Search results for ""Author Thomas Merton""

En estos días de distracción mecánica y absurda, necesitamos imperiosamente encontrar razones convincentes que nos muevan a apagar nuestros teléfonos y reconectar con nuestro verdadero yo espiritual. Editado con motivo del 50 aniversario de la muerte de Thomas Merton, El silencio, la dicha es una invitación a aminorar el paso y aflojar el ritmo, respirar hondo, reservar un espacio para el silencio y abrirnos de par en par a la dicha.Poeta, monje, consejero espiritual y crítico social, Merton es una figura única e irrepetible del siglo XX -querido de una forma igualmente única y excepcional- y este pequeño rosario de devociones reúne sus poemas y prosa más queridos. Extraídas de clásicos como Nuevas semillas de contemplación (1962) y El camino de Chuang Tzu (1965) además de otros escritos menos famosos, las páginas que figuran en El silencio, la dicha ofrecen al lector una quietud profunda y sosegada, raptos de alabanza extática, palabras intemporales de sabiduría y una jovialidad amabl

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In Faith and Violence, Thomas Merton offers concrete and pungent social criticisms grounded in prophetic faith about such issues as Vietnam, racism, violence, and war.

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"Zen enriches no one," Thomas Merton provocatively writes in his opening statement to Zen and the Birds of Appetite—one of the last books to be published before his death in 1968. "There is no body to be found. The birds may come and circle for a while... but they soon go elsewhere. When they are gone, the 'nothing,' the 'no-body' that was there, suddenly appears. That is Zen. It was there all the time but the scavengers missed it, because it was not their kind of prey." This gets at the humor, paradox, and joy that one feels in Merton's discoveries of Zen during the last years of his life, a joy very much present in this collection of essays. Exploring the relationship between Christianity and Zen, especially through his dialogue with the great Zen teacher D.T. Suzuki, the book makes an excellent introduction to a comparative study of these two traditions, as well as giving the reader a strong taste of the mature Merton. Never does one feel him losing his own faith in these pages; rather one feels that faith getting deeply clarified and affirmed. Just as the body of "Zen" cannot be found by the scavengers, so too, Merton suggests, with the eternal truth of Christ.

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In Faith and Violence, Thomas Merton offers concrete and pungent social criticisms grounded in prophetic faith about such issues as Vietnam, racism, violence, and war.

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The complete and unedited edition of Thomas Merton's famous autobiography, one of the greatest works of spiritual pilgrimage ever written. Travelling in his early years with his artist father in the United States, France and England, Thomas Merton prided himself on his worldly accomplishments. His year at Clare College, Cambridge, was indulgent, and although Columbia University to which he went next suited his temperament better, it did nothing to assuage his restlessness. Gradually Merton recognized his need for faith and became a Catholic. With his baptism he began entertaining thoughts of monasticism but his desire to enter the priesthood in a Franciscan monastery came to nothing, and he remained a lay teaching member of the order for some time. However, when he was twenty-seven he made a retreat to a Trappist monastery in Kentucky. This momentous experience convinced him that the silence of the Cistercian Order was what he craved. The Seven Storey Mountain tells the story of Merton's search for faith and peace in a world which first fascinated and then appalled him. It is written with the profound insight of a man who has seen himself clearly. ‘The Seven Storey Mountain is a book one reads with a pencil so as to make it one’s own.’ Graham Greene ‘A remarkable book, a classic of its kind, written in a vivid, rich and alert style which ranges from crisp vernacular to passionate eloquence, full of picturesque incident and passing at times into religious ecstasy.’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘A book which may well prove to be of permanent interest in the history of religious experience.’ Evelyn Waugh

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Although it first appeared after his death in 1968, he had arranged for its publication, written a foreword for it, and was delighted with the prospect of its at last becoming a part of his published works. My Argument with the Gestapo tells of the adventures of a young man, clearly identified by the name Thomas Merton, who travels from America to Europe to report on the war with Germany from the viewpoint of a poet. He hates the war, yet is driven to come to terms with it. There is a pervading sense of dreamworld or hallucination, heightened by the device of passages written in a macaronic language, invented from multilingual roots, to satirize and parody political propaganda speeches dealing with the war. A work of imagination (Merton did not in fact return to England after the start of World War II in Europe), it nevertheless contains much that is autobiographical and revealing of the young Merton. Most clearly visible are the seeds of his never-forsaken concern with peace and nonviolence and his abhorrence of war. Indeed, his outspoken criticism of Britain at a time when all the emphasis was on 'the brave little island standing alone' foreshadows his devotion to truth as he saw it, no matter what the cost. And students of Merton will find scenes in the book that are straight autobiography, amplifying and perhaps filling in gaps in what later was to be the beginning of Merton's great literary success, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948).

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The personal tones of the translations, the blend of reverence and humor so characteristic of him, show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth-century Christian Fathers who sought solitude and contemplation in the deserts of the Near East. The hermits of Screte who turned their backs on a corrupt society remarkably like our own had much in common with the Zen masters of China and Japan, and Father Merton made his selection from them with an eye to the kind of impact produced by the Zen mondo.

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Poet, Trappist monk, religious philosopher, translator, social critic: the late Thomas Merton was all these things. This classic selection from his great body of poetry affords a comprehensive view of his varied and progressively innovative work. Selected by Mark Van Doren and James Laughlin, this slim volume is now available again as a wonderful showcase of Thomas Merton’s splendid poetry.

