Thomas Merton

A snowy morning here in Middleburgh, as we note the birth date of Thomas Merton OCSO (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968), American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion.

Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews.

Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948). His account of his spiritual journey inspired scores of World War II veterans, students, and teenagers to explore offerings of monasteries across the US. It is among National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century.

Merton wrote books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and how Christianity related to them.

He died by accidental electrocution on December 10, 1968 in Thailand while on a speaking tour of East Asia during the closing weeks of the twentieth century’s year of “brutal” revolutions.

Here is an excerpt from one of his writings:

“When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children, when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash - at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the "newness," the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance.”
― Thomas Merton