The Magic Monastery

by Idries Shah

This beautiful collection of stories is one of Shah's best-selling books, and a stirring example of the Sufi system of development at work in the world today. The Magic Monastery was the first book to include stories written by Shah, along with traditional tales illustrating the instructional methods employed by Middle Eastern sages during the last thousand years--mostly unpublished.

Genres: Religion, Islam, Spirituality

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Idries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.

In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.

Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."

Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim

Reviews

[Aubrey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing book can be read on many levels. It’s a complete course in non-linear thinking combining traditional tales from written and oral sources from the East and original stories especially written by Shah. Delightful & unexpected, they reveal aspects of life that we typically overlook. Here’s a little taste: Here’s a little taste:

Grain: The chicken had his wish, and was magically transformed into a fox. Then he found that he could not digest grain.

Success: A man went to a Sufi and said: ‘Teach me how to be successful.’ The Sufi said: ‘I will teach you more than that. I shall teach you to be generous to the unsuccessful. That will pave the way towards your own success, and give you far more. I shall also teach you how to be generous towards the successful; otherwise you will be liable to become bitter and unable to work towards success.’

[Ulrika Eriksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author and Sufi, Idries Shah, was a person that meant a lot to Doris Lessing. For me DL meant everything. Hers was a sane voice in an insane world, I thought, so that is how my life with the books of Idries Shah started.
The first time I read this book was about 40 years ago. I remember how I got swept away and marveled at the magic in the first story, The Magic Monastery. It didn't remind me of anything I'd ever read before, as well as the story Where it Starts didn't. Both are wonderful challenges to the worldview most of us have in these materialistic times.
The Magic Monastery contains Sufi teaching stories that can teach us about ourselves, collected by Idries Shah for a western reader of today. We can learn for example on page 134 how we have given rise to priests and their likes, and on page 161 how we act like polo-balls, about greed, heedlessness, vanity and why you shall not admire the peach too much.

[John Zada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of Shah’s amazing collection of anecdotes, fables, stories and dialogues, encapsulating an ancient form of wisdom which is at once ineffable yet profound.

The late Nobel prize-winning author Doris Lessing once wrote of this story form:

“A real teaching story, whether thousands of years old, or new, goes far beyond the parables that are still part of our culture. A parable has a simple message: this means that. But in a Sufi teaching story, there may be layers of meaning, some of them not to be verbalized…The meaning of a Sufi tale comes through contemplation, and may take years."

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

'While your greed makes it impossible for you tell self deceit from reality, there is nothing real which a dervish can show you- only deceit... Those whose food is self-deceit and imagination can only be fed with deception and imagination.' A quote from the first story. The Magic Monastery.... Sobering enough. Then there is the story, Disguise. A bee attempts to teach wasps how to make honey. He disguises himself as a wasp, because wasps don't like bees. And then and then.... Sobering too.
According to the preface, the book constitutes a harmonised whole, and is not just a selection of typical extracts. It is itself, a production from A Magic Monastery, and as such, a spell-binding read.

[Ita · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Magic Monastery’ is the book in the Idries Shah corpus which is devoted to Understanding.

It contains little known insights into human psychology. ‘The absence of sadness may create bitterness’ is one.

We are told that a Sufi said, ‘none can understand man until he realises the connection between greed, obligement and impossibility,’ adding that you should never look for understanding through conundrums when you can attain it through experience. The student, who was the recipient of this piece of information, was later brought to a shop where robes were sold. His teacher expressed interest in one robe on display, but requested a similar one with sequins and fur. The shopkeeper added these adornments to the original garment only to be told by the Sufi teacher that he wanted both garments. Everyday life is full of similar situations.

Gaining understanding is not just about reading statements, remembering them, and applying what you have learned. It is also about developing and exercising the capacity to judge by inner reality rather than external appearances. This capacity is like a jewel, which is only seen as such when the dirt surrounding it has been removed. Fake jewels are created by applying layers of glittering substance to any surface at all. Reliance on opinions, and the conditioning to which we are all exposed in everyday life are examples of this glitter. General rules and hypothetical examples, we are told, block the understanding as often as they assist it.

Throughout the book are the answers to many questions. ‘Which statement should one choose if two Sufi statements contradict one another?’ ‘How is it possible to comprehend the teachings of the Masters when so much of their behaviour is paradoxical, and frequently so very ordinary?’ And, very directly, ‘What is the source of your teaching?’

