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Knowing How to Know : A Practical Philosophy in the Sufi Tradition

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Ted Hughes once referred to the Sufis as probably "the biggest society of sensible men there has ever been on earth". During his lifetime, Idries Shah, who died in November 1996, published over 30 books containing Sufi teaching materials presented in a format suitable for the needs of modern Western society. Using extracts from the classical Sufi masters, teaching tales, personal observation and responses to questions asked by students and correspondents, he made it his task to take the romance, and the rubbish, out of our ideas of spiritual development. Knowing How to Know" is Shah's first posthumous work. The title refers back to "Learning How to Learn", an earlier volume in which he outlined the factors inhibiting the learning process which is an indispensible part of human development. "Knowing How to Know" describes the complex of human characteristics which prevent our perceiving that knowledge is not the reward of virtue, but the unvarnished truth about the human condition.Sufism is not about making people feel good; it is about making people see themselves as they are really are, and "Knowing How to Know" is not a book for the faint-hearted, or for those who prefer not to examine their own motivations and assumptions. But for those who are prepared to invest a measure of effort and to let go of their prejudices, it is a rich and rewarding book, and one which may permanently change their way of thinking about the world.

The word "Sufi" still elicits a range of reactions from the mystified to the parochial to the impractical, and you will likely view this book accordingly, unless you actually read it. In a curious way, it assumes that you are seeking an understanding of your motivations, and of life in general, as if "Sufi" were an everyday preoccupation. Yet, without attempting to define "Sufi" in any direct way, "Knowing How to Know" will likely challenge your assumptions regarding most any approach to knowledge that you have ever undertaken.

If this book is to be believed, any real increase in understanding requires fundamental changes in characteristic patterns of our thinking, patterns of which we are typically unaware. However, the complexity of our minds means that each of us has unique needs that must be satisfied before effective changes in our thinking can occur. The process is not hit or miss, but involves human operations as precise as any required in the physical sciences, including all of the elements of love, action, and attention to which we are appropriately disposed. "Knowing How to Know" lays out, in very stark terms, just how we might hope to apply these necessary requirements to aquire deeper, broader, and higher knowledge in our own lives.

In nearly two dozen previous books on the subject, Idries Shah has shown Sufism to be something quite different from what one might expect. Thanks to his efforts, the reader can see that it is neither a cult (though many cults have appropriated its name) nor a collection of woolly-headed idealists, but rather a surprisingly sophisticated and practical science that is constrained by its own laws and principles in much the same way as is, say, physics or medicine. And like physics and medicine - and any other practical discipline - Sufism must maintain a tough-minded rigor to avoid being distorted by subjectivity and overrun by poseurs and wannabes. Among Shah's books, I find this tough-mindedness to be nowhere so apparent as in the posthumously published Knowing How to Know. While he has never struck me as an author particularly given to mincing words, Shah seems here to take an even more direct approach than in the previous works upon which this one builds, as he focuses on the barriers that prevent understanding in both the individual and the group. The result is a book that is something of a wake-up call, with an effect at once bracing and edifying. It's my guess that, no matter what your background or pet beliefs, Knowing How to Know will not leave you indifferent.

In many ways, this book continues themes the author expressed and evoked in Learning How to Learn: differences between emotionality and spirituality, real and false teachers, real and false students, preparatory work, the never-ending struggle of sufism to overcome humanity's "herd instinct." Idries Shah employs essays, parables, lists, logic, and question-and-answer seamlessly.

If you're interested in sufism, or spirituality in general, this book is likely to disturb you as well as fascinate you. Sharp critiques of common illusions (and even delusions) are juxtaposed with rare subtleties. Either way, there are plenty of ideas worth contemplating. The short chapter on Exercising Power, for example, explains how the motif "Do this or I will make you uncomfortable" applies to both the superior and inferior parties in any power transaction.

Shah frequently prescribes a dose of humility and self assessment, which can be uncomfortable since they tend to deflate the ego - mine anyway. But along with such correctives Shah also serves up thought provoking, disarming humor and many excellent lessons for conducting a productive life. The entry on Pashtun sayings is a riveting ­blend of practical country wisdom (with many touches of humor) and profound observations on the mind, spirit, and society. This is a great book.

