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Reflections
- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Philosophy
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- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
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In Idries Shah's Wisdom of the Idiots, the "idiots" are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically knowledgeable. The stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose. On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes, and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
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- By Zehra on 19-08-19
-
Seeker After Truth
- By: Idries Shah
- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
A treasure house of teaching materials, assembled in the Sufi manner. Seeker After Truth contains both traditional tales and stories gleaned from contemporary sources, and snippets of table talk, discussions and teachings, letters, and lectures by Idries Shah. Taken together, it constitutes a handbook of materials designed to provoke a different kind of thought.
-
Oriental Magic
- By: Idries Shah
- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
Oriental Magic is recognized as a brilliant study of how, what and why people think, in territories extending from North Africa to Japan. The book is the product of years of research and fieldwork in a dozen different cultural regions. Its scholarly accuracy and genuine contribution to cultural understanding have made it a key text for anyone interested in informal beliefs and esoteric practices.
-
The World of the Sufi
- By: Idries Shah
- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Assembled by Idries Shah, The World of the Sufi is a comprehensive collection of learned essays and papers on the subject of Sufi thought. One of the book’s attractions is the way that it considers central questions and areas of study from different angles. Sufi literature, the use of humour, and Sufi communities in various cultural settings are some of the many subjects discussed. In addition, experts in their fields comment on areas such as Sufism and psychiatry, Indian thought and the Sufis, and therapy and the Sufi.
-
The Commanding Self
- By: Idries Shah
- Narrated by: David Ault
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
The Commanding Self, in Sufic terminology, is that mixture of the primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding. This audiobook was described by Shah as the key to understanding his entire corpus of work. While complete in itself as an anthology of hitherto unpublished work, it serves to illustrate and amplify Idries Shah’s preceding books on the Sufi Way.
-
The Places That Scare You
- A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
- By: Pema Chödrön
- Narrated by: Joanna Rotte
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Here Pema provides the tools to deal with the problems and difficulties that life throws our way. This wisdom is always available to us, she teaches, but we usually block it with habitual patterns rooted in fear. Beyond that fear lies a state of openheartedness and tenderness. This audiobook teaches us how to awaken our basic goodness and connect with others, to accept ourselves and others complete with faults and imperfections, and to stay in the present moment by seeing through the strategies of ego that cause us to resist life as it is.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing book, endlessly fascinating and wise.
- By Anonymous User on 04-02-21
Summary
Read by David Ault, this unabridged recording of Idries Shah's Reflections is a collection of Sufi fables, aphorisms, and statements that challenge the conditioned mind. The audiobook confronts the listener with unaccustomed perspectives and ideas in an attempt to set the mind free, to see how things really are.
As the book's foreword states, "Do you imagine that fables exist only to amuse or to instruct, and are based upon fiction? The best ones are delineations of what happens in real life, in the community and in the individual's mental processes."
When it was first published in 1968, Reflections was acclaimed by the BBC's The Critics program as an Outstanding Book of the Year.
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What listeners say about Reflections
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julian Hadlow
- 29-07-15
Great Rendition of a Favourite Book
Would you consider the audio edition of Reflections to be better than the print version?
This new audio version of Reflections is a great alternative for people on the move, those who just need a change from reading, anyone with little time, and people who need reading material in an audio format.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Reflections?
Reflections stimulates thought about a vast range of human issues, and the book also includes some useful tips on observing the human condition, both within oneself – and without.
What about David Ault’s performance did you like?
Definitely when David Ault emulates different voices!
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Reflections – Mirroring the Mind
Any additional comments?
I sometimes found judicious use of the pause button was helpful at the end of some quotations, giving me a little more time to digest what was said.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Zak
- 26-06-15
review
enjoyable book with plenty of wisdom but not for those not used to sufi type stories. Stories told can end abruptly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eddie Ford
- 16-06-15
Multi-faceted collection
What did you like most about Reflections?
Shah writes with rare precision and lucidity. He can strip a story down to its essential elements or explain complicated concepts with deceptively simple language.
What other book might you compare Reflections to, and why?
One difference between Reflections and some of his other collections like Thinkers of the East is that here Shah mixes in his own stories and observations along with the work of classical Sufi Masters.
Which character – as performed by David Ault – was your favourite?
Ault's first-rate reading serves the content well.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Sufism, superb writing, and fresh viewpoints on human behavior.