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Editor’s Note
Sufis say that we are being constantly bombarded by the “spiritual impulse,” the “source of being” – that without this permeating us, we would simply not exist. It is an influence on all our lives, part of the fabric of existence, and it may be recognized by everybody at times as “something other.”
I am not a Sufi (the term Sufi is considered to describe the human being who has undergone a process of “perfection”) but my father, Idries Shah, was one.
According to Shah: “Sufism has two main technical objectives: 1) to show the man himself as he really is; and 2) to help him develop his real, inner self, his permanent part” (Thinkers of the East).
so delicate and indefinable that it invariably becomes fossilized – mere mimetic ritual.
they want spiritual learning when they really only want emotional stimulus, attention, reassurance, etc.
He argued that human beings, while capable of the most sublime capacities, choose to live on a plane far below their potential. Chained by the commanding self – a mixture of laziness, greed, fear and prejudice – they are driven on, harnessed and shackled by their own lower nature, fleeing from truth, from the exaltation and beauty that should be theirs. Yet, his was no gloom-ridden moralizing. He held an optimistic message that it is possible for humans to develop, to reach our destiny.
He turned morality on its head; vices, he argued, are not morally loaded, but are veils that conceal our potential. Virtues are not remote wonders to be aspired to, but practical prescriptions for human progress. The virtues he emphasized were: generosity, humor, kindness, clear-thinking and common sense, to name but a few.
He demonstrated this again and again: when he provided attention, their desire for spiritual fulfillment, urgent answers to their questions and so on disappeared. Similarly, he argued that much of our thinking is based upon conditioned impulses and beliefs, assumptions and automatic thinking.
discovered that they invariably helped protect me from the consequences of my selfishness, and seemed to help grow in me that part which could assent to the need to regard my fellow man as my brother, and my brother as myself.
AI Summary
The Idries Shah Anthology by Idries Shah presents key insights from the Sufism tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
- [To be expanded]
Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.