In the Sufi teachers we see understanding at its fullest development. Ever sensitive to the needs and vulnerabilities of their students, beyond what we have have become accustomed to, they see teaching as charity ‘which must be given secretly for the reason that the public display of charity is bad for the giver, for the receiver and for the observer. Teaching is like a nutrition, and its effects are not visible at the time it is being given.’

The teacher is also like the nightingale, who when asked by the other birds in the forest why he was singing, said ‘I am trying to please you with my song.’ ‘That,’ he confided to another nightingale, ‘was an aim which they could understand.’

[Robs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it possible to take the content of a monastery and transform the experience it aims to induce into a collection of glue paper and ink that fits inside a coat pocket? I don't know, do you?

[Kevan Bowkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of stories and teaching-narratives, told (or retold) by Afghan author Idries Shah. The book asserts that these tales are part of the 'analogical and action philosophy' of the Sufi teachers, whose most publicly-visible representatives have been Middle Eastern. The Magic Monastery can serve as a vivid introduction to Sufi thought and action; it also forms part of a course of study in Sufism. Such piquant tales as 'The Self-Congratulating Fruit,' or 'Scientific Advance,' or the sidesplittingly funny 'Oatland Story,' or the title piece, are well worth the cost of admission. With repeated readings the stories yield different meanings: all will repay repeated attention.

DETAILS:

First published: London: The Octagon Press, 1972.
Scheduled to be reissued by ISF Publishing in the next two years (http://isf-publishing.org/).
Written by Afghan author Idries Shah, notable traveler, collector of stories, and commentator upon the Sufis.
208 pages, hardcover and paperback.

The subtitle of this book is "Analogical and Action Philosophy of the Middle East and Central Asia"; and accordingly it appears to include materials with multiple meanings as well as giving examples of the practice of the Sufi philosophy. The book represents itself as "a course in non-linear thinking," "a representative cross-section of Sufi teaching which constitutes a harmonized whole."

The Magic Monastery is a vigorous, upbeat collection of tales and illustrative anecdotes -- some traditional, some written by Shah -- which are educational and entertaining at the same time and which seem to yield more meaning the more they are reflected upon.

Here are some:

Cat and Rabbit

A cat said:
'Rabbits are not worth teaching! Here am I, offering cheap lessons in catching mice -- and not a single rabbit taker!'

Evaluate

'Always evaluate evidence critically,' said a wise man of the Land of Fools to one of his students.
'Now I shall test you on feasibility. Suppose I were to say: "Climb up that moonbeam", what would you answer?'
'I would say: "I might slip on the way up".'
'Wrong! You should have thought of chopping footholds with an axe.'

How can it Mean Anything?

A group of merchants asked a certain disciple:
'How can this Sufi nonsense mean anything to you?'
He said:
'Because it means everything to those whom I respect.'

It seems almost superfluous to review this book, other than to direct attention to it, since it's hard to convey the feel of the book or its content in a review. The best thing to do is "taste" it yourself. There's also the matter in this review of arbitrary selection based on what I find especially interesting or think might interest readers -- this does not seem at all the same thing as the "harmonized whole" of the book itself. The book compared to this review is like tasting an ice cream compared to hearing about it. With this proviso I'll make a few more remarks.

An illustration of someone actually learning (rather than being indoctrinated) appears to be contained in "The Self-Congratulating Fruit," which deals also with how we can be exposed to learning materials without actually learning from them.

Use of patterns in Sufi study is a theme addressed in "Prisoner."

Psychological sensitivity and the keeping in balance of several factors -- thinking in a non-linear fashion, seemingly -- are exemplified in "The Realm." Indeed psychological insight appears throughout: "Hidden Hand" and "At the Crossroads" are a few of many examples. In the latter, a Sufi master and a disciple spend a day at a crossroads, where many people approach them with questions, remarks, or to pass the time. But the Sufi master makes no response to any of them. Finally a peasant comes by with a heavy load and asks for directions. "The Sufi immediately stood up, took the man's burden on his own shoulders and conducted him a part of the way along the right road. Then he returned to the crossroads.
The young disciple asked:
'Was that man, miserable peasant though he looked, really a saint in disguise, one of the secret wanderers of high rank?'
The Sufi sighed and said:
'He was the only person whom we have seen today who really sought the object which he claimed to want.'"

