Rumi's Original Sufi Enneagram
Laleh Bakhtiar has made an utmost discovery to the field of Islamic studies and Enneagram studies in identifying an essential connection between the two. Her tireless work that began over two decades ago has now culminated in this sublime summation that distills the timeless wisdom of the nine pointed symbol. --Samuel Bendeck Sotillos (From the introduction)Laleh Bakhtiar was the first person to carefully and methodically examine the Sufi literature for the origin of the Enneagram. She brings three qualities to the task that make her more than qualified. She is a Muslim and a Sufi, she knows Arabic and Persian, and she has a comprehensive understanding of Western psychology with both a MA and a PhD. Through her extensive research she has found that the integration of the Enneagram was Sufic. The true Sufi basis of the Enneagram is found in the concept of the three centers and the four virtues . . . . as a basis of religious [or spiritual, moral and ethical] psychology. This is the foundation of the Enneagram but not the Enneagram itself. --Bruce Anderson, Enneagram MonthlyLaleh Bakhtiar was the first person to carefully and methodically examine the Sufi literature for the origin of the Enneagram. She brings three qualities to the task that make her more than qualified. She is a Muslim and a Sufi, she knows Arabic and Persian, and she has a comprehensive understanding of Western psychology with both a MA and a PhD. Through her extensive research she has found that the integration of the Enneagram was Sufic. The true Sufi basis of the Enneagram is found in the concept of the three centers and the four virtues . . . . as a basis of religious [or spiritual, moral and ethical] psychology. This is the foundation of the Enneagram but not the Enneagram itself. --Bruce Anderson, Enneagram Monthly