Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism [Hardcover]

Idries Shah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1971

A collection of entertaining 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, it offers an extraordinary variety of underlying themes, from "the inner significance of outward service" to "real and imagined desire".

A book of enormous breath and depth it emphasizes experience over theory and it is this characteristic of Sufic study which provides its impact and vitality.

Valuable as it is, this book's publication in the West has only recently become possible, because only recently has the West been able to accept the fluid thinking of the East and to reject the old rigid systems that have only appearance of wisdom. As a master teacher says in these pages, "The wisdom which is invisible but which sustains is a hundred times better than the appearance of wisdom, for that has itself to be sustained."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... 'worship,' 'the fear of God,' and so on can be seen as technical terms, with a precise meaning ..." -- Doris Lessing, New York Times Book Review, May 7, 1971

"... an intensely contemporary application of specialised knowledge." -- New Society, April 15, 1971

"... main appeal to the modern man who finds current materialistic outlooks and attitudes insufficient to his needs." -- The Times Literary Supplement, May 7, 1971

"... opens out a new world of thought and experience ..." -- Halifax Daily Courier, April 2, 1971

"... perhaps the most explicit book on the nature and function of Sufi teaching - and perhaps the most remedial." -- Robert Ornstein, Ph.D., Psychology Today, July 1973

"... perhaps the most explicit book on the nature and function of Sufi teaching - and perhaps the most remedial." -- Robert Ornstein, Ph.D., Psychology Today, July 1973

"... profound wisdom ... the language is beautifully clear and concise ..." -- Church Times, February 26, 1971

"...'worship,' 'the fear of God' and so on can be seen in technical terms, with a precise ..." -- New York Times Book Review

"Even at cursory reading, a deep and subtle psychology is apparent." -- Evening News, March 3, 1971

"Even at cursory reading, a deep and subtle psychology is apparent." -- Evening News, March 3, 1971

"The book can be ... dipped into to promote reflection and provoke thought in oneself." -- Tonbridge Free Press, May 7, 1971

About the Author

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 (London), The Tribune, The Telegraph, and numerous other international journals and newspapers. "The most interesting books in the English language."

Saturday Review "A major psychological and cultural event of our time."

Psychology Today "One is immediately forced to use one's mind in a new way."

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."

Robert Ornstein, psychologist and author "Extremely useful in teaching students about management and computers."

Thomas Malone, MIT "Idries Shah provides the unique perspective that allows us to assess real motivations and social biases in a more accurate light."

E. Neilsen, attorney at law

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 198 pages
• Publisher: Octagon Press, Limited (December 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0900860464
• ISBN-13: 978-0900860461
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,958,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll Make You Remember, January 30, 2002

By 

Caroline Harkins (Elora, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism (Hardcover)

These tales encompass beauty, humor, teaching situations, fantastic adventure and even occasional sadness. They provoke me to re-examine my own experience to understand the implications of a tale. Some remain puzzling.
Shah wrote this book of 'Eastern practical philosophy' for those who want to enlarge and enrich their perception and experience of what it is to be human. He states in the preface, "This book contains, arranged in a manner commanded by the tradition.... the materials belonging to the Sufi teaching, selected in accordance with the needs of the time. It might be termed applied specific experientialism."
Enjoy the stories for their obvious content. Then re-read them for possible other qualities and effects. Sometimes a second interpretation will jump out at you. Sometimes a smile or a sense of wonder or possibiliy will lodge in your heart.
Sample story:
I'll Make You Remember
One day Latif the Theif ambushed the commander of the Royal Guard, captured him and took him to a cave.
'I am going to say something that, no matter how much you try, you will be unable to forget,' he told the infuriated officer.
Latif made his prisoner take off all his clothes. Then he tied him, facing backwards, on a donkey.
'You may be able to make a fool of me,' screamed the soldier, 'but you'll never make me think of something if I want to keep it out of my mind.'
'You have not yet heard the phrase which I want you to remember,' said Latif. 'I am turning you loose now, for the donkey to take back to town. And the phrase is: I'll catch and kill Latif the Thief, if it takes me the rest of my life.'

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Self-Understanding, August 14, 2001

By 

A. Alan Beck (Coquitlam, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism (Hardcover)

Anyone interested in a new way of understanding their mind and culture couldn't do better than begin with this book. Shah has distilled the collected teachings of more than a hundred eastern sages from three continents all in one slim volume, presented for our time. In a clear and entertaining style, it covers subjects such as learning, knowledge, mysticism, human motivation, and the "Sufi Secret." Many of the stories are layered -- that is, they may be read simply as amusing tales. At another level they reveal facets of our thinking we must address if we wish to be free of the cognitive errors found in many social psychology textbooks. Although centuries old, many of these stories uncannily anticipate current ideas. Fans of Edward De Bono may be pleasantly astonished to find stories paralleling his "lateral thinking" technique or, in the words of Shah, "problem-solving using non-linear methods." Ancient or not, these stories provide a vital introduction to the current thought of the Sufi tradition.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I 've never been quite the same after reading this book, July 16, 2001

By 

Pauldog (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism (Hardcover)

I originally found this book in the bargain bin of my college bookstore, and was attracted by the title. It certainly was about the East, but not the one I expected. It was about the wisdom of the East stripped of the exotic and sentimental, leaving intensely practical tales and anecdotes in colloquial English - and usually surprising for the angle with which they approached things.

I had never heard of the Sufis before finding this book, and now I wanted to learn much more about these people, who seemed to truly understand what religion and wisdom were, to know how reality was constructed.

The second book I found was Caravan of Dreams, but that's for another review!