<p><em>Thinkers of the East</em>&nbsp;is a collection of anecdotes and &lsquo;parables in action&rsquo; illustrating the eminently practical and lucid approach of Eastern Dervish teachers.<br />
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Distilled from the teachings of more than one hundred sages in three continents, this material stresses the experimental rather than the theoretical &ndash; and it is that characteristic of Sufi study which provides its impact and vitality.<br />
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The emphasis of&nbsp;<em>Thinkers of the East</em>&nbsp;contrasts sharply with the Western concept of the East as a place of theory without practice, or thought without action. The book&rsquo;s author, Idries Shah, says &lsquo;Without direct experience of such teaching, or at least a direct recording of it, I cannot see how Eastern thought can ever be understood&rsquo;.</p>