Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Penguin (Non-Classics) (1972), Paperback, 206 pages
Description
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."
User reviews
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
Idries Shah presents a miscellany of anecdotes, aphorisms, allegories, and accounts in this heterogeneous book. Some of the information on Islam is surprisingly remedial, particularly in the two chapters that are memoirs of his pilgrimage to Mecca. The best part of the book is the middle section,
Show More
headed "Short Stories." These are a collection of Sufi teaching stories, averaging around three pages each, along with some editorial remarks on the method and purpose of initiatory narrative. Of these, my very favorite--the one that ensures the book a continuing place on my shelf--is "The Shrine," which is a Bektashi account of accidental onolatry. Show Less
LibraryThing member abdhakim
A book that you will enjoy reading and re-reading.
Subjects
Language
Physical description
206 p.; 7.1 inches
ISBN
0140034099 / 9780140034097