Wisdom of the Idiots Paperback – January 1, 1989

It was amazing

Everybody's got a hungry heart.

"When you have found yourself you can have knowledge. Until then you can only have opinions." if you wish to know yourself better, reading and digesting this book may be helpful. I highly recommend it. If you are not particularly interested in knowing yourself any better than you already do, then reading this book may not appear to accomplish much. However, wildflower seeds spread upon a field may germinate whether that was your intention or not, or whether you just wanted to feed some birds, or even if you only had nothing much better to do with your afternoon. So, while your intention will make a difference, wildflower seeds will still do what wildflower seeds do.

Sufi saying: I was once like you; one day you will be like me.Saying of My Father: You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make ‘em drink.This book contains tales that show us our own idiocy. Fortunately, these tales also show us the antidote for this idiocy. The only remaining question is, are we willing to partake of the cure. These tales often involve real people who struggled but finally overcome their own worst elements. These people were no different than us. I read this book over 30 years ago. As I read this volume then, I often thought, ‘what is the point of this tale? I am nothing like that.’ Now, as I re-read these tales, I find myself in almost every one. Indeed, that is the key for you - finding yourself in these tales. By doing so, perhaps you can save 30-years of your life. Then find a teacher who can guide you out of your own idiocy.Best wishes on your journey.

The first sentence of the first story in this book states “THERE WAS ONCE a woman who had heard of the Fruit of Heaven.” The second sentence is “She coveted it.” There’s more, of course, in this short tale - advice, inevitable heedlessness, the requirements of time, and the invisible benefits of travel. But those first two sentences are a pretty good summation of what – whether real or illusory - appears to be offered to people in this area and what the offer may evoke as a reaction. It is typical of Shah and of this book that this “uninformed desire” is pinpointed in a few words. For that, alone, a book that’s worth the money. (The contradictory nature of the title, Wisdom of the Idiots, is explained in a Note at the front of the book.)

This book contains extraordinary short examples of thought and practical wisdom from some very profound people who lived in areas of the world outside the purview of standard Western education - modern day Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and so forth. For me, the collection was a fascinating read, and a genuine treasure itself, getting beyond stereotypes and useless thinking habits through exposure to short digestible narratives from these Sufi "idiots. To learn, as I did afterward, from the Wikipedia that Sufi masters like Bahaudin Naqshband lived as long ago as the 14th century was a stunning revelation. This kind of information belongs in corporate and government think tanks. Wisdom of the Idiots

Insights are never made by linear progressive effort but by upending what appears to be the truth and discovering an entirely different path. The methods of Sufis are experienced in this book. They are available to readers who have the key to unlocking the many doors encountered. What is the key? Clarity of vision, characteristic of innocent suspension of disbelief. "The Wisdom of Idiots" is a genuine measure of one's capacity.

Maybe it is better on a second reading, but I'm half way through and thinking about not reading the remainder. It's probably just me, but I don't find it very exciting, nor does it spur me into interesting puzzles and new thoughts. At this point, I can only give it three stars.

What an amazing book. Every word is a talking gem. Great messages from mystics collected in one book. An amazing read.

DAY AND NIGHT A scholar said to a Sufi: ‘You Sufis often say that our logical questions are incomprehensible to you. Can you give me an example of what they seem like to you?’ The Sufi said: ‘Here is such an example. I was once travelling by train and we went through seven tunnels. Opposite me was sitting a peasant who obviously had never been in a train before. ‘After the seventh tunnel, the peasant tapped me on the knee and said: ‘“ This train is too complicated. On my donkey I can get to my village in only one day. But by train, which seems to be travelling faster than a donkey, we have not yet arrived at my home, though the sun has risen and set seven whole times.”’Tantalizing & bottomless, Idries Shah’s practical tales of wisdom and folly beg to be reread. They reflect who we are, exercise our minds and help prepare us for greater understanding.

The Sufis are sometimes referred to as ‘idiots’ - a kind of nickname congenially accepted by their kind, partly because their knowledge makes them behave and speak in ways that seem irrational to the conventionally-minded. This fine book contains numerous stories and anecdotes dating back many hundreds years, demonstrating the above. It is yet another treasure in the Shah corpus of books whose purpose is partly to entertain, but more to clear the human mind of clutter and rutted trajectories of thought.

Took a while to arrive but it arrived nice and clean

The word 'idiot' shares the same numerical value as the word 'saint' in Arabic numerology. It is therefore used as a code word for saint in the title of this book. The book itself is a collection of teaching stories, accounts of encounters with Sufi luminaries, and some of their own sayings and guidance.I have read the book once previously but, like seems to be true of all real Sufi literature, completely new impacts jumped out at me when I reread it to write this review. Much of it completely passed me by on the first occasion, whereas this time it was a cornucopia of meaning. Such variation in effect over time is very interesting to experience.There is great emphasis through the book on being worthy of the teaching and taking the right attitude or posture towards it. It particularly struck me that, whereas I have previously seen the Sufi path as mysterious, tortuous, freighted with difficulties and pitfalls, actually it is probably the straightest of straight paths with the contortions and convolutions coming entirely from the waywardness of the student. I take heart, as did a previous reviewer, from the fact that some of the figures mentioned in tales achieved a level of wisdom despite unpromising beginnings.One of the most affecting passages for future contemplation was this from Suhrawardi - “Allow the Source of Being to maintain contact with you: ignore the impressions and opinions of your customary self. If this self were of value in your search, it would have found realisation for you. But all it can do is to depend on others.”In all this is a slim volume but so incredibly rich in guidance for the sincere seeker.