THINKERS OF THE EAST

Idries Shah

Octagon Press, 2003

Drawn from teachings of more than a hundred sages from three continents, Thinkers of the East is a book of enormous breadth and depth, the impact and vitality of which is characteristic of the Sufi emphasis on experience rather than theory.

This book is also available from ISHK in Spanish (PENSADORES DEL ORIENTE, Code PEOR1).

'Much straightforward and practical information: 'worship,' 'the fear of God,' and so on can be seen as technical terms, with a precise meaning that has slipped out of context.' --New York Times Book Review

MYSTERY
Talib said:
'People who know nothing, or know very little and should be studying instead of teaching, are fond of creating an air of mystery. They may foster rumours about themselves and pretend that they do things for some secret reason. They always strive to increase the sense of mystery.
'But this is mystery for itself, not as the outer manifestation of inner knowledge.
'The people who really know the inner secrets generally look and behave like ordinary people.
'So the ones who increase the air of mystery may be like the spider's web, they only catch flies. Are you, like the fly, a spider's dinner?'
--From Thinkers of the East © 1971, 1977, 1982 by The Estate of Idries Shah

Much straightforward and practical information... 'worship,' 'the fear of God,' and so on, can be seen in technical terms, with a precise meaning that has slipped out of context.'
--New York Times Book Review