Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries B.C., is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu's writings). Indeed it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name-Zen.

The Chinese sage abounds in wit and paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being. Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao.

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. His Holiness The Dalai Lama is both the head of State and the spiritual leader of Tibet.

Reviews
"A most admirable introduction to this less known but important source book of Taoism." -- Alan Watts - The New York Times Book Review
"Thomas Merton is the saintly man who caused the Dalai Lama to come to admire Christianity as the equal of his beloved Buddhism." -- Robert Thurman
"Merton is an artist, a Zen." -- Thich Nhat Hanh



Book Information
ISBN 9780811218511
Author Thomas Merton
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publisher New Directions Publishing Corporation
Weight(grams) 177g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 132mm * 13mm