The stories seem to have more value, or impact, or impression, if one resists the initial impulse to guffaw or regard them as trite potted wisdom, and dismiss them. Going back to them at different times can yield more meaning, depths or significances that remain invisible while one is in the state of "Oh yes how clever, what a wit, moving on...." Elsewhere Shah has underlined the usefulness of remaining "innocent" with respect to these stories, in order to extract their meanings.

Showing ourselves to ourselves, and our attitudes toward ancient or distant cultures, perhaps, are some of the effects of "Fantasy."

"Zaky and the Dove," in addition to being a wonderful tale, appears to include important themes for reflection -- such as the risks of concentrating on the wrong thing.

Vital material for how to learn in Sufism seems to be contained in "Service":

'And after you had perfected your Service, did the Baba confide the teachings to you?'
Hamid said:
'As soon as I was able to serve, I was able to understand. What I understood resided in the surroundings prepared for us by the Baba. The place, the others there, the actions, could be read as if he had painted a picture of the mysterious realities in their own language.'

And also in "Duty":

'Who, then is it who does become illuminated?'
The Sufi replied:
'The illuminated are those who perform duties adequately, realizing that there is something beyond.'
'But how is that "something beyond" to be reached?'
'It is always reached by those who perform adequately. They need no further instruction. If you were doing your duty adequately, and were neither neglectful nor fanatically attached to it, you would not have had to ask the question.'

There is a good deal of pointed humour here, too, unsurprising given the role of humour in Sufi teaching: for instance, "Three Epochs," "Stop Og Now...", and the hilarious "Oatland Story." The book's very modern tone is also conveyed by these stories, as well as many others, like "The Botanists" and "Scientific Advance." And speaking of modernity, it seems to me that "Evaluate," quoted above, could be usefully included in the teaching we provide for scientists, scholars, and in general people who are supposed to think critically. (Although again, here, there is the question of mere adoption of bits out of that "harmonized whole," as it is intended to be.)

"The Elixir" helps us distinguish the essential from the superficial in trying to approach Sufism: A man asks a wise man for help in learning from his Sufi teacher. The wise man gives him an elixir to add daily to the teacher's food. Also a behavioral prescription: "At the same time make sure that you serve him and do everything which he says, not for the time being making any attempt to see meanings in his actions, or to trick him into conversations." Soon the student is gaining perceptions and abilities. He returns to the wise man and tells him so:
"'He said: "And is that why you have come?"
'I said: "I have also come for a little more of the magical elixir, for the quantity which you gave me is exhausted."
'He at once smiled and answered: "You may now stop giving your teacher drops of inert water -- the "Elixir" -- and continue with the special behaviour which I prescribed for you."'

Sheer good storytelling is exampled throughout. One of my favourites is "The Mirror, the Cup and the Goldsmith."

The anecdote "Meatballs" also seems to contain a great deal.

As for the title piece, I won't comment on it: read it yourself!

The book's well worth reading, enjoying, and reflecting upon.

[Talbot Hook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of nice fables and tales here, though they are sadly broken up by Shah's own intrusions, which cast a pall over the rest of the stories. While the older fables (though I do not know how old these are nor where they originate) are keen observations on human nature, Shah's tend toward the witty and acerbic; they are mostly remarks on society, science, and behavior. But the rest of the teachings seem to contain a nice core, which Shah presents cohesively and playfully. (That said, I'm still not quite sure what Sufi wisdom actually consists in.) The Sufis, I gather, were not greatly egalitarian in their evaluation of humans (which is a strange new world to our modern one, where anyone is capable of anything) — wisdom you have the capacity for, or you don't. (They are also fond of the term "fool.") As always with these spiritual meditations, there's enough on a page for a whole day (or more), if one is careful.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This recent addition to the very attractive new editions of Idries Shah's books, like several others consists of sharply written short stories, a paragraph or page or two long, with, as the blurb says, stories specially written by Shah to complete the book as a course in non-linear thinking. One of my favourites of these is the Man and the Snail. This is very funny, quite wacky and utterly plausible.
But these stories are not there just for their humour, but make clear our ways in which our thinking is so restricted, blinkered. If we are not aware of something because of our blinkers, just trying to be aware is not enough. These stories can help us to realise there is stuff we are not seeing.
If you are not ready yet to buy the book you can read it online at the ISF website,
https://idriesshahfoundation.org/read...

