Special Illumination
The Sufi Use of Humor
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Special Illumination
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Narrated by:
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David Ault
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By:
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Idries Shah
About this listen
Special Illumination is a term used by the great poet and mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi, to stress the importance of humor in metaphysical experience.
Of it, Idries Shah says, "Rumi directly contradicts such numerous sour-faced religionists as, in all persuasions, find that humor disturbs the indoctrination which is all that they usually have to offer."
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
Best-selling author and renowned Zen teacher Steve Hagen penetrates the most essential and enduring questions at the heart of the Buddha's teachings: How can we see the world in each moment, rather than merely as what we think, hope, or fear it is? How can we base our actions on reality, rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds? How can we live lives that are wise, compassionate, and in tune with reality? And how can we separate the wisdom of Buddhism from the cultural trappings and misconceptions that have come to be associated with it?
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5 out of 5 stars
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great message, annoying narrator
- By Pamela Radtke on 11-28-19
By: Steve Hagen
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Nirvana: the Last Nightmare
- Learning to Trust in Life
- By: Osho
- Narrated by: Osho
- Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 58
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
Nirvana has become an idealized word associated with the juxtaposition of a cult rock celebrity who died before his time and a vague new age version of Eastern religion. An altered state to be hoped for but likely unattainable, reinforcing that all too familiar uneasiness associated with never being able to have what we truly desire in life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The book for a new Humanity
- By Cletycat on 03-13-16
By: Osho
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Buddhism Plain and Simple
- By: Steve Hagen
- Narrated by: William Hope
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 474
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 408
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 401
The observations and insights of the Buddha are practical and eminently down to earth, dealing exclusively with awareness in the here and now. Buddhism Plain and Simple offers listeners these fundamental teachings, stripped of cultural trappings that have accumulated around Buddhism over the past 25 centuries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Thrilled this Is Finally an Audiobook
- By Asha Ember on 01-28-17
By: Steve Hagen
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I Am a Cat
- By: Soseki Natsume, Aiko Ito - translator, Graeme Wilson - translator
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 21 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 136
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
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Story4 out of 5 stars 114
Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him. A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the greatest writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's I Am a Cat is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to come.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great performance!
- By mz on 04-03-20
By: Soseki Natsume, and others
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Miracles
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 466
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 419
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Story5 out of 5 stars 413
"The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." This is the key statement of Miracles, in which C. S. Lewis shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in his creation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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sound, shrewd, well articulated, and well read.
- By Andrew on 09-17-15
By: C. S. Lewis
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The Screwtape Letters
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Joss Ackland
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,302
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,588
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,574
A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below". At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation - and triumph over it - ever written.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This is the Best Audio Screwtape, a Masterpiece
- By James on 08-22-12
By: C. S. Lewis
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The Antidote
- Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,041
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,649
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,636
The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative "negative path" to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Antidote explores the negative path.
- By Bonny on 05-15-14
By: Oliver Burkeman
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Still the Mind
- An Introduction to Meditation
- By: Alan Watts
- Narrated by: Alan Watts
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 381
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 317
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 312
Mark Watts compiled this work from his father's extensive journals and audiotapes of famous lectures he delivered, in his later years, across the country. In three parts Alan Watts explains the basic philosophy of meditation, how individuals can practice a variety of meditations, and how inner wisdom grows naturally.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Classic Alan Watts.
- By Dan R. on 10-24-17
By: Alan Watts
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Ishmael
- An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
- By: Daniel Quinn
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,995
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,257
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,275
One of the most beloved and best-selling novels of spiritual adventure ever published, Ishmael has earned a passionate following. This special 25th anniversary edition features a new foreword and afterword by the author.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Unabridged PLEASE!
- By Eric on 01-12-08
By: Daniel Quinn
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The Consolations of Philosophy
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 671
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 499
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 497
Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat: He has transformed arcane philosophy into something accessible and entertaining, useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world's most brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of wisdom to guide us through our most common problems.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Cheering, empathic, helpful
- By Austin on 11-11-09
By: Alain de Botton
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Cave in the Snow
- Tenzin Palmo's Quest for Enlightenment
- By: Vicki Mackenzie
- Narrated by: Georgina Sutton, Vicki Mackenzie, Tenzin Palmo
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 201
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 179
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Story5 out of 5 stars 177
This is the story of Tenzin Palmo, the daughter of a fishmonger from London's East End who became a Tibetan nun. After meditating for 12 years in a cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, she became a world-renowned spiritual leader and champion of the right of women to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Audio version is best format for this book
- By Mark on 06-11-17
By: Vicki Mackenzie
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Born to Kvetch
- Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods
- By: Michael Wex
- Narrated by: Michael Wex
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 174
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 93
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Story4 out of 5 stars 93
As the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive persecution: they never stopped kvetching about God, gentiles, children, and everything else.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating, but...
- By Christopher B. on 04-05-16
By: Michael Wex
What listeners say about Special Illumination
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kahlo
- 08-05-19
For serious students only.
One of many in an extraordinary series. Must be read in that context. For serious students only. Should be read repeatedly - at intervals. Absolutely brilliant.
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