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On Eastern Meditation

By Thomas Merton
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
On Eastern Meditation collects the profound writings of Thomas Merton on Eastern religions, revealing his journey from Catholic monk to a scholar and admirer of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism. The book explores his encounters with figures like Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and D. T. Suzuki, and his reflections on texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and Zen teachings, offering a unique bridge between Western Christianity and Eastern spirituality.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2699
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This elegantly designed gift book appeals to readers interested in comparative religion, Eastern philosophy, and spirituality, especially those seeking a thoughtful dialogue between Christian and Asian contemplative traditions.

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A great introduction to the religions of the East by a monk from the West.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Merton's biographer, George Woodcock, once wrote that "almost from the beginning of his monastic career, Thomas Merton tentatively began to discover the great Asian religions of Buddhism and Taoism." Merton, a longtime social justice advocate, first approached Eastern theology as an admirer of Gandhi's beliefs on non-violence.

Through Gandhi, Merton came to know the great Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita and in time came to have dialogues with the Dalai Lama and Taoist leader D. T. Suzuki. Merton then became deeply interested in Chuang Tzu and Zen thought.

On Eastern Meditation, edited by Bonnie Thurston (author of Merton and Buddhism), gathers the best of his Eastern theological writings into a gorgeously designed gift book edition.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Robert Thurman praises Merton as "the saintly man who caused the Dalai Lama to come to admire Christianity as the equal to his beloved Buddhism." Thich Nhat Hanh calls Merton "an artist, a Zen," while The New York Review of Books highlights his authentic engagement with spiritual purity, even beyond his Catholic roots.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780811219945

Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 June 2012

Country: United States

Imprint: New Directions Publishing Corporation

Contributors:

  • Edited by Bonnie Thurston

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 102.0mm

Height: 152.0mm

Weight: 86g

Pages: 80

Collections

Non-Fiction Religion & Spirituality Thomas Merton

About the Author

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) entered the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, following his conversion to Catholicism and was ordained Father M. Louis in 1949. During the 1960s, he was increasingly drawn into a dialogue between Eastern and Western religions and domestic issues of war and racism. In 1968, the Dalai Lama praised Merton for having a more profound knowledge of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. Thomas Merton is the author of the beloved classic The Seven Storey Mountain. Scholar and poet, Bonnie Thurston is a founding member and past president of the International Thomas Merton Society. She is an ordained minister of the Christian Church.

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