Rumi's Sun: The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz

Rumi's Sun: The Teachings of Shams is a fascinating account of Rumi's own guru and teacher named Shams. It is said that all of Rumi's poetry was written for Shams, who Rumi was completely devoted to. This read, however, is not about Shams relationship with Rumi, but Shams teachings, which are of course reflective of the tradition of Sufism and the Muslim tradition. Shams was a devout Muslim. additionally, like all Sufis, his spiritual path was grounded in Islam, particularly in the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad's teachings. Sufism is not separate from Islam but is considered its inward, mystical dimension. So Shams was a Sufi master (often referred to as a dervish) whose radical and ecstatic teachings challenged conventional religious norms of his time. His way of teaching emphasized direct experience of God (the Divine Beloved). Shams was a Muslim mystic—a practicing Sufi within Islam, but one whose unconventional style made him controversial and deeply revered in equal measure. For readers without previous knowledge of Shams, Sufism or the Mulsim tradition, this read may feel like a radical departure from other traditions like Hindu, Christianity and Buddhism. Shams' ways of teaching would potentially put him in jail in our modern day Western world, so a modicum of open-mindedness is needed here. While Rumi was in all accounts a romantic, Shams is more of a Crazy Wisdom teacher, at times it seems intolerant of human ignorance and our reckless untamed mind. His methods were as fierce as his own devotion to the Divine, and he writes as one experiencing awareness or non-duality as an established state of the mind-body complex. The teachings are reflective of other nondual teachings, and there is a strong thread inspiring devotional practices throughout. For those interested in learning about the sculptor who carved out the incredible Rumi who gave the world a flavor of the divine grounded in devotion and romance, this is a fantastic, provocative, and spiritually mind-bending read. 5 stars.

Rumi's poetry is always inspiring and picks you up after a bad day, or when you're feeling a bit spiritually lost. This book is one of my favorites. Tons of poetry and beautifully translated.

This is one of the best Rumi collections out there- many footnotes, Arabic/Persian original words, and references are present throughout this book. Rumi's devotion to Islam is present. This seems to be one of the more authentic translations of Rumi.

There are more fake guides, teachers in the world than stars. Do not miss this one.

Five stars for content. Three stars for presentation. Average them at four. On content, It's a long book at over 400 pages with valuable insights. There is also a look at individual feelings and personal relationships. This includes relations between Shams, Rumi and his children. For example one footnote clarifies text "Shams is referring to Mevlana's younger, conservative son Alaeddin who was jealous of Shams..." It's interesting and valuable for me to see the personal struggles involved even with individuals this enlightened. On presentation, I found the footnotes almost unreadable the print font was so small and the italicized parts were even less readable. I found the footnotes valuable to include in the reading but difficult to assimilate due to the difficulty in reading them. It seems to me that this would have been better as a two volume set so the footnotes were in a larger font.

Great Sufi Spiritual book, in depth, hard to read. Every line needs to be chewed and digested!

Would you not wish to come closer to Beloved God? Penetrating moments of clarity and love, written by Rumi's muse, The Sun of Trabriz.

this is a book that requires time to read and reflect as you go... this will definitely be more of a study.

El impacto de la poesía de RUMI es innegable, este libro es un gesto de agradecimiento infinito a su guía espiritual que era Shamus-I-Tabriz. Es un viaje a los niveles más elevados de la comprensión espiritual de la vida.

intense and deep thoughts of shams of tabriz!!!

This is a beautifully clear account of Shams i Tabriz, and his influence on Rumi. Clearly, it is not intended as a substitute for Chittick's, arguably more acadmically orientated, 'Me and Rumi', even though some of the ground covered is the same. In the introduction to the Everyman selsction of Rumi's poetry, the point is made regarding the extrame range of translated Rumi; at one end of the spectrum, the focus on meaning exemplified by Arberry and Nicholson, and at the other, the more populist approach of Coleman Barks. Like Arberry and Nicholson, Heminski translates from the source, rather than translating a translation, which I think aids the clarity. Footnotes are excellent.

Mostly for the sufi 's

It was amazing to see Sham's reflections and views.