Learning How to Learn: Psychology and Spirituality in the Sufi Way

Humor, history, beauty, mental teasers: here are challenges to habitual and defensive thought. We must turn the stone over and examine its several sides. Shah can be compared to Socrates in his benevolent probing into our cherished but unexamined patterns of thought and action.Here Shah has translated and assembled a most considerate introduction to Sufi literature and practice. The way of the Sufi includes chapters on Sufism in the West, classical authors, Sufi masters, teaching stories and other topics. But this book is not just about the Sufi way, it forms a part of the Sufi Way in our time. Read with energy and an open (but not glib) mind, it can be an avenue for experiential learning.Enlightening, entertaining, engrossing, The Way of the Sufi just might affect the way you look at things and what you do.Exerpts: The Seed of Sufi KnowledgeThe true seed was made in Adam's time. The miracle of life, existence.It germinated in the period of Noah. The miracle of growth, rescue.By the time of Abraham it had sent forth brsanches. The miracle of fruit.The time of Jesus was that of the ripening of the yield. The lmiracle of tasting, joy.Mohammed's time saw the pressing of clear wine. The miracle of attainment, transformation. Bayazid Bistami What Looks After YouKnowledge is better than wealth. You have to look after wealth; knowledge looks after you. Ali The Thief and the BlanketA thief entered the house of a Sufi, and found nothing there. As he was leaving, the dervish perceived his disapppointment and threw him the blanket in which he was sleeping, so that he should not go away impty-handed.

In this book, Idries Shah describes how peoples' basic assumptions and conditioned thinking prevent them from learning. He portrays the average person's mind as a closed system which new information can't penetrate. Fortunately, Shah also casts light on ways people can break through their customary patterns of thinking. His suggestions, rooted in an ancient tradition based on observation and experience, may surprise you, as they did me. This is more than a book about "creativity." It is about the prerequisites needed to become fully human.

If I were forced to recommend one single book to practicing students of esoteric philiosophies, this would be the book. In fact, I've taught classes and workgroups using this book as the primer. I consider this Shah's masterwork, and the stimulus of a turning point in my own practice.

Essential, readable, based on common sense. Einstein had the insight that we must change how we think or destroy ourselves. This book indicates how. As one of many examples, the chapter on attention-exchange can be put to immediate practical use. The book sets a new standard of definition for the term "expertise" in the fields of psychology and the social sciences. I am guessing that this book will be treasured not just for years, but for centuries.

Learning How to Learn is for those who wish to learn more about Sufism or eastern psychologies, or who simply wish to have a better grasp on their own consciousness. It presents a fresh viewpoint on human psychology, learning and spirituality. The author illustrates that much of what we consider to be human thought is in reality little more than chains of habit or conditioning. Much of the book is in a question and answer format, presenting a comprehensive introduction to Sufic thought. As with all of Shah's books, this one is provocative. You begin to see the operation of automatic assumptions in your life, and you start to ask yourself some challenging questions: Am I really interested in learning, or or am I more interested in gaining attention, approval, reassurance, recognition, power, comfort, etc.? Shah presents illustrations, stories and anecdotes that help you see yourself more clearly. For example, "If you want to assess someone, look at what he does, and ignore his protestations of 'being serious' - at least for the moment. If he is acting seriously, you will be more inclined to accept his claim to be serious. If he is only saying it, no matter how strongly he may believe it, we can only conclude that he has little or no idea of what he is really doing, and ... he is first in need of elementary instruction in straight thinking." One of Shah's goals is to present the many sidedness and relevance of Sufic thought. He points out that Sufic instruction is highly individualized: What may be useful for one person, at a given time, in particular circumstances may well be inappropriate or even damaging for someone else, or at a different time, or in different circumstances. This may be contrasted with guruist approaches where one exercise or course of study is recommended for all comers. Shah is not trying to sell us a new set of rituals. He presents no panacea. He is not recruiting people to become dervish dancers or eastern scholars. He is not calling anyone to come and sit at his feet (rather the reverse, actually), nor even to send their money. Here he is presenting an overview of knowledge that is needed to become able to see fully, think clearly, act wisely, and attain one's full human potentiality. He illustrates that there often is considerable distance between those who actually are prepared to learn and those who merely believe they are. A first step in getting control of your learning is taken by recognizing the automatic assumptions and habitual reactions we all have that interfere with our growth and development. After we learn how to observe these, we can begin to break free from them.