Thomas Merton 12/10

Yesterday, the monk Thomas Merton, born January 31, 1915 in Prades, France, has been dead for 40 years, during which time 40 more books by him have been published, adding to those published in his lifetime. He wrote an autobiography that came out in 1948, "The Seven Storey Mountain," two years after Paramahansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi." Both books have sold in the millions, with dozens of translations into other languages. Why were the two best-selling autobiographies in the English language written by monks just after the end of the Second World War? Professor Donald Grayston, a Merton scholar from Canada, has been a guest with us here at Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley. He told me yesterday: "Merton is writing to us from the year 2050."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Merton
• mountain
• autobiography
• yogi
• Yogananda
• war
• monk
• 1968
• 2050

[Domzdream]

God or whatever that is, is your concience. Or sub-comcience. When we pray to a god, we actually talking to ourselves. In third person. But we, or at least they, do not realise it.

[thomasmatus]

Yes, I can say that what I call God is my conscience (sub- or super- or both), and that when I pray and say: "You are..." I am ultimately saying: "I am..." But when I say, "Thank you," with a deep bow of my head and heart and body, I am going out of myself into that which really is, and which I really am, not of myself but of that one who is and to whom at the end I can only say:"You are love."

[sylvia1808]

lindo. lindo. conheçam também a Música de URBANO MEDEIROS - Brasil.

Bjssss,

Professora Sylvia

[LooksAeterna]

Beautiful !

But I find it hard to really believe that The Father would have truly withdrawn from everything that is not The Son into The Son - unless the two were synonymous.

I do not find it hard to believe He is fully in the Son. Not do I find it hard to believe he leaves nothing to invest - as The Source IS nothing (in particular).

[MrEternalechoes]

Thank you for this video. I find Merton's drawings that illustrate my copy of Dialogues with Silence to be illuminated by simplicity.

[Israe5l]

The only thing I remember about Merton was a chapter "Prometheus Theology". In fact thats all I remember. But its such a nice heading. Prometheus! (In some way even reminds me of Christ Jesus.)

[9macrina9]

Thank you for this, Thomas. I may travel into Louisville over the holidays and I will try to go by Bellarmine College and the Thomas Merton Center there on campus and if I do i will do a vid for you.

[mathiasgandy]

Hey brother, I enjoy your videos. Although I am not a Catholic, I have learned alot from Merton, particularly his book, "The Seven Story Mountain". And what you said about the Incarnation is very true- that God entered the work of His creation, choosing to suffer for mankind's sake. I often bring this point up when people suggest that God is unjust because of the suffering of the world. They do not realize that the central theme of Christianity is that God choose to suffer with us and for us.

[menkbabe1]

Your note about prayer and the "one who is" is well taken. We are "purifying" and bringing a quietude to ourselves; one's self, in the prayer experience is so. We say "I am..." is ever more so.

The totality of prayer, you note I share. I say "yes" to your remarks.

This is God in Christ the prayer act offers. It is a relationship, reality prayer makes.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment: illuminating & familiar at the same time.

Yours in faith,

Peter Menkin

Mill Valley, CA USA

[megansspark]

a lovely tribute, quite moving. thank you :)