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Last edited by Prajña
October 29, 2010 | History

Thomas Merton

1915 - 1968

Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was a 20th century American Catholic writer. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.

Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews, including his best-selling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of disillusioned World War II veterans, students, and even teen-agers flocking to monasteries across US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century.

Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, the Japanese writer on the Zen tradition, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Merton has also been the subject of several biographies.

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Photo of Thomas Merton
Subjects
Catholic Church, Spiritual life, Biography, Trappists, Contemplation, Christian life, Catholic authors, Monastic and religious life, Bible, Criticism, interpretation, Protected DAISY, Christianity, Accessible book, Doctrines, Mysticism, In library, Cistercian nuns, Women mystics, Meditation, Meditations, Solitude, Spiritual direction, Monasticism and religious orders, Correspondence, Race relations
Places
United States, Japan, Netherlands, France, Hiroshima-shi, Kentucky, Asia, Cuba, Georgia, New York, New York (State), Pleasant Hill, Soviet Union, Utah
People
Thomas Merton (1915-1968), John of the Cross Saint (1542-1591), Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090 or 91-1153), M. Berchmans Mother (1876-1915), Lutgardis Saint (1182-1246), Czesław Miłosz, Jesus Christ, Robert Lax, Zhuangzi, Adam of Perseigne (1145-1221), Aelred Graham (1907-), Albert Camus (1913-1960), Benedict Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint, Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1091-1153), Bernard, of Clairvaux Saint (1090 or 91-1153), Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960), Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), Gandhi Mahatma (1869-1948), James Laughlin (1914-), John Cassian (ca. 360-ca. 435), Jonathan Greene (1943-), Maedoc of Ferns, Saint (d. ca. 626), Marie Berchmans Mother (1876-1915), Mary Blessed Virgin, Saint
Time
20th century, Early church, ca. 30-600, Middle Ages, 600-1500, 16th century, 1945-, 1959-1990, 1960-, 1965-

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History Created April 1, 2008 · 5 revisions
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October 29, 2010 Edited by Prajña Edited without comment.
October 29, 2010 Edited by Prajña Added new photo
October 29, 2010 Edited by Prajña merge authors
September 11, 2008 Edited by RenameBot fix author name
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import