{"id":433,"date":"2022-04-02T03:31:44","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T03:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/?p=433"},"modified":"2022-04-02T03:31:45","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T03:31:45","slug":"the-fox-and-the-birds-letters-lectures-of-idries-shah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/the-fox-and-the-birds-letters-lectures-of-idries-shah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fox and the Birds \u2013 Letters & Lectures of Idries Shah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), as we begin today let us remember this about \u2018Attention\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. We feed the hunger blindly. Once the mechanism is brought to our attention and we begin to study it, it is as if a veil has been stripped off ordinary life, and we become freer in our action and choices.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

This week I bring to your attention a tale, which is extracted from an interesting and thought provoking compilation, titled \u2018Letters & Lectures of Idries Shah\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fox and the Birds<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was once a fox who decided to give up his usual method of hunting. In fact, not realizing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that he could not change his inwardness by a change of outwardness, he really thought that by telling other creatures what to do, he would earn merit for himself and would abstain from doing them harm. He was, in a word, in his own mind, a reformed character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His lectures to all and sundry, and his apparently saintly way of life attracted many to him, especially birds; for as everyone knows birds tend to go by appearances and to feel ashamed when challenged with their shortcomings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crow first applied to the fox for instruction, and the fox took him to his mountain retreat. Next came the cock, and finally the owl. The fox interviewed the birds one by one. To the crow he said: “You live on dead bodies, and although you think you can repent, nothing but death is good enough for you.” And he seized the crow and killed and ate him. After a day, the fox sent for the cock. “Do you repent your fighting proclivities, your lasciviousness and your pride?” he asked. “Yes, indeed. I abandon all of these forms of behaviour, and now I want to learn the way to improve myself, so that I may enter upon the Path of the Elect.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will give you a suitable punishment” said the fox. He grabbed the cock to beat him, but as soon as the taste of feathers reached his mouth, he was unable to prevent himself killing the bird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, well”, said the fox, “everyone knows that cocks are incorrigible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally it was the turn of the owl. “Owl,” said the fox, “I know you want to improve yourself, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n

although you may think that you have repented, you must demonstrate it. Now listen while I speak of mice and sparrows, and I will watch you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fox began to talk about delicious mice and sparrows, and he saw that the owl was licking his<\/p>\n\n\n\n

lips, in spite of his good resolutions. And, at the same time as he registered that the owl had<\/p>\n\n\n\n

not been able to detach from his habits, the fox himself felt the saliva running from his own mouth. Before he knew what he was doing, he sank his teeth into the owl’s neck. As he did so, it seemed to him that he was performing a good deed, and he said to himself, “I shall undoubtedly earn eternal merit by ridding the world of this unprincipled killer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opinion of a fox about himself<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

or others is just as valuable – and<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

as useless as any other opinion,<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

when there has been no real change<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

in either or both.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letters & Lectures of Idries Shah<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you enjoy reading this compilation and find it thought provoking too. You can buy your copy from any of the bookstores near you or via any on-line portal selling books or also by clicking the following link:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.bythewaybooks.com\/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=relevance&category_id=0&keywordsField=letters+and+lectures+by+Idries+shah<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I conclude today\u2019s episode;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to draw your attention to these wise words of a Storyteller which I have extracted from a monumental work \u2018Kalila wa Dimna\u2019, which has been inspired from \u201cThe Pan\u0107atantra<\/em><\/strong>\u201d. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My stories require, at this stage, no extra commentary, imaginings, or guesswork by you, me, or anyone else. The very worst would be that of moralizing. To explain away is to forget. Thus, let the stories which you can remember do their own work by their very diversity. Familiarize yourself with them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excerpt from Doctor\u2019s orders: Kalila Wa Dimna; Vol.1 \u2013 Ramsay Wood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/The-Fox-and-the-Birds-Letters-and.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts<\/a> | Spotify<\/a> | Amazon Music<\/a> | Android<\/a> | Pandora<\/a> | iHeartRadio<\/a> | JioSaavn<\/a> | Podchaser<\/a> | Gaana<\/a> | Podcast Index<\/a> | Email<\/a> | TuneIn<\/a> | Deezer<\/a> | RSS<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), as we begin today let us remember this about \u2018Attention\u2019. Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about,   →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-human-pscyhology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":435,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433\/revisions\/435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qsconsultants.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}