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Sufism and the Way of Blame: Hidden Sources of a Sacred Psychology Paperback – April 1, 2011
by Yannis Toussulis PhD (Author), Robert Abdul Hayy Darr (Foreword)
3.9 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Gold Winner of the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Award and the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award!
This is a definitive book on the Sufi "way of blame" that addresses the cultural life of Sufism in its entirety. Originating in ninth-century Persia, the "way of blame" (Arab. malamatiyya) is a little-known tradition within larger Sufism that focused on the psychology of egoism and engaged in self-critique. Later, the term referred to those Sufis who shunned Islamic literalism and formalism, thus being worthy of "blame." Yannis Toussulis may be the first to explore the relation between this controversial movement and the larger tradition of Sufism, as well as between Sufism and Islam generally, throughout history to the present. Both a Western professor of the psychology of religion and a Sufi practitioner, Toussulis has studied malamatiyya for over a decade. Explaining Sufism as a lifelong practice to become a "perfect mirror in which God contemplates Himself," he draws on and critiques contemporary interpretations by G. I Gurdjieff, J. G. Bennett, and Idries Shah, as well as on Frithjof Schuon, Martin Lings, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. He also contributes personal research conducted with one of the last living representatives of the way of blame in Turkey today, Mehmet Selim Ozic.
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Print length
280 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Quest Books
Publication date
April 1, 2011
Dimensions
6.22 x 0.8 x 8.98 inches
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Explaining Sufism as a lifelong practice to become a 'perfect mirror in which God contemplates Himself,' he (Toussulis) draws on and critiques contemporary interpretations by G. I Gurdjieff, J. G. Bennett, and dries Shah, as well as on Frithjof Schuon, Martin Lings, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. He also contributes personal research conducted with one of the last living representatives of the way of blame in Turkey today, Mehmet Selim Ozic." --New Consciousness Review ― Reviews
"At last! - a trustworthy book on the blame-worthy ones. -Peter Lamborn Wilson (a.k.a. Hakim Bey), author of Scandal: Essays in Islamic Heresy, co-author of The Drunken Universe: An anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry and Green Hermeticism: Alchemy and Ecology ― Reviews
"Dr.Yannis Toussulis has written the definitive study of Malamati Sufism . . --Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, co-author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of Early Hasidic Masters ― Reviews
". . . a critical assessment of the history, context, and spiritual significance of one of the most important yet hidden traditions within Islamic mysticism . . (the "way of blame") cuts to the bone, and points to what a mature spirituality could be." --Kabir Helminski, author of Living Presence and The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation; translator of Rumi, and Sufi teacher ― Reviews
". . . surpasses any book on the topic currently in print. This is an authoritative volume, and one badly needed at this time." --Stanley Krippner, PhD; Recipient of the Ashley Montagu Award, Professor of Psychology, Saybrook University; co-author of Personal Mythology ― Reviews
"Dr.Yannis Toussulis has written the definitive study of Malamati Sufism . . --Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, co-author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of Early Hasidic Masters
― Reviews
About the Author
Yannis Toussulis, Ph.D. earned his doctoral degree in psychology with an emphasis in human science research from Saybrook University (1995). He also holds an M.A. in psychology with an emphasis in existential counseling and psychotherapy from Lone Mountain College (1975). Dr. Toussulis is former Co-Director of the Consciousness Studies Program in the Graduate Department of Psychology at Antioch University/West, where he also spent over 14 years teaching. For the past ten years he has taught the psychology of intercultural conflict as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of International Policy Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and he has also served as an associate faculty member at the Starr King Divinity School at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Dr. Toussulis is presently the spiritual adviser for the Itlaq Foundation which is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.
Product details
Publisher : Quest Books (April 1, 2011)
Language : English
Paperback : 280 pages
ISBN-10 : 0835608646
ISBN-13 : 978-0835608640
Item Weight : 15 ounces
Dimensions : 6.22 x 0.8 x 8.98 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#593 in Sufism (Books)
Customer Reviews: 3.9 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Vladimir Baranovsky
4.0 out of 5 stars A decent completion of a peculiar task
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2013
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Professor Toussulis has put impressive effort and ingenuity into a strange exercise of trying to combine an academic and a personal interest in the Way of Blame. His book is definitely worth the money and his erudition in the area is astonishing, the reader will enjoy many interesting details and pieces of information. Still, this somehow reminds of a person trying to prove that he can be reasonably good at driving even when profoundly drunk. Yes, maybe, - but why?
If you are hoping to find a workable adaptation of Ibn Arabi and Sulami to the contemporary Western world - look elsewhere.
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Jannah
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2015
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Lovely book. To say anything more would sound egotistical
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Stephen J. Triesch
5.0 out of 5 stars Offers valuable insights into disputed aspects of Sufism
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2011
In Sufism, the "Way of Blame" refers to an emphasis on uncovering and exposing one's own egoism, hypocrisy, and false piety, an approach which often renders the practitioner vulnerable to condemnation from others who see their own faults thus exposed by a kind of reflection, as it were. Although the "Way of Blame" is initially an individual predisposition, it has led to the formation of "schools" and groups who make it their defining feature. Known alternately as qalandars and malami, these individuals and groups often convey the impression of flouting the laws of Islam, often at their peril, even when the antinomian behavior is only apparent and not real. (The author makes it clear that the "Way of Blame, in the hands of an unscrupulous practitioner, can merely be an excuse for license and unbridled egoism.) At their best, however, these groups merely try to strip religion of the various trappings and conceits which feed an unconscious but powerful sense of entitlement and vanity.
