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.

About the Author
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) entered the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, following his conversion to Catholicism and was ordained in 1949. During the 1960s, he was increasingly drawn into a dialogue between Eastern and Western religions and was actively engaged with domestic issues of war and racism. 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.

Reviews
"Thomas Merton is the saintly man who caused the Dalai Lama to come to admire Christianity as the equal to his beloved Buddhism." -- Robert Thurman "Merton is an artist, a Zen." -- Thich Nhat Hanh "One of the most engaging features of Merton's mind and sensibility is his feeling for what is authentic and pure, even when it occurs outside the house of Latin Catholicism."



Book Information
ISBN 9780811219945
Author Thomas Merton
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publisher New Directions Publishing Corporation
Weight(grams) 86g
Dimensions(mm) 152mm * 102mm * 10mm