The author considers the Commander Self to be the main obstacle in the development of man and the realization of his own unique destiny. The book by Idries Shah reveals the nature of this phenomenon and implicitly shows ways to overcome its influences. The work has become a classic in the West and is now being published in Russia for the first time. The Shah addresses his message not so much to our mind and feelings, which inevitably distort the subtle nature of the transmitted methods, but to the deepest consciousness. Skillfully using non-linear analogies, fairy tales and stories, the author communicates to the reader a certain special energy of thought, which amazingly allows us, in spite of ourselves, to begin to understand and act in a different way in this ordinary but difficult world.