Wisdom of the Idiots [Paperback]

Idries Shah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1989

Because what narrow thinkers imagine to be wisdom is often seen by the Sufis to be folly, the Sufis sometimes call themselves 'the Idiots.'

The stories of these self-styled "idiots" are in fact skillfully designed exercises in which the movements of the characters portray psychological processes. The result is a working blueprint of the mind.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... hilarious, usually unsettling stuff, whisking away the rug from under our favourite convictions and thinking habits ..." -- Tribune, February 5, 1971

"While the stories are delightfully entertaining, their real value lies in their potent psychological content." -- The Brook Postgraduate Gazette, March 1973

From the Publisher

A carefully chosen collection of illustrative stories, narratives, and anecdotes, which illustrate experiential philosophy and action training, used in Sufi teaching. The Sufis are the thinkers who called themselves "idiots" in contrast to the self-styled "wise". The stories of these self-styled "idiots" are in fact skillfully designed exercises in which the movements of the characters portray psychological processes.

Widely acclaimed for its entertainment value and psychological interest it gained the citation "Best Book" at the Buenos Aires International Exhibition of Sufi books held in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.

The celebrated writer Nina Epton said in a BBC broadcast: "Seeds that Idries Shah sows in our Western path are chosen by a discerning modern mind, with a profound knowledge of the East and West. The best spiritual traditions, interpreted afresh, are applied by Idries Shah to our contemporary world. This is his contribution to our spiritual equipment - which consequently now finds itself considerably enriched."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 179 pages
• Publisher: Octagon Press, Limited (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863040462
• ISBN-13: 978-0863040467
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filling In The Blanks, December 2, 1999

By 

Jay Einhorn, Ph.D. (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wisdom of the Idiots (Hardcover)

Those who see, within the world's great religions, traces of representations of inner truth and methods of attunement toward it, among great blank spaces filled with outworn ritual and self-serving platitudes, may find that Wisdom of the Idiots goes a long way toward filling in the blanks. Wisdom of the Idiots is full of tales and narratives, most under two pages long, showing religious psychology in action. More than that, they shift our perspective for a moment so that we can see more clearly how attitudes and assumptions disable perceptions and thwart development, in the individual, the group and the community. Once we see this, the way toward a more realistic perception of humanity is left open.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tales that have an impact on the reader's consciousness, October 31, 1998

By 

Denise Nessel ([e-mail]) (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wisdom of the Idiots (Paperback)

This collection of 94 concise tales trains a spotlight on an array of human foibles and follies, and one reading of them is just not enough. You'll find yourself opening the book again and again--to savor the delicious humor of some selections, to study others you seem to have missed before, to ponder the significance of those whose interpretation isn't obvious. Gradually you realize that the tales have multiple levels of meaning, that they open up new pathways of perception, and that they promote insights not only about other people but also about your own patterns of thought and behavior. When you find yourself wondering just what "wisdom" really is and just who the "idiots" in this world really are, you'll realize how great an impact on your consciousness this little book has made.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such Idiots!, November 27, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Wisdom of the Idiots (Paperback)

Sufis have been called idiots because their knowledge can appear idiotic to peole who are limited to appearances. To learn from this "idiocy" one must go deeper into matters. Wisdom of the Idiots seems to me a course on how to be a successful student. It is also an introduction to Sufi experience. Shah has crafted his book from teaching stories, essays, explanations and quips of Sufi teachers of the last 1,000 years. He works with and through this material producing a Sufi document usable and useful to people of our times and culture.

The material is non-dogmatic and non-moralistic, by turns gentle and gritty. It is thought provoking and funny. I recommend Wisdom of the Idiots if you are a student, formal or otherwise, or if you are considering becoming one.

Excerpts:
Fidelity
Najmaini ('The Man of the Two Stars') dismissed a student with the words: 'Your fidelity has been tested. I find it so unshakeable that you must go.'
The student said: 'Go I shall, but I cannot understand how fidelity can be a ground for dimissal.'
Najmaini said: 'For three years we have tested your fidelity. Your fidelity to useless knowledge and superficial judgments is complete. That is why you must go.'

Fantiasies
O man! If you only knew how many of the false fantasies of the imagination were nearer to the Truth than the careful conclusions of the cautious. And how these truths are of no service until the imaginer, having done his work with the imagination, has become less imaginative. Shab-Parak

Scraps
The scraps from the meal of the Emir are larger than the gifts of halwa from the merchant. Timur Razil