Sufi Tradition in West

by Omar Ali-Shah

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883816009
• ISBN13: 9781883816001
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Alif Publishing Corp
• Length: 235 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Perfumed Scorpion

I have always found 'Sufism' quite intriguing but after watching the great harm done to persons I have known by the Gurdjieff 'work'I have often wondered at the sources and inter-connections with the outstanding legacy of this quick-change artistry that is 'never an ism'. That of course is a lost cause since the 'esoteric' mindgames and bait and switch tactics of these groups (the majority of which are entirely good hearted and harmless nonsense) makes sizing them up virtually impossible, a situation made worse by the complete incomprehension of western psychological authorities and therapists producing their own condemnations. Yet I had often wondered that Sufis had never to my knowledge quite disowned the man Gurdjieff, at least to my knowledge. Coming across this book then I was interested to see a discussion of this very issue, and a distancing critique of what apparently is a Naqsbandi source. The book speaks of the confusion created in the West by the Gurdjieff work and the odd compedia of pseudo-knowledge in the works of Ouspensky. So I would leave it at that. Here is a recognized Sufi suggesting the difficulty and thus clarifying the false Sufi mystique generated by Gurdjieff advertisement outfits. However, I was somewhat disconcerted first by the suggestion that Gurdjieff had simply absconded from Sufis without a 'mandate' and, secondly, by the citation of the work 'Teachers of Gurdjieff' by Rafael Lefort, purporting to show Gurdjieff's training in Sufism. My problem with this evidence is that the book is surely bogus and anyone who cites it is either no sufi or attempting to cover up something. Probably the fact that Gurdjieff had an unwritten mandate and this is the way Sufis do business, in the shadows. Whatever the case, the issue of mandates is surely hopeless with Sufis. Gurdjieff had no mandate, neither did Al Capone. The mere suggestion this is all he lacked must surely be a form of humour. Whatever else we say about Gurdjieff he gave the game away, so to speak, and in the process dragged Sufism into the open society where it cannot survive long in its current form, at least in the West. No 'Sufi Tradition' can really help, if, as Gurdjieff plainly shew, such a tradition cannot demonstrate any grasp of the realities of world history and modernism, and must operate behind an extreme authoritarianism and veiled hatred of democracy. The age of the gurus and sheiks is faring badly these days, and the legacy of Sufism, however illustrious its deep history, cannot inflict its esoteric domination for long on the quite different mindset of contemporary man. In any case, there are no mandates for Sufism, that, at least, Gurdjieff made clear even as he so cleverly wrought the mystique of the occult sage on those suggestible in this fashion. There are no Sufis then, nor mandates for such. Let that be the end of it. Let us hope those harmed by these illusions can find sanity by another route home.

Extremely practical, a Mechanics view of the human machine!

Mr. Omar Ali-Shah presents a path that is practical and down to earth. The book gives a clear idea of the purpose of why and how Sufi techniques are used to help man develop an awareness of his being and the "reality" of his evolving condition.As a good "mechanic of the human engine" Mr. Omar Ali-Shah describes aspects of our lives' functioning, and brings us face to face with that great deluder of reality: human conditioning. As a Sufi master he presents a philosophy and a series of techniques, based on the Sufi Tradition, developed with the purpose of helping man see by himself the shortcomings of the way he approaches life and the existence of a more "harmonious" way of living.In some chapters of the book Mr. Ali-Shah gives us a glimpse at the history of the Sufi Tradition in the West, and clarifies the relationship of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky with this ancient philosophy. It is quite a revelation!Look, observe yourself and then ! compare with what Mr. Ali-Shah says in the book, I am sure that you will be surprise at the accuracy with which he describes the way we think and function. This is a book to read and reflect upon, no on a passive way, but rather in an active and practical manner. "The Sufi Tradition in the West" is the type of book that provides us with a seed that can be planted within ourselves, it is up to us to water and care for it.

hands on guidance for those who wish to travel with purpose.

This book is timely, because it clearly states what in the West is compatible with this very ancient body of thought, as well as what is incompatible. This message is not put over in any excoriating or disparaging way, but with wit, tenderness, and the exasperated patience of a cat playing with her young. Not only is this book a lucid account of what the Sufi Tradition can mean to the individual, it also casts a beady eye at many contemporary sacred cows, providing a highly useful "distanced view" of today's world, even to someone not specifically seeking out the Sufi Tradition. "I can build a bicycle and I can show you how to ride it, but I cannot ride it for you. If you fall off, I'll pick you up, but eventually you learn to ride it yourself". A quote from Agha, the Sayed Omar Ali-Shah