There are maybe a handful of writers that I look to, I depend on, to tell me the truth about our human condition. In his latest book, Idries Shah once again strips away the emotional accretions to our understanding of ourselves. He challenges our cultural assumptions, our personal bias. In this collection of Sufi Teaching Stories, narratives and question & answer, he points out that virtually all human organizations work by manipulating our greed. How can we learn to see things clearly? How can we free ourselves from this prison of appearances? Valuable tools and insight are here, and not a trace of dogmatism.

I have come to almost despair that anyone really wants to know anything. Almost all people seem content with the hazardous situation of driving blindfolded. They seem satisfied with their imaginations or stuff fed to them by others. If I bring up the possibility of knowing anything, they appear bored. Many people laugh and say they left that back in their college dorms. At best, they seem only to want information (or even misinformation) that will help them become more successful. The rest be damned.

KNOWING HOW TO KNOW is for folks, of either gender, who want to know--and who kind of like reality.

The first thing I learned from KNOWING HOW TO KNOW was that knowing how to know is different than I thought it was. I was disappointed by every page. I was looking for a golden key or something, and it wasn't there. But there was a sensation that the author did know how to know, so I stuck with it. Here's an example of what I found (page 149):

"Exposure to teaching can improve man. If it has made him worse, it is the absence of knowledge on the part of the teacher, who has exposed him to study materials before correcting the inner tendencies of the man. In this case, effectively, there has been no teaching and no learning. If the man has been studying on his own, there has been no studying and no teaching. Hope of imporvement is not a substitute for capacity to improve. Some who have studied and worked may learn more than those who have not."

It all seemed obvious, until I realized that I had to read it again.

I began to realize that my opinion of myself, that I loved learning, was phony.

I had read recently (In Thomas Thompson's THE MYTHIC PAST) that the "fear of God" which is "the beginning of wisdom," (according to the biblical "Proverbs") is tantamount to recognizing one's own ignorance. Ah, perhaps things were not as bad as I thought. Could I be at the "beginning of wisdom"? I was certainly left with the knowledge that I am ignorant.

Was it unpleasant? Yes. And, no. It was unpleasant in the sense of being lost, but it was blissful finding myself in something like a charmed forest.

If I've gotten as far as to know that I don't know, well, that's something I think anyone who reads KNOWING HOW TO KNOW will get, so it's nothing to be particularly proud of. Still, it is beyond a doubt better than NOT knowing that I don't know. I know something, at least.

I'm glad I read KNOWING HOW TO KNOW. I'll have to read it again, I think. If I've attained the first step towards knowing, perhaps....

This book discusses the cultural barriers and individual attitudes which inhibit our approach to the truth underlying all religion. It amplifies the ideas presented in other of Shah's work, and there is much new material and insight not readily obtainable elsewhere. Since the work was published postumously, I felt the book was a special gift from Shah and I feel a renewed sense of gratitude and reconnection with the legacy he has left us.

The book is exceptionally concentrated. Innocent paragraphs may reveal important meanings normally concealed from normal experience. Attentive reading combined with careful observations may contribute to produce important revelations about yourself and the world. The result is an enrichment of perceptions and more sophisticated patterns of thought. This book can help discover hidden aspects of human nature, including the social aspects of daily life. It provides important clues to recognize certain pitfalls in day-to-day living. The material cannot be absorbed in one reading though. Like powerful medicines it must be taken drop by drop, with a proper rest in between. Like other Sufi material it is intended to operate in "layers". Each reading removes certain barriers to understanding, thereby exposing something previously concealed from view. This book provides an overall picture of Sufism not often seen elsewhere and it has the potential to "activate" undigested information. Those unfamiliar with the author or contemporary Sufism will be amazed by the quality of thinking and will probably want more.

Shah' most recent book, as usual uncompromising and profound especially with multipal readings. I found his section dealing with different generations of social thought illuminating and rare. As with his other books it takes time to digest the more difficult passages. Refreshingly free of New Age soft soap. Social reformers would benifit from its study.