Synopses & Reviews
This wise, funny, and compassionate book follows Gowins apprenticeship with Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, spiritual leader of the Sufi Order International. Until now, Pir Vilayats order has not had a strong, accessible introduction. This book not only provides that service but is more down-to-earth than most books on Sufism. It also has the advantage of being universalistic. The Sufi Way is not a religion or a component of a religion but the heart of all religions and spiritualities,” Gowins says. Because it is non-dogmatic and offers no catechisms or creeds, its teachers are essential. Gowins emerges as a superb teacher, offering a user-friendly guide to the Sufi Way that is at once valuable to any seeker entering any spiritual path. Gowins is quick to emphasize that Sufism is not the only path or even the right path for everyone. His approach is full of engaging stories and specific practices that could be helpful in many circumstances. Readers will benefit from his gentle Sufi teachings of love, tolerance, unity, and consciousness, no matter what their chosen path.
Review
I wish my father could have seen this book. It resounds with the trans-formative power and uplifting grace of the work to which he dedicated his life.
-Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Perhaps the greatest virtue of this book is the simple, clear and charming style in which it is written. Phillip avoids entirely getting involved in historical questions and exotic terminology, and offers instead a direct entrance into the mystical training of which Sufis have been renowned masters for many centuries. This is indeed practicals Sufism, practical mysticism, for all.
-Donald Graham, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion and the Editor-in-Chief of The Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan