The Magic Monastery

The Magic Monastery differs from its predecessors in that it contains not only traditional tales - mostly unpublished - but also stories specially written by Shah to complete the book as a "course in non-linear thinking". As with all of his works, The Magic Monastery is rich in thought-provoking material, and can be listened to and enjoyed at many levels.. The Magic MonasteryMany of Idries Shah's books are comprised of tales and teaching stories taken from both written and oral sources, which illustrate the instructional methods employed by Eastern wise men for thousands of years

What Is It About? The Magic Monastery is stated to be (title page) “Analogical and Action Philosophy of the Middle East and Central Asia.”. I presume this means a fusion of correspondence and conduct, but I may be wrong. The publishers describe it as a course in non-linear thinking.Perhaps a recent, very interesting review of Shah’s writings by John Zada, (Los Angeles Review of Book. "and I'd say that his books are the best self help I've found" according to Hilliard B. Grossman. I've been reading Idries Shah's books for over twenty years. I've also read many self-help books, and I'd say that his books are the best self help I've found, though when reading them it's not at all obvious that they're serving that function, or that I consciously understand them. Maybe that's why they're better.. "Similar to Tales of the Dervishes" according to Sarah C. I like this book a lot. It's the same type of book as Shah's Tales of The Dervishes. It's a lot of short stories that have several layers of meaning.