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, and disappointingly so as the book falls into a favorite genre (Sufi/mystical short stories/teachings). As a 'course in non-linear thinking,' the book fits the purpose. As potential for conection with deep spiritual meaning, it misses, at least for me. The stories included that are clearly from older masters I found much more relatable. The author however also includes stories of their own (modern) telling, with little warning, and those I found jarring and unrelatable. In part this was due to juxtaposition, in part due to theme shifts. While there are a few gems included in this book, generally speaking it's not worth the time I took to read it.

[Kricentofantigmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insightful stories that further human understanding

This collections of Stories and anecdotes is a magical journey that provides useful psychological tools to observe human behaviour in oneself and others. No preaching, no mysticism, no moralising, just clear and thoughtful insight. I return to it over and over again and find new elements that help with problem solving, understanding my own attitudes and those of our fellow human beings.

[John Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of teaching stories and tales, and the first story (The Magic Monastery) tells it all: we are trapped in our perceptions, unwilling or ignorant of how to exit into a larger space of connection. This book along with many others of Shah's helps us go there in a fun and enlightening manner.

[Dan Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MAGIC MONASTERY follows the format of a number of Idries Shah’s other books, in that it contains Sufi tales and anecdotes whose multiple layers of meaning are available to the interested and patient reader. But as he notes in the preface, whereas the other collections contain only traditional tales, some of them hundreds of years old, THE MAGIC MONASTERY also includes those that are in traditional format but were composed by Shah himself when he couldn’t find an extant equivalent that the totality of the work required. The result, he writes, is not only a “representative cross-section of Sufi teaching,” but one that “constitutes a harmonized whole.” I found this book at once fascinating, bracing and well worth the effort of multiple readings. Some of the anecdotes I found most memorable are “The Oatlands Story,” “Zaky and the Dove,” “Stop Og Now…,” “The Man and the Snail” and the one that gives this book its title.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the uniformly attractive reissue by ISF of Shah's books, but uniformity is far from true of the content. The Magic Monastery is a collection of short stories, many traditional, but others created by Shah to, as the blurb tells us, complete the book as a 'course in non-linear thinking'. Everyone will have favourites of these, but mine is the story of the man and the snail. I often think of it, with a smile and complete sympathy for the snail's point of view. It's worth getting the book to read it, ( or you can see it free online on the ISF website), but perhaps totally other stories will enchant you.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. Have a read. While your greed makes it impossible for you tell self deceit from reality, there is nothing real which a dervish can show you- only deceit... Those whose food is self-deceit and imagination can only be fed with deception and imagination.' A quote from the first story. The Magic Monastery..........Sobering enough. Then there is the story, Disguise. A bee attempts to teach wasps how to make honey. He disguises himself as a wasp, because wasps don't like bees. And then and then........Sobering too. According to the preface, the book constitutes a harmonised whole, and is not just a selection of typical extracts. It is itself, a production from A Magic Monastery, and as such, a spell-binding read.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of Shah's books, The Magic Monastery contains a collection of traditional stories. However, this one also has stories written by Shah, which were designed to make the book into a course on non-linear thinking. It is not a simple random selection of good stories: it is a harmonized whole.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just got hold of the latest edition of this marvellous book, published by the Idries Shah Foundation. I enjoy the feel of these new print on demand editions, a good 'heft' to them, clear print and coated covers. The content however remains as thought-provoking and baffling as ever. This is a book to read and reread - which is why I strongly welcome this new edition.

[John Edward Handfoth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly entertaining and absorbing book by Idries Shah. Full of stories, anecdotes, proverbs, quotations, and commentary this books is also designed to induce movement in the mind of the reader and promote new insights, in the tradition of Sufi materials. As always, Shah's lucid and precise prose and his ability to tell a story fully, but without any 'fat' shine through.

[Vilis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brīžiem apgaismojuši, bet lielākoties didaktiski sūfisma pastāsti; dažus no tiem iztulkoju blogā: http://vkasims.wordpress.com/2012/08/...

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Sufi teaching tales from Idries Shah.

[David Linsday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amusing. One of the thing I like about any of his books is the way he makes everything appear obvious.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have reviewed a previous edition of this book. The contents remain as beguiling as ever, but I welcome this very attractive POD reprint.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! The stories are charming and honestly they made me think.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Singularly interesting...

[Shai · Rating 4 out of 5]

:) lovely