The book is roughly divided into three sections: (1) a discussion of the "Sufi mystique", of claims of the existence of "hidden masters" and secret brotherhoods, and of the arrival of Sufism in the West; (2) a discussion of the history and lineages of individuals and groups claiming to practice the "Way of Blame"; and (3) a discussion of the "Seven Stations of Wisdom", the stages towards God-realization, and Sufi psychology. The author concludes with a brief discussion of Sufism's possible future and role in the West, particularly the United States.
The first section discusses the impact of several men who introduced Sufi (or quasi-Sufi) ideas into the West: Hazrat Inayat Khan, Idries Shah, Gurdjieff, and John G. Bennett. These men are all controversial (in varying degrees) yet Toussulis evaluation of all of them seems eminently fair and balanced. (Omitted from ths discussion are the Englishman Reshad Feild and his Turkish mentor, Bulent Rauf. This is unfortunate, since Rauf was an apostle of the ideas of Ibn al-Arabi, whose influence is pervasive in the traditions dealt with in this book.) Toussulis also addresses the issue of the relationship of Sufism to Islam, and whether there is any evidence of a pre-Islamic Sufism.
Toussulis also discusses the claims of the so-called "traditionalist" school, as represented bt such individuals as Seyyed Hossain Nasr, Fritjof Schuon, and Martin Lings.
The middle section of the book traces the history of the malami groups, and their interaction with both civil and religious authorities (which, in the Islamic world, are often difficult to distinguish). As the book arrives in the 20th century, we meet several men who are apparently the direct representatives of the author's personal lineage.
Finally, there is a discussion of Sufi psychology and the various stages of development of the personality as it moves towards higher levels of integration and spiritual wisdom.
This is a valuable book on a misunderstood topic, and although I thought the middle, historical section lagged a bit, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Sufism, particularly as it has been presented in the West.
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MickieD
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique book on Sufi practice and history
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2011
Before reading this review, readers should know that I've studied the malami way with the author and his guide, Mehmet Selim, for well over a decade--so I have a personal stake in the book. I also participated in the interview that is documented in Chapter Eight. Having offered that caveat, I still believe I can offer a fairly objective review since I am well versed in many aspects of Sufi literature, and can draw comparisons.
Typically books on Sufism are written either from a purely scholarly perspective (the excellent work of Izutsu, Morris, or Chittick, for example) or from a purely participant perspective--almost never from a combination of the two. Sufism and the Way of Blame is a unique book in the Sufi literature. For this reason, reviewers like Peter Lamborn Wilson, Kabir Helminski, Robert Frager, and Stan Krippner have been enthusiastic in their praise.
In Toussulis' book we have a traditionally authorized sufi murshid (guide) with family roots in the Levant who is also an experienced, western-trained psychotherapist and university instructor. He seeks to convey the historical foundations and contemplative practices of an approach to Sufism whose exponents typically avoid drawing attention to themselves: the malamatiyya. Having said that, this book serves as a rich, psychologically sensitive introduction to the principles and practice of Malami Sufism in a way that's relevant for current seekers, East or West.
The challenge for a reader is that Toussulis aims to convey the centuries of tradition in which this contemporary school of Sufism is grounded. So the book weaves together Qur'an, ahadith, the Sufism of Ibn al Arabi, Sufi poetry from classical writers such as Rumi, Iraqi, Attar, and Shabistari. The interview in Chapter 8 between Toussulis and Mehmet Selim, focused on the meaning of malami Sufism today, combined with the first English translation of Pir Nur al-Arabi's Risala i Salihiyya would alone make this a book worth reading for anyone interested in how a classical school of Sufism is seeking to express itself in postmodernity. As one reviewer (above) has noted, the book may "lag" in the middle for some because of the wealth of historical detail. At the same time, such a history of the malamatiyya (especially in its later phases) cannot be found elsewhere, except in fragments, so in this respect the book is also a unique reference.
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barbara xella
5.0 out of 5 stars Sufism and the Way of Blame by Yannis Toussulis
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016
I have been interested in Sufism as it has been presented to secular Western readers for a few years now. When I read this book I felt very pleased to find a very well detailed and documented historical presentation of Sufism (and particularly the way of blame) and its cultural roots, as well as a clear ongoing explanation of the actual contents of this fascinating mystical path. I was also grateful to the author for presenting a different point of view about the main figures that brought Sufism in the West some decades ago and for putting into a new perspective some of the myths that arose around these teachers and their sources over the years. I have particularly appreciated the fact that the author, even in doing so, never fails to express his respect towards these important figures. Dulcis in fundo, the book ends with 3 chapters I have especially enjoyed reading: an interesting interview with Mehmet Selim Bey, and the last two chapters of the book about the seven stations of wisdom and human completeness. Highly recommended reading!
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Generic Nomenclature
5.0 out of 5 stars Gives a clear background to the contemporary ideas and controversies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2011
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If you have read books on Sufism that appeared contradictory, then this work helps to explain why those differences exist. It tracks the emergence of different schools of thought over time and places them in their historical context: showing how they arose as a reaction to the prevailing circumstances of the age. This is taken right up to the present day when the author provides interesting perspectives on the contemporary approaches to Sufism in the West, as promoted by figures such as Hossein Nasr and Idries Shah. The author's chapter covering the relationship between Sufis in Afghanistan and Idries Shah, as well as its implications for how Sufism is adopted within a Western framework, would be useful background reading for anyone who has read Shah's books.
The author does not take sides but lists the differing viewpoints, and there are some well-informed sources. But this book is more than that. It also provides valuable conceptual material about Sufism itself which is thought provoking and which I have not found elsewhere. It is well-written and I would advise anyone who is seriously studying this subject to get this book.
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Doc Savage
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2016
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An extremely important book, hopefully it's significance will eventually be recognized much more widely.
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O.L.
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2016
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Interesting, but too much emphasis on historical chronology and very little on the teaching itself.
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