Thomas Merton
The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (New Directions Books)
"This is quintessential Merton."―The Catholic Review.
"The moment of takeoff was ecstatic...joy. We left the ground―I with Christian mantras and a great sense of destiny, of being at last on my true way after years of waiting and wondering..." With these words, dated October 15. 1968, the late Father Thomas Merton recorded the beginning of his fateful journey to the Orient.
His travels led him from Bangkok, through India to Ceylon, and back again to Bangkok for his scheduled talk at a conference of Asian monastic orders.
There he unequivocally reaffirmed his Christian vocation.
His last journal entry was made on December 8, 1968, two days before his untimely, accidental death. Amply illustrated with photographs he himself took along the way and fully indexed, the book also contains a glossary of Asian religious terms, a preface by the Indian scholar Amiya Chakravarty, a foreword and postscript by Brother Patrick Hart of the Abbey of Gethsemani, as well as several appendices, among them the text of Merton's final address. Black-and-white photographs throughout
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
This volume, the journal Merton kept on the journey to Asia where his life ended, also is a culmination of his long spiritual journey as a writer. "His ecumenism was total," the editors remind us, "and we find him ranging from Tantric Buddhism to Zen, and from Islam and Sufism to Vedanta." The book, however, is not dryly academic; rather, as the foreword suggests, "Merton's pilgrimage to Asia was an effort to deepen his own religious and monastic commitment." Merton himself was clear about this sense of pilgrimage; so too was he clear that this meant in no way a break with his Christian roots. "I think we have now reached a stage ... of religious maturity," he writes, "at which it may be possible for someone to remain perfectly faithful to a Christian and Western monastic commitment, and yet to learn in depth from say, a Buddhist discipline and experience." This book is the fruit of such learning. Including descriptions of his meetings with the young Dalai Lama, the book is meticulously edited and supplied with useful explanatory notes and appendices, including transcriptions of talks that Merton gave during his trip. Most movingly, however, the journal itself concludes with the narrative of his transformative experiences in Ceylon where he visited three colossal figures of Buddha carved from huge stones. "Surely," he writes, "my Asian pilgrimage has come clear and purified itself." A few days later he passed away.
--Doug Thorpe
Review
Painstakingly edited by a team of scholarly admirers, but still tantalizingly unfinished, the journal is a collage of Asian images, sacred and profane....And the book itself is a kind of mandala, drawing the reader deep into a philosophical analysis, then abruptly forcing him out into the physical world. "See all Editorial Reviews
Product details
Series: New Directions Books
Paperback: 445 pages
Publisher: New Directions; Reprint edition (February 28, 1975)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811205703
ISBN-13: 978-0811205702
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.3 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars 34 customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Merton was ahead of his time.
ByTeresa Walstonon November 10, 2015
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I have read one Catholic writing putting down Thomas Merton as not 'Catholic' enough. I was very gratified by Pope Francis' statement regarding Merton (while the pope visited the US) which indicates that some of the great religious minds, including Merton, believe we should be more knowledgeable and respectful of other religions. He said that Merton was definitely on the right track to be able to converse with other religious people. It has been my experience that each religion does (even if many are not paying attention) inform the other, i.e., when the Catholic Monastic traditions were failing, the learned from Buddhist what meditation is and applied it in a somewhat varied form to Christianity. If a religion is 'true' it should be able not only to tolerate other religions, but also embrace them.
7 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 starsback and forth brilliance
Bywordworkeron February 28, 2018
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If you read this book as I have, you will be flipping from footnotes to appendices and back to the main content. Nevertheless, due to Merton's untimely death, I feel the editors did a highly praiseworthy job of piecing together snippets of his musings, notes, conversations, ramblings and research to arrive at coherent conclusions. Additionally, many of the featured authorities and laymen offer lines of brilliant reflection and analysis. I wish I had time to read many of the works listed in the bibliography, though I did purchase a book of Merton's photos as a sort of companion piece. If you, like I, am an ardent fan or follower of his, I'd suggest reading some of his other lauded tomes. An unparalleled scholar, his humanness meshed with his piety delivers a brilliance that will forever be foreshadowed by his unexpected passing. I feel he had many miles to go before reaching conclusions taking shape in this work, and the last of those would have had profound influence where the merging of Eastern and Western beliefs are concerned.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars...
not heard of Thomas Merton before I learned a great deal from this fascinating book
ByTimothy R. Moriartyon May 2, 2016
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Having not heard of Thomas Merton before I learned a great deal from this fascinating book. It reads like a travel journal with random thoughts, descriptions, and opinions interjected throughout. Merton was incredibly interested in moving outside of his comfort zone and examining the Easter spiritual traditions and customs of Buddhism and Hinduism through the eyes of a Catholic monk from Kentucky. His travels took him to Calcutta, New Delhi, Madras, Ceylon, Bangkok and The Himalayas. I found the book to be engaging and one I did not want to put down. The book is filled with reference notes, annotations, and appendices that provide for a thorough understanding of what he was encountering including descriptions of all those he met along the way. It is important to remember that this was an ongoing effort by Merton and in no way may represent what was to be the final result. He died tragically while on his journey and it would have been interesting to see what the book might have been like had he had a chance to review and complete his journal entries. His untimely death ended a story that I did not want to end. Every time I picked it up I was taken to a new place through description and narrative that was both insightful and unusual. He included the smallest of details that added to the mystery of his travel. You never knew what he might encounter next:
“…my Asian pilgrimage has come clear and purified itself. I mean, I know and have seen what I was obscurely looking for. I don’t know what else remains but I have now seen and have pierced through the surface and have got beyond the shadow and the disguise. This is Asia in its purity, not covered with garbage, Asian or European or American, and it is clear, pure, complete. It says everything; it needs nothing. And because it needs nothing it can afford to be silent, unnoticed, undiscovered. It does not need to be discovered. It is we, Asians included, who need to discover it. The whole thing is very much a Zen garden, a span of bareness and openness and evidence, and the great figures, motionless, yet with the lines in full movement, waves of vesture and bodily form, a beautiful and holy vision. The rest of the ‘city’, the old palace complex, I had no time for. We just drove around the roads and saw the ruined shapes, and started on the long drive home to Kandy.”
