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THE COMMANDING SELF

Idries Shah

Octagon Press, London, 1994

Described by the author as a key to the entire corpus of his work, The Commanding Self describes that mixture of primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which rules the personality most of the time and which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding, providing a barrier against extra-dimensional perception.

This book (see Doris Lessing's review for The London Times), as well as others by Shah, is designed to offer a way to transcend the limits imposed by this 'commanding self.'

The Commanding Self is an anthology of previously unpublished work, based on tales, lectures, letters and interviews. It offers both an introduction to Sufi thought and further study for those already acquainted with Shah's work.

This title is also available from ISHK in Spanish (El Yo Dominante, code YODO1).

KNOCK QUIETLY
Assumptions haunt people, much more than they know. People generally deal with situations by means of assumptions. This habit is useful, it can mean that you do not have to think.
If you see a man in a blue uniform you can assume he is a policeman. That is why admirals are regularly mistaken for ticket-collectors on railway stations.
Do not make assumptions all the time, and do not let your life be ruled by assumptions.
Remember the sad case of a sign-writer who lost a commission because he made a wrong assumption.
A lady asked him to paint a notice about the dog to put at her front door. He lost the job because he produced one saying:
'Beware of the Dog.'
'You stupid man,' said the lady, 'the notice I wanted was 'Don't wake the dog'.'
--From The Commanding Self © 1994 by The Estate of Idries Shah