "Seeker" (Loveland, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Among the Dervishes (A Dutton paperback) (Mass Market Paperback)

Idries Shah died in 1996. The latter part of his career is documented in Bashir M. Dervish's JOURNEYS WITH A SUFI MASTER. AMONG THE DERVISHES is about the early days. Both are unusual travel books, because in both cases the travels are orchestrated by well placed Sufis and the books written more to take the reader on a journey than to either tell about a journey or Sufism. Idries Shah's son, Tahir Shah, is writing similar books, the most recent: TRAIL OF FEATHERS.