This book tells the story of how at the age of fifteen the author became aware of a need for something more than what ordinary life could provide and began his search for the meaning of existence.

Having passed through a number of trials, privations and hardships in the course of his search, he came upon a Sufi Master and set out on the path of a spiritual and mystical quest.

At the age of forty-six the author became a Master of the Sufi path and opened Sufi School International Spiritual and Mystical Practices, where he conducts training for those who seek to understand their own nature and to learn the Truth.

A separate section is devoted to practices within the Sufi path, and inner obstacles that may impede the student’s progress.

The sketches presented in this book contain practically no full biographical information of any kind about the lives of its subjects. They are devoted to research about their mission, message and what the Sufis call the Work. I wrote about those whom I consider to be really great mystics although not all of them are recognized as such. I didn’t begin to limit myself to only an analysis of the activity of specific Teachers, but included in the book several essays on the later stages of the Sufi Way and methods of transmitting knowledge. In my view, they enable the reader to understand more fully and deeply the situation in which any real mystic finds himself. In this book, I propose answers to many questions that I know for sure torment many seekers. I hope that it will be useful to them as for all those in general who are interested in the Way – in the widest most sense of that word. After all, the experience of the Work of every mystic is the most valuable knowledge, available to us in an ordinary state of perception.

In this book, the author delves into fundamental questions in the theory and practice of Sufism. The book is based on his own personal experience of mysticism. In accessible language, the author enlightens the reader on the secrets of mystical knowledge and mystic practices, discussing in detail how these practices should be performed and under what conditions. The book is unique for having been written by a contemporary mystic and containing both knowledge of the essence of the Sufi tradition and a deep knowledge of the mindset of the contemporary seeker. An open-minded reading of the book may prove an invaluable aid to the individual work of a true seeker.