Reflections - Softcover

Shah, Idries

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784790214 ISBN 13: 9781784790219

Publisher: Isf Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

Small in size, but with a powerful punch, Idries Shah's Reflections is a collection of fables, aphorisms, and statements that challenge the conditioned mind. The book confronts the reader with unaccustomed perspectives and ideas, in an attempt to set the mind free, to see how things really are. As the book's foreword states, 'Do you imagine that fables exist only to amuse or to instruct, and are based upon fiction? The best ones are delineations of what happens in real life, in the community and in the individual's mental processes'.

About this title

About the Author:

As the urgency of our global situation becomes apparent, more and more readers are turning to the books of Idries Shah (1924-1996) as a way to train new capacities and new ways of thinking. Shah has been described as "the most significant worker adapting classical spiritual thought to the modern world." His lively, contemporary books have sold more than 15 million copies in 12 languages worldwide and have been awarded many prizes. They have been reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times, The Tribune, The Telegraph, and numerous other international journals and newspapers.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

REPORT ON THE PLANET EARTH

A body of celestial beings, who wanted to develop their influence upon the people of the earth, commissioned an experienced and independent investigator to provide them with a feasibility report.

When he came back, he said:

"Here is a complete analysis of the situation. To get through to mankind, you must promise happiness to those who are sad, and threaten with distress those who are happy. They are all to be exposed to tension, anxiety, joy and repetition. They must be induced to think, when they are hypocrites, that they are honest and straightforward. You will also sanctify self-indulgence, by making people enjoy suffering and then tell them that they are not enjoying it, because it is a punishment."

"But this is terrible!" exclaimed the celestial ones. "We could never do that. To turn people into automata, to manipulate them ..."

"Now listen," said the expert, "do you or do you not want to extend your territory? If you plan expansion in this field, you must remember that - for thousands of years - your competitors have been ahead of you. They are well established there, and they are successful. In fact there are only a very few, quite insignificant, exceptions ..."

About this edition

• Publisher: Isf Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1784790214
• ISBN 13: 9781784790219
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 162