Search -
The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mullah Nasrudin
The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mullah Nasrudin Author:Idries Shah This is a collection of Sufi (Islamic mystics) teaching stories. Shah is famous for his many collections of them. I've read 10 of his books. They are invariably entertaining. The Sufi masters are referred to as idiots--they can appear as such to the uninitiated. Reminds one of some of the Hasidic and Elijah stories, Yogi Berra's quips, Tibetan B... more »uddhists masters of Crazy Wisdom, and the Peter Sellers movie "Being There." It's sometimes hard to tell if the protagonist knows what he's doing or not. Some of the stories are easily understood by the reader; some are more like Zen koans. I found this book among the best of the ones I've read of his. You might also try his "Wisdom of the Idiots" or "The Dermis Probe." The latter is Shah's term for the dilemma of the 3 blind men differing over their descriptions of an elephant.« less
The Mullah Nasrudin is a "wise fool." Sufis told short, funny stories about him, to illustrate lessons. This book tells the stories (which I enjoyed), but not the lessons. I really wish the lessons were included.