SUFIS & SUFISM & IDRIES SHAH

Many students of religion, the occult, the unusual, etc. have read some things about SUFIS & SUFISM and perhaps some works by IDRIES SHAH, who is a controversial figure and I have been putting off discussing him for several reasons but perhaps now is the time to say a little something. M first readings in SUFISM, as far as I can recollect, began with the works of HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN,though I had read about Islam, Bahaism, and similar aspects previously and also encountered some things in my readings later on in the works of JOHN G. BENNETT,where he talks about GURDJIEFF, THE SUFIS, AND IDRIES SHAH of whom he became a 'disciple',etc. and then went his own way for several reasons that are still being mentioned, argued, and discussed in various ways and from various positions and stances and perspectives. Actually I had heard about IDRIES SHAH from his first book that I read before I knew he was a 'sufi' and that was his book on ORIENTAL MAGIC which really dealt with magic and subjects that are more apt to be 'western' and I shall have to reread this book which has some interesting things in it. So why discuss all this here under THE WAY OF THE FAKIR? SUFIS are sometimes called DERVISHES(several spelling differences and definitions and origins exist) and are closely related and identified with fakirs, both in Islam and in Yoga or Hinduism,with all the characteristics ascribed to them or attributed to them,whether accurate or not. After reading a lot of things on the internet about Idries Shah, it becomes apparent that he has written and published extensively and his writings have been most influential if not always accurate, or designed for a special effect, which some attribute to a quest for 'power' or 'recognition' if not wealth. Others see him a 'real sufi' and 'spiritual teacher' and not as self-werving in his actions as he appears to many, usually outsiders or partisans of other philosophies. The bigger faction on whose toes he has apparently stepped and also irritated are those who follow GURDJIEFF and it is easy to see why this is so if one actually reads the criticisms and conclusions and descriptions of this 'conflict' and more so if one has actually read anything by GURDJIEFF himself or by his foremost followers who tend to repudiate all that has come out of the pen of IDRIES SHAH and his supporters. If the contentions of those who oppose Shah's suppositions and statements about Gurdjieff and his system,etc. are looked at you will see that Shah is not the only one to perhaps at the very least to appropriate sections and ideas,etc. found in the Teachings of Gurdjieff, nor will he be the last to do so. Shah might well convince others, as he did Bennett, that he was a 'successor' to Gurdjieff and his actual statements and considerations that might lead one to assume this are far too lengthy to examine here in this blog right now. I shall reserve judgment on IDRIES SHAH until all the notions and arguments have been given for all of this and more exacting proofs given for both camps or of any camp per se. My reason is that Shah, like Gurdjieff, and perhaps a few others, may well have taken on the 'ROLE' of chalatan, magician, 'devil', 'clown', etc. and taken up the 'way of blame' or something similar. This means that one will receive a good deal of revilement, criticism, vituperation, rumour & scandal, and other negative associations about them and their work, deserved or not, as this path brings such. IDRIES SHAH has,perhaps if such can be fully proven, adopted many titles, real or false or imaginary, as well as many pseudonyms and pen-names, and so forth, a practice many spiritual,occult, and esoteric teachers and writers are apt to do and do very much, as well as inventing and enhancing titles, certificates, ranks, abilities, claims,etc. all to perhaps impress as well as to conceal things about themselves, for quite a number of reasons,none of which may seem obvious to those who have not traveled down this path of 'special deception' that 'the sly man' uses, especially to obscure the origins of his thoughts and ideas and system(s),etc. The history of such persons is quite extensive and I leave it up to those interested to discover the greater majority of them for themselves. One particular book intrigued me over the years has the title,SECRET SOCIETIES by an author called AKRON DAURAL and which seems to be first hand accounts, for the most part, on occult and esoteric experiences, groups, and cults and the like and this has led to the conclusion that IDRIES SHAH is the actual author. Aside from this a book, titled 'THE TEACHERS OF GURDJIEFF by a Rafael LeFort(real effort?) is also ascribed to the authorship of Idries Shah. I must confess that at one time I had the book and devoured it and almost succumbed to the contents since it was 'fascinating' until I read later about the origin and reason for the book by critics,etc. Another book, a third one titled, AMONG THE DERVISHES by OMAR MICHEAL BURKE is attributed to Shah and after reading it I find it has some interesting things in it that do appear to have some weight behind them but also which raise a number of questions too numerous to ask here at this time. In particular, I did find the section called 'FURTHER READING' of interest for its comments about each book or reference given. It is strange that in this section a good deal of 'GURDJIEFFIAN' works available are listed for readers to 'further read' and one wonders what they will conclude after reading such? Will they then prefer BURKE'S book on dervishes or the others?

THE FIRST ROOM OR THE FIRST HOUSE

THE HOUSE OR CASTLE or FORTRESS there are FOUR SPECIAL ROOMS and THE WAY OF THE FAKIR is the FIRST ROOM that many enter and is analogous to the HUMAN BODY or bodily existence,which allows our movement in this world, this dimension(s),etc. and from which we must launch our excursions into the other rooms, provided we have THE KEYS TO THE LOCKS which lead to the KINGDOM which is the FOURTH ROOM. The danger of all the rooms is this:THEY ALL MAY BE EMPTY!

THE WAY OF THE DERVISH

Dervishes are considered to be fakirs/magicians/ wonderworkers/ fanatics/ ascetics/ mystics and even yogis. Yogis are said to keep an eye on them, whatever that means, possibly to either exploit them, benefit from them or to study and analyze their practices, rites, rituals, sacrifices, and suffering(s) or to assist them towards a 'higher development' or possible 'evolution'. KMany of these groups seem more like 'entertainers' and sometimes 'fortune tellers' or 'soothsayers' and naturally some are out- and- out chalatans posings as 'holy men' and the like. As performers in public or open areas, they have an appeal to the curious and the ones who are looking for 'miracles' or 'powers' or 'wonders' and the like. If you look at the early collectors of such things, like Ripley, then you can see how there is a fascination for such in the 'civilized', 'educated', 'cultured' world. I began my interest in such from not only BELIEVE IT OR NOT in the papers,etc. but from reading Paul Brunton's A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT which is still a great read and has some photos on the things he saw and did. His other book, A SEARCH IN SECRET INDIA, I did not read until many,many years later. I also have read a few others of his books. BRUNTON, like so many others, ended up at the feet of HIS GURU, RAMANA MAHARISHI, of whom I shall have more to say along with Brunton and others in THE WAY OF THE YOGI.