Sufi Thought, Experience and Teaching
Cultural and Psychological Problems of the Commanding Self
Introduction
The Pit...
Purpose of Study and Research
Section I
Outworn Techniques
Recruitment and Education
Understanding Oneself
Criticism and Learning
Why Should I Change Now?
Science and Philosophy
Human Development
The Quality of One’s Search
The World
The Short Cut
Ass and Camel
Telling the Time
The Teacher
Knife and Fork...
Mystical Formulas
Repeatable Experiments
How Things Seem to Be
Misunderstood
Simplifying Sufi Teaching
Perils of Imitation
The Mouse and the Elephant
Intolerable Mishmash?
Appearance and Content in Sufi Tales
Supreme Importance
What it is Really Like
Escape
Inner Space
Section II
Three Significant Modes of Human Organisation and Learning
‘The Donkey which Brought You Here...’
Timing
Look to the End
Adventurous Frogs
Heat and Thirst
The Conversation of the Birds
Imagination
The Birds
Knowledge or Experiment?
Sweet Water
Direct and Indirect Learning
Starting to Learn
Advice and Seeking
The High Cost of Learning
Whom Do You Imitate?
Deeper Things Affect Surface Ones
People ‘On Different Levels’
Uncertainty, Dissatisfaction, Confusion
Time and Occasion
Approaching Eastern Teachings
Meditation and Other Topics
Section III
Quality, Quantity and Time
Flavour
Right and Wrong Study
Trust
Inconsequential
Value for Money
Bombardment
Stolen Property
The Five Animals
Your Share and Mine
Arguing with Gifts...
Ants
Finding a Teacher
How to Tell
Imitators
Today He Understands...
The Cook
Major and Minor Actions
The Indian Teacher
Whose Animals?
Illiberal Behaviour of Sufis
Being Rude to People
Opening Another Door
Fierce and Mild
What is a Dervish?
The Dervish and the Disciple
Dervish, Sufi, Disciple
The Trick
What a Teacher Is
The Chess-Players
Way of Teaching...
The Rope
Wisdom of the West
Section IV
Hypocrite
On The Way...
The Shroud Has No Pockets
Both Sides of the Road
Doctor and Patient
Maximum Effort
Duality
Two Swords
Confrontation and Support
Rukhsa
Etiquette
Fellow Feeling
Fate
Living Forever
The Raft
Impossible
Sincerity and Truth
Eastward Journeys
The Magic Potion of Onkink
Knock Quietly
Clockwise
Meaning of Words and Experiences
Things You Cannot Say
The Rich Man’s State
Car Keys
Section V
Eight Analogies
The Need to Understand Restrictive Roles
Work
Frozen Attention
Heedlessness
Revealing His True Nature
Hypocrisy
Missed the Point...
Black and Blue
The Barriers
Undigested
Apricot Pies
Loading and Unloading
Diet of Grapes
Attention
When is Learning Not Indoctrination?
Connection Between the Traditions
‘Barbarians’
The Refined Barbarian
How to Measure Human Development
Laws and the Teacher
Upper Class
Justification
The Machine
Translations
Section VI
Questions
Negligence
Cyclic
Why Questions are Asked
Why People Ask Questions
Answer
No Answer
Letters and Answers
Rhetoric
Idealism
Remembering Conversations
Too Vague
Prisons of Thought
Discouraging
The Importance of Intention
Nature
The Boat
Superficial Reading
Writing
The Shade Without the Tree
Dervish Literature
Meaning of Biographies
Section VII
Religious or Sufi Presentation
Which Is Which?
Invincible Ignorance
Sufis and Cultists
Conditioning
Deception
Gods and Demons
Prayer
Demons
Hero or Ignoramus?
Publicity
The People of God
Easier...
Idiot
Distress
Displacement Activity
Emergency
What They Respond To
Levitation
Blinding Them with Science
The Two-Thirty
The People Who Impress Us
Valuable Secrets
Piety
Believing
Human Beliefs
No Better Proof...
Spiritual Teachers
Gold Talks, Not Belief
The Moth and the Soot
Intake
Earth, Sun, Black Cats...
Warning
Travelling Tales
Miracles...
Names
Missionaries
Rice
Section VIII
Sacred Rituals, Dances, Ceremonials
‘Togetherness’
Deterioration of Costumes
To Be Present
The Mystics
Yoga and Illumination
The ‘Work’ Situation
The ‘Work’ Situation II
Ancient Monuments
Special Meanings in Service
Symbols, Especially the Enneagon
Origin of Planetary Symbols
About Recognition...
Secret Meaning of Reincarnation Theory
Laboratory Experiments
Studying Here and Now
Dangers of Automatic Reasoning
How I See You
Not For You
Preconditions...
Telepathy
Curiosity
Section IX
A Little Anthropology
More Anthropology
How the World Works
Chewing
The Fisherman’s Neighbour
Denunciation
Trifles
Humility
Advisable
Analogy
Nice
Consciousness of Good
How Many Miles…?
Patience, Faith and Honour
The Valiant Trader-Knight
Hoard
Music and Goodness
Inner Value of Music
Behind the Image
Path of Blame
Perspective
Spirituality and Materialism
Possession and Possessing
Problems of the World
Exchange
The Diamond
Irritated
How to Get a Job
The Demon and the Happy Couple