Thomas Merton: I Have Seen What I Was Looking For, Selected Spiritual Writings [Paperback]

M. Basil Pennington (Author), Thomas Merton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

An informative and fascinating look at Mertons life and writings by a fellowTrappist. Pennington describes Merton as a monk, a mystic yes! A merry, mischievous monk and a modern, muddied mystic. Deadly intent upon becoming a saint what else is there to do knowing that a can of beer is a help along the way. Father Basil takes us on a whirlwind review through the seasons of Mertons life and work.

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About the Author

M. Basil Pennington was a Trappist monk from Saint Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. With fortyfive books (among them the millionselling Centering Prayer) and some eight hundred articles to his name, many consider Pennington one of the great writers of contemporary spiritual literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: New City Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565482255
• ISBN-13: 978-1565482258
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,969,325 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.

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting to Know a Great Spiritual Writer, August 21, 2005

By 

Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Thomas Merton: I Have Seen What I Was Looking For, Selected Spiritual Writings (Paperback)

Trappist M. Basil Pennington, a friend of Thomas Merton, has put together a brilliant introduction to the man known as one of the great modern spiritual writers. In the introduction, the editor expresses the wish that this anthology will be as "savory" to those new to Merton as it is to long-term fans. He accomplishes that goal by organizing excerpts from Merton's books, articles, journals, letters, and poems seamlessly and inserting himself only briefly, with short comments before each new topic. He has also added titles the excerpts and cited the original works and page numbers. As logic would dictate, the first section is taken wholly from Merton's best known work, "Seven Storey Mountain," which ends as the recently baptized Merton moves toward joining the Trappists.

Other sections address Merton's journey into prayer, exploration of eastern religion, and advocacy for peace and justice. He writes that "stopping too soon is the commonest dead-end in prayer." And of peace: "The only way truly to `overcome' an enemy is to help him become other than an enemy. This is the kind of wisdom we find in Gandhi. It is the wisdom of the Gospels." Alongside these reflections, we occasionally glimpse Merton's lighter side, as when he suggests that lay persons who wish to practice contemplation might move to the country or take jobs that lend to solitude. The small town move, he admits, might involve poverty, and the solitary job, well, "Not everybody wants to spend his life as a night watchman, and for very good reasons." He goes on to make some practical suggestions on contemplative prayer in secular life.

Pennington has given us a resource that demonstrates Merton's breadth and depth, his humor and his intelligence, and most of all, his great love for God.