Caravan of Dreams - Paperback

by Idries Shah (Author)

Caravan of Dreams distills the essence of Eastern thought in a feast of stories, sayings, poems and allegories, collected by one of the world's leading experts in Oriental philosophy.

Idries Shah builds up a complete picture of a single consciousness, relating mythology to reality, illuminating historical patterns, and presenting philosophical legends in this unique anthology.

Its title is inspired from the couplet written by the Sufi mystic Bahaudin:

"Here we are, all of us: in a dream-caravan,

A caravan, but a dream - a dream, but a caravan.

And we know which are the dreams.Therein lies the hope."

Author Biography

Born in 1924 into an aristocratic Afghan family, Idries Shah created a large body of literary work, most of which considered elements of 'Eastern Thought', especially Sufism and Sufi thought. Some of his best known works include The Sufis and several collections of teaching stories featuring Nasrudin. Shah devoted his life to collecting, selecting and translating Sufi books and key works of Sufi classical literature, adapting them to the needs of the West and disseminating them in the Occident. Called by some 'practical philosophy', by others 'templates in straight thinking' - these works represent centuries of Sufi thought and Islamic thought aimed at the development of human potential to its fullest extent. They stress virtues such as commonsense, clear-thinking and humour to counter cant and religious dogma. As such they are vital works in the area of Islamic philosophy, and may be viewed as an antidote to radicalism and fanaticism much needed in the world today. Shah's books have been translated into dozens of languages, have sold in their millions, and are regarded as a cultural bridge between West and East. His work and contribution to Sufism are represented by The Idries Shah Foundation.