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Thomas Merton’s classic study of monastic prayer and contemplation brings a tradition of spirituality alive for the present day. But, as A. M. Allchin points out in his Introduction to this new edition, Contemplative Prayer also shows us the present day in a new perspective, because we see it in the light of a long and living tradition. Merton stresses that in meditation we should not look for a 'method' or 'system' but cultivate an 'attitude' or 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, trust, joy. God is found in the desert of surrender, in giving up any expectation of a particular message and 'waiting on the Word of God in silence'. Merton insists on the humility of faith, which he argues 'will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalisations of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history'.

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No es posible comprender la figura y la obra de Thomas Merton sin el conocimiento de su poesía. Merton necesitaba poner voz a lo que no cabe en palabras, y para ese caudal no le bastaba el cauce de la prosa.La relevancia de su poesía radica en que establece un diálogo continuo con el mundo, haciéndose así heredera no solo de la tradición bíblica veterotestamentaria, sino también de una amplia corriente de denuncia. Los poemas de amor y de disidencia de Merton se manifiestan como creación pero también como acción política, como una voz intempestiva y liberadora en sus hipótesis y evocaciones, metáforas y correspondencias.Esta antología bilingüe recoge una amplia selección de los poemas escritos por Merton entre 1940 y 1966, reflejos de la búsqueda de amor redentor que se cuentan, al mismo tiempo, entre los más poderosos instrumentos de subversión.

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El cristianismo del siglo IV, que finalmente había salido del anonimato social de las catacumbas, se acomodó rápidamente a la sociedad pagana por la que ahora se extendía. El estilo de vida evangélico se iba desvirtuando. Como reacción a todo esto, surge un modo de vida austero y solitario. Un buen número de hombres y mujeres acuden a los desiertos de Egipto, Palestina, Arabia y Persia para vivir su fe radicalmente. Alejándose de un mundo que los absorbe y los separa de Dios, buscan un lugar tranquilo donde encontrarse a solas con el Absoluto de sus vidas. En sus muchas horas de silencio y meditación aprendieron una sabiduría que en modo alguno resulta hoy desfasada. Aquellas circunstancias de su época, similares en algunos aspectos a nuestra vida vertiginosa en las grandes ciudades, continúan siendo hoy un reclamo para la paz interior, la relativización de las mediaciones y el encuentro con el único Absoluto. En esta pequeña obra se recoge una breve muestra de aquella gran enseñanza.

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Bread in the Wilderness sets forth Merton's belief that "the Psalms acquire, for those who know how to enter into them, a surprising depth, a marvelous and inexhaustible actuality. They are bread, miraculously provided by Christ, to feed those who have followed Him into the wilderness." Merton's goal in this moving book is to help the reader enter into the Psalms: "The secret is placed in the hands of each Christian. It only needs to be discovered and fulfilled in our own lives." The new ND Classic edition of Bread in the Wilderness faithfully reproduces the beautiful, large-format original 1953 New Directions books, created by the celebrated designer Alvin Lustig and lavishly illustrated throughout with photographs of a remarkable medieval crucifix at Perpignan, France.

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Construida a base de textos tomados de los abundantes diarios escritos por su autor, esta autobiografía describe paso a paso el itinerario espiritual recorrido por el inquieto monje y prolífico autor que fue Thomas Merton.Cultivó diferentes géneros (cartas, poemas, novelas, ensayos de literatura y de temas sociales o estrictamente espirituales, diarios) y se convirtió en uno de los autores espirituales más importantes del siglo XX, cuya vida sigue siendo relevante para nosotros.

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Estas lecturas de Chuang Tzu, advierte Thomas Merton al lector, son el resultado de años de estudio, anotación y meditación. Las notas acabaron siendo imitaciones libres de los pasajes que llamaron especialmente la atención del monje y poeta. Son aventuras de interpretación personal y espiritual, una intuitiva aproximación a un pensador que es a la vez sutil, entretenido, provocativo y no fácil de captar.Lejos de cualquier intención apologética, Merton quiere trasladar el temperamento filosófico de Chuang Tzu, que se caracteriza por su intento singular de penetrar el corazón de las cosas. Una aprehensión de la realidad que se ofrece en forma de meditaciones y poemas, de historietas, fábulas y anécdotas que, teñidos de humor y de ironía, constituyen una antología del pensamiento que corría por los círculos taoístas en los siglos IV y III antes de Cristo.Pero el camino que aquí se muestra, misterioso por su misma sencillez, es propio de una mentalidad que se encuentra en todas pa

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Here this concern finds expression in poetic irony and in meditations intentionally dour. In these brief, challenging pieces, Father Merton does not offer consolation or easy remedies. He looks candidly and without illusions at the world of his time. Though he sees dark horizons, his ultimate answer is one of Christian hope. To vary the perspective, he writes in many forms, using parable and myth, the essay and the meditation, satire and manifesto, prose poetry and even adaptations from a medieval Arab mystic (Ibn Abbad) to humanize and dramatic his philosophical themes. The themes of Raids on the Unspeakable are as old as the myths of Prometheus and Atlas, and as timely as the human evils of today. They range from the "Message" written for an international congress of poets to the beautiful yet disturbing Christmas meditation, "The Time of the End Is the Time of No Room." And there are essays inspired by the world of three significant contemporary writers: Flannery O'Connor, the French novelist Julien Green, and the playwright Eugene Ionesco. A number of Father Merton's own drawings are also included in the book—not as "illustrations," but as "signatures" or :"abstract writings," which stand in their own right as another personal statement.

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In this day of mindless distraction, we’re desperate for reasons to put down our phones and reconnect with our spiritual selves. In time for the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death in 1968, Silence, Joy is an invitation to slow down, take a breath, make a space for silence, and open up to joy. Poet, monