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Wisdom of the Idiots

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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.

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.

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

Notwithstanding his claims as a sufi, and one one who mediated new forms of knowledge to the West, Shah was one of the great stylists of modern literature. "Wisdom of the Idiots" is one of his greatest books; lucid prose and clear thinking are not usually associated with mysticism but these are consistent elements in Shah's books.

As well as tales which report interchanges between sufi masters and enquirers there are evocative stories. Some such as 'Hope' establish the connections between inner qualities and success; others such as the evocative 'Paradise of Song' suggest 'more selves than one, more hopes than one, more chance then one - up there in the Paradise of Song.'

This is a collection of Sufi (Islamic mystics) teaching stories. Shah is famous for his many collections of them. I've read 10 of his books. They are invariably entertaining. The Sufi masters are referred to as idiots--they can appear as such to the uninitiated. Reminds one of the story of Elijah and the Hasidic master who asked to accompany him. The proviso was that the Hasid couldn't question Elijah on what he did--or he couldn't continue. They visited an old, poor couple who nonetheless shared what little they had with the visitors. So, Elijah prayed for their only asset (a cow) to die. Then they visited a rich man who treated them poorly, so Elijah fixed a wall in the man's house which was about to fall down. After a number of these episodes, the Hasid broke down and asked how Elijah could act as he did. Of course, Elijah had good reasons (e.g. the wall contained a treasure that the rich man would have found had the wall collapsed and the cow took the place of one of the couple who was about to die). Similarly, the Tibetan Buddhists have had masters of Crazy Wisdom. Some of the stories in this particular Shah collection (and the others too) are understandable; some are more like Zen koans. I found this book among the best of the ones I've read of his. You might also try his Nasrudin books; my favorite is: "The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin."

Wisdom of the Idiots is a collection of "holy fool" stories from the Sufi tradition where the holy fool is not Mulla Nasrudin - an important distinction only because of Idries Shah's Mulla Nasrudin stories which are better known.

These stories in general are more developed than the Mulla Nasrudin stories as they do not play off a known "holy fool" character but must set their context within the story itself. The result is a wider range of tales and a more frequent "teaching" context.

If you enjoy religious teaching stories, this collection is well worth picking up.

Sufi stories have, for centuries, been recognized as techniques in applied/narrative psychology. Their design, as I understand, is to subtly de-amplify the "noise" that is introduced by egoic distortions in order for us to "liberate" our pure, inner dynamism. IMO, the notion is for the introspecting seeker to tone up (or down) the amplitude so that there is harmonization with Truth. A caveat, however, is that one cannot perform this feat by oneself. A guide is necessary for there to be any "sweet fruit" to "taste".

Through "Wisdom of the Idiots", and other similar titles, Shah delivers these ancient stories (techniques) into the English language for a modern readership. There is alot of spiritual territory to explore here, and it behooves us, at least to try, finding proper guidance so that our "adventure of Being" doesn't become darkly-complexioned as a "waste of time."

My own practice is Zen. But, Idries Shah's translations of the words of ancient Sufis reveal teachings that are sometimes indistinguishable from those of many ancient Zen masters and Christian hermits. I recommend this book to Christian contemplatives and Zen practitioners. It was my first taste of Sufism and it opened my heart and mind, fostering the path at my own feet.

The Sufi Sheikhs, the Chan and Zen masters, the Christian Desert Fathers ... their writings show that, depending on where you stand, one teacher's finger may point east and another's point west, yet both still point to the one Moon. All who seek glimpses of truth on any contemplative, mystical, meditative, or silent path should read what the sheikhs have taught.

This book contains stories you should set aside your first few minutes of the day to read, in order to reset your thinking so that all you experience, you embrace.