Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns [Paperback]

Thomas Merton (Author), William H. Shannon (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was born in France and came to live in the United States at the age of 24. He received several awards recognizing his contribution to religious study and contemplation, including the Pax Medal in 1963, and remained a devoted spiritualist and a tireless advocate for social justice until his death in 1968. The Sign of Jonas was originally published in 1953.

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Barace Jovanovich (March 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015640141X
• ISBN-13: 978-0156401418
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,162,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has millions of copies and has been translated into over fifteen languages. He wrote over sixty other books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race.

After a rambunctious youth and adolescence, Merton converted to Roman Catholicism and entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order.

The twenty-seven years he spent in Gethsemani brought about profound changes in his self-understanding. This ongoing conversion impelled him into the political arena, where he became, according to Daniel Berrigan, the conscience of the peace movement of the 1960's. Referring to race and peace as the two most urgent issues of our time, Merton was a strong supporter of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which he called "certainly the greatest example of Christian faith in action in the social history of the United States." For his social activism Merton endured severe criticism, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who assailed his political writings as unbecoming of a monk.

During his last years, he became deeply interested in Asian religions, particularly Zen Buddhism, and in promoting East-West dialogue. After several meetings with Merton during the American monk's trip to the Far East in 1968, the Dali Lama praised him as having a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. It was during this trip to a conference on East-West monastic dialogue that Merton died, in Bangkok on December 10, 1968, the victim of an accidental electrocution. The date marked the twenty-seventh anniversary of his entrance to Gethsemani.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love is Merton's Hidden Ground, September 6, 2000

By 

Pam Hanna "wind star" (Thoreau, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns (Paperback)

What is so amazing about this volume is that it covers only part of Thomas Merton's letters. These are on Religious Experience and Social Concerns. Merton was truly all things to all people, but through it all, he is still completely himself. His unique voice is evident in all his correspondence where he is by turns serious and funny, kind and generous. Some of these letters read like essays. Some are anecdotal. All are entertaining.

His correspondents included Dorothy Day and Daniel Berrigan, Erich Fromm and Aldous Huxley, two Popes, Ethel Kennedy, Coretta King - the list is staggering. He wrote to Christians and Jews, Buddhists and Hindus and Sufis, social activits and theologians, men and women. He wrote about contemplation and pacifism, literature and psychology. He had friends in all walks of life, and he was beloved by all.

This is a book to browse in and/or study, highly recommended to all admirers and students of Merton's thought and life.

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5.0 out of 5 stars a modern prophet, February 19, 2009

By 

Charles Haddox (El Paso, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns (Paperback)

In these letters Merton displays his spiritual wisdom, humanism, and humor in all its depth and breadth. His insights are more relevant than ever. Even if you don't completely agree with everything he says, you have to love and respect him. We have no one of his stature living in the U.S. today, I'm afraid. Thank God we still have his words.