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Category Archives: Modaser Shah
From Simplicity through Contradiction to Paradox
by Modaser Shah The title is from a paper by the prodigious and acclaimed Indian analyst Salman Akhtar writing in a psychoanalytic journal. I imagine him to be a hidden Sufi or at least steeped in Sufi wisdom and literature. … Continue reading
Sanity Guides
by Modaser Shah “Wer den Wegweiser findet, sucht nun nicht nach einer weiteren Instruktion, sondern geht,” said Wittgenstein.¹ My translation of this is as follows: When one finds a guide(post), one doesn’t look for further instruction, one just goes. That … Continue reading
Posted in Modaser Shah, Original Essays
Tagged Ludwig Wittgenstein, Mansur and Nasruddin, philoshophy, religion, Sufi thought, Wittgenstein
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Confusion and Clarity and the In-between
by Modaser Shah Heinrich Racker, the well-known psychoanalyst from South America, notes in passing in a book that “clarity cannot be attained except through confusion,” a remarkable sentiment from a rather unexpected corner. Usually one expects this kind of insight … Continue reading
Nasruddin’s Walk: How to Fail Better
by Modaser Shah “We are still not where we are going, but we are still not where we were.”—Natasha Jasefowitz in 2500 Years of Wisdom by D.W.Brown “Menschen werden als Originale geboren, die meisten sterben als Schablonen.”—Kierkegaard in Ganzheitlicher KALENDER … Continue reading
Puzzled and/but Aware
by Modaser Shah Idries Shah says, “Religious thinking requires one to become worthy of something; magical thinking tries to cause or to create effects.” (Knowing How to Know) The Buddha is reported to have said that life was not a … Continue reading
Posted in Modaser Shah, Original Essays, Original Photography
Tagged Mullah Nasruddin tales, philosophy, Photography, Sufi teachings
3 Comments
God and Dice: What Would Nasruddin Say?
by Modaser Shah “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” —Joseph Chilton Pearce Mullah Nasruddin, as can be seen in the Sufi tales relating to his mis-adventures, embodied the creative life in this sense; he was … Continue reading
God and broken pipes
by Modaser Shah An Egyptian woman activist is quoted as saying that it is fine to chant Allahu Akbar but it won’t fix the broken pipe. Someone has to repair those broken pipes! What a deep thought this is; one … Continue reading
Posted in Modaser Shah, Original Essays
Tagged Mullah Nasruddin, philosophy, religion, religion and practicality
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The Razor’s Edge
by Modaser Shah Somerset Maugham’s well-known novel, The Razor’s Edge, is based on a Vedic dictum that goes something like this: “Verily, the path is like a razor’s edge.” Enlightenment lies at the very edge of the (internal) abyss. In … Continue reading
Posted in Modaser Shah, Original Essays
Tagged Benedetto Croce, Inspiration, mu-i, philosophy, Razor's Edge, religion, spirituality
2 Comments
A Heart Gathering the Scattered Thoughts of a Brain
by Modaser Shah The Sage of Hannibal, Mark Twain, said: “My life has been full of misfortunes, most of which never happened.” Here Mark Twain shows us how hard it is to surrender; the mind is very creative in inventing … Continue reading
Posted in Classic Teaching, Modaser Shah, Original Essays, Original Photography
Tagged Nasreddin, philosophy, religion, spirituality, Sufism
10 Comments
Of Monks and Mad Dogs
by Modaser Shah If memory serves, June 21 this year, The New York Times reported that a “radical” Buddhist monk in Burma declared, apropos the Muslim minority in that country, that although Buddhism enjoined love and compassion,”one can’t sleep next … Continue reading
Posted in Modaser Shah, Original Essays
Tagged philosophy, religion, spirituality, Stephen Grosz, Žižek
4 Comments
Sufi Ways 