These illuminating discourses, covering a wealth of themes relating to the inner life, open an accessible and refreshing window to the mature practical spirituality within the living tradition of Sufism. Rooted in the spontaneous guidance and connection of hearts that occurs in the healing and nurturing practice of Sohbet, they carry the direct, immediate and intimate voice of that quality of spoken language that is not distanced by abstraction, encumbered by complexity, or entangled in the knots of the rational mind. This is the work of an authentic teacher who helps us in sincerity and love to reflect deeply on our inner states within the concrete reality of our daily lives and by so doing to come ever closer to our longed-for awareness of Divine Unity. ~Jeremy Henzell-Thomas, essayist and former Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge The thirty remarkable short lessons assembled here are fascinating exemplars of suhba (sohbet), the traditional Sufi process of “companionship”: i.e., the illuminating relationship of inner conversation that links the spiritual guide and each listener, awakening the soul’s unfolding remembrance of that Teacher we all share. Reading these talks, with their smoothly unfolding mix of Sufi stories, Rumi’s poetry, illuminating personal experiences, and scriptural reminders, constantly feels like being in the presence of a modern-day Rumi. Those pedagogical elements may be familiar to some, but here they are infused with a palpable universality, accessibility, practical focus, comprehensiveness—and above all, with a constant, assured sense of reality and immediacy—that movingly reflect a lifetime of spiritual experience, commitment, and engagement with fellow journeyers from many different religions, cultures, and pathways of realization. Whatever their ostensible subject, each conversation here evokes a marvelous balance—and creative tension—between communion and community, meditation and active service, awareness of the timeless and immersion in the shared challenges of everyday life. This is truly a “bedside book,” a work that will seem (and be) new and enlightening each time one opens it up…. ~Prof. James W. Morris, Boston College, author of The Reflective HeartAs the saying goes, "The body is fed through the mouth; the soul is feed through the ear."
