Sufism Message Board

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Sufism Message Board

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1otton Primer missatge
jul. 26, 2006, 2:07 pm

What a nice idea! I love Iranian Sufi poetry (Háfez, Rúmí, 'Attár, etc.). I have had more limited exposure to the philosophical side of it, though - something I do intend to fix.

2szarka
ag. 18, 2006, 12:16 am

I'm the same boat: love Hafiz & Rumi, but need to know what to read for more background.

Is it just me, or does Sufi poetry make a great wedding gift? :)

3BTRIPP
ag. 18, 2006, 9:19 pm

I am only vaguely familiar wtih the poetry of Sufism (I have read several volumes over the years, but none made much of an impression on me) ... but have read quite a bit on the philosophy/systems of Sufism, from standard college material to the numerous works of Idries Shah (of whose writing I have something like 30 titles, and probably upwards of 100 for "associated" works from his various publishing concerns).

When I started this group, I had assumed that this would be the main area of interest (there are 71 users with 204 copies various of 55 tiles by Shah on L.T.), and it surprises me that the only "traffic" so far is on the poetry!

- BTRIPP

4szarka
ag. 25, 2006, 4:25 pm

I guess for something like Sufism, which is so foreign to most speakers of English, poetry is a universal language that can bridge the gap--even across languages and centuries. :)

5cjm578 Primer missatge
set. 10, 2006, 1:09 pm

hi everyone,

my impression is that Sufi poetry is a good introduction to Sufism because the imagery and ideas used are usually worldly things that can act as stimulants and symbols of inner experiences.

not being overly-weighted with religious/philosophical terminology which can alienate Westerners, it can form a bridge to Sufism for people who might otherwise have problems with some heavily islamicized presentations or even intellectual medieval philosophical presentations.

Since Sufism is not primarily a theory or intellectual path, but instead a practical way to develop oneself, poetry can serve just as well as anything else that can bring out certain attitudes and feelings in a person.

However, there is the slight problem that a person may be reading this poetry and using only certain familiar methods of interpreting it, based on where you are in your life, your background experience and your cultural influences.

So that's where people like Idries Shah come in, giving some theoretical ideas and presentations so that when you encounter the work of the Sufis, past and present, you can possibly also see things you wouldn't ordinarily have noticed.

There are other people who present Sufi theory, such as Seyyed Hossein Nasr but in a slightly different way: more in the form of traditional scholasticism and retaining the heavy Islamic cultural influence.

It seems to me that Shah was more interested in presenting a dynamic, living body of knowledge that was adapted and adaptive to modern Western culture (or at least a segment of it), incorporating classic Sufi material and modern Western psychological and sociological research. He doesn't really go in much for "linear" presentation, so people who are looking for books of straight history or theory may be frustrated by it. But if you check out The Sufis and The Way of the Sufi, those are both good introductions to Sufi ideas.

As far as romantic gifts: i recommend Jami's "Yusuf and Zulaikha" and Nizami's "Layla and Majnun" for the Sufi Love theme at its most dramatic and intense. (btw, Eric Clapton's classic song Layla was partially inspired by Layla and Majnun)

6cjm578
set. 10, 2006, 1:12 pm

i'm sorry, i should add that, although i'm not connected with any Sufi group and am just someone who likes to read these things and use them for my own well-being, i'd be glad to try to discuss anything people might have questions about or interests in,

7szarka
set. 21, 2006, 9:14 pm

I was just looking at one of Shah's books in a used bookstore the other day; going by your description, I wish I'd gone ahead and bought it.

8cjm578
set. 22, 2006, 11:29 am

hi szarka,

looking at some of the books we share in common, i noticed you have some of Robert Ornstein's books. Ornstein worked a lot with Shah in adapting Sufi knowledge to modern times. If you like Ornstein, some of his books which make good introductions to Sufism (but which aren't on your list) are The Psychology of Consciousness, The Nature of Human Consciousness (ed.), The Mind Field, The Evolution of Consciousness and New World/New Mind (w/ Paul Erlich).

9BTRIPP
set. 22, 2006, 12:41 pm

I just got done with Idries Shah's last major work, The Commanding Self ... it's an amazing book, largely in that he's finally letting his readers "look under the hood" of Sufi teaching methods. I guess in his later years he wanted to open up a bit on that, as he also had a couple of very "open" pieces in his daughter Safia Shah's collection An Afghan Caravan.

I don't know, though, if I could honestly suggest these for an introduction to Shah, as he notes in these latter books that often the book which is intended to have a particular effect on the reader will NOT have the effect (or only in a very attenuated form) if the reader has had the intent of the book explained to him beforehand. Perhaps it would be best to start with some of his earlier "expository" books (as opposed to the various "teaching story" books) such as The Sufis and work through some of the others before going right to the "this is why we do what we do" stuff!

For a very interesting "experiment in perceptions" you might consider ordering Shah's The Book of the Book at full price directly from ISHK ... it's one of the most "direct teaching experiences" available and is a prime example of how explaining the intended effect makes nearly impossible the intended effect!

10kemal Primer missatge
nov. 25, 2006, 1:06 am

Beyond Idries Shah you should look at Hazrat Inayat Khan and Carl Ernst. These two are from different time and backgrounds but will add depth to your study of Sufism. You might also want to look at this sites:http://www.sherifbaba.com/ - http://www.uga.edu/islam/Sufism.html - in case you are interested.

11BTRIPP
Editat: gen. 30, 2007, 11:19 am

Exciting news ...

The late Idries Shah's group The Institute For Cultural Research has updated its web presence and is now offering free .pdf downloads of nearly all of the ICR Monographs! The only ones (out of 44 put out from 1965 to 2004) that aren't included are the 5 "book-length" releases and the 2 "missing" (#13 and #14) Monographs. The most recent numbers (#45-52) are still only available in hard-copy, however.

This is really remarkable, as these have been very expensive ($10 for a 6-28 page paper, which is what they're still charging for hard copies) over the years, and now you can just print out your own copy!

ICR Monograph Archive

12kathymoo
feb. 12, 2009, 6:25 am

Another 'way" into Sufi thought (and a very entertaining one)is to read the stories of Mulla Nasrudin. Idries Shah has published a collection of them and describes the Mulla as showing the characteristics of the human mind. He recommends takingone or two that impact on you and ponder them im your mind.

13BTRIPP
feb. 12, 2009, 8:08 am

Re. #12: "Idries Shah has published a collection of them"

Shah published at least four collections of them, plus dedicated substantial sections of his other books to the subject!

 

14FemmeNoiresque
jul. 26, 2010, 8:41 pm

I bought myself a Rumi a Day book for Christmas :)