The Dermis Probe by Idries Shah

The Dermis Probe is a collection of extracts from the written and oral tradition of Eastern thinkers. The title piece, also made into an award-winning animated film, is a modern retelling of the story of the blind men and an elephant – a tale used by the mystic Jalaludin Rumi in his Masnavi in the thirteenth century. The story underscores the human tendency to focus on the parts at the expense of the whole. In his preface, Idries Shah writes, ‘In this book you can find illustrated some of the peculiarities of thought in the country which is today’s world, seen by its inhabitants and by those who call themselves visitors.’ The Dermis Probe is a compendium of teaching stories and proverbs drawn from Sufi tradition, assembled, as in all of Shah’s books, to pierce illusions and bring clarity of perception to the reader.