I believe after reading this book you will come away with an experience that will transcend structured religious thought or practice. It opened my mind to all the possibilities yet framed it from a contemplative viewpoint that one would find beneficial regardless of faith or tradition. I especially liked the poetic nature of his daily log. Enjoy!
2 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Offers Insight That I Didn't Expect
Bylightshowon February 17, 2014
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I have read very little of Thomas Merton and knew little about him except that he was a monk and famous and very open minded and not so much religious as spiritual.He was attracted to Eastern spiritual traditions -- Buddhism especially -- and his journal of his journey to the East shows a man I think who was wavering, was intensely drawn to Buddhism and if he had lived I can imagine that he would have, perhaps, left the church to become a Buddhist. That's just a guess of course. From his journal it appears that he was very fond of drinking and I wonder if he had a problem with it. I didn't know how he died until I read this book -- he was electrocuted they think when he tried to turn off or on a fan that was in the bathroom where he was taking a bath. He was a very brilliant person and am glad that his diary was published. He was quite open about his feelings in his journal, also was a poet.
2 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating journal of Christian monk encountering the East
ByIncantessimoVINE VOICEon March 15, 2004
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This book is a must-read for fans of Merton, and for anyone interested in encounters between Western Christianity and Eastern religions (particularly Hinduism and Buddhism).
Merton achieved incredible realizations and great insight into Buddhism despite the fact that he lived most of his life as a monk and hermit isolated at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, USA. At the end of his life, invited to present a paper in Bangkok on the renewal of monasticism, Merton made what he called his 'Asian pilgrimage' and finally set out to see firsthand what he had studied in books. This journal took him all across Asia, to various holy sites, and to encounters with numerous religious communities. He met, along the way, such people as H.H. the Dalai Lama and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He records all of this, his encounters, and even more interestingly, his own reflection on Buddhism and Christianity, in this wonderful gem of a journal.
What would have happened had Merton lived a few more years? I often ask myself this. He was exploring not just the surface of Buddhism (even now, many decades later, the presentation of Buddhism in the West can be very superficial), but delving into its very heart -- mandalas, tantras, and so on, and probing into what their nature was and what this might mean for Christianity to encounter a spirituality that seemed at once totally foreign and alien, and yet at the same time the very essence of what Christianity means.
Merton was a brilliant individual. He does not succumb to easy platitudes such as "It's all the same thing" or anything like that. He respects difference. But he does also certainly see a deep and dazzling dynamic unity -- a truth -- that penetrates all of this -- and not just this, but every moment of our lives. That living power -- that is what is important, and he witnessed to this in his life and writings.
62 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 starsThomas Merton, the Spiritual Adventurer
ByBeth Lon September 10, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
For any reader of Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton is an essential study. This is especially true if a person reads any of the Merton & Buddhism, Merton & Sufism, etc.volumes. In Asian Journal Thomas Merton shares his thoughts, focus and place of his lectures, interactions with the Dali Lama, and so much more.
Merton was a spiritual adventurer and this is essential reading.
2 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Asian Journal of Thomas Merton
ByKLKotaon January 17, 2012
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I had owned this book once before. I lost my copy in hurricane Katrina. I am throughly enjoying reading the book again. In fact, I think I am getting more from the book now than I did years ago. Thomas Merton was such an outstanding, inspiring person. The pictures that accompany the text add a lot to understanding Merton's journey to the East. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in monasticism and in particular taking a look at Eastern monasticism through western eyes.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent for Merton Fans
ByBrianon April 10, 2016
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Superb. Captivating. Persons who already have a background of familiarity with Merton and his works will enjoy this much. I question whether others would be able to appreciate this work. Excellent, but not for many, is my opinion.
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4.0 out of 5 starsInterfaith dialogue
ByAmazon Customeron February 1, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Very committed beautiful presentation on understanding different faiths and dealing with interfaith dialogue.
One person found this helpful
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3.0 out of 5 starsOk but not Merton's best stuff.
BySteve DeGangion December 27, 2014
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This book is in two parts. The first part includes Merton's journal (at the end of his life) when he traveled to Bangkok ultimately. He has interesting notes but I found the detail on the spiritual practices of the East to be more than what I cared for. The second part of the book has complimentary material on the religion of the East. Again this was stuff I wasn't interested in. I know from other readings/journals of Merton that he continued his orthodox Christian faith to the end of his life and the contemplation via the Eastern techniques was a supplemental vehicle for him.
3 people found this helpful
Spirituality, Mind-Body, Gender, Ecology, Ageing, Peace, Scrapbook (in English and Korean)
