This is a collection of various Sufi tales---some more well-known than others. The stories are all entertaining and conducive to contemplation and edification, but being first published in 1970 it may be an early work of Idries Shah and thus suffers from an excess of eruditeness. The grammar and phrasing seem designed to elicit the flavor of the Arabian Nights tales and of an era of florid and stretched elegance in phraseology. I found it a bit distracting and unnecessary. Sure, this isn't the Mullah Nasruddin, but it just came across a bit stilted and unnecessary. In spite of this caveat it's a good read and you may (or may not) learn any lessons from it. ( )

I first encountered this book in 1970 in what officially was an English Composition class but was really a class in, for me, radically different ways of thinking. Among the texts was this book, my first introduction to Eastern religion, a collection of Sufi teaching stories. The stories are a form of parable, but intended to be understood differently according to the ability of the listener/reader. Some of them I still vividly recall and have used in conversations with friends and therapy clients. I went on to study with a Sufi guide for a while, and learned from him a Sufi meditation practice aimed at increasing intuition and creativity that seemed to open up a kind of 6th sense while I was doing it daily. Remarkable stuff. I've since migrated to Buddhist practices, but I continue to find the Sufi teachings and practices intriguing, and for me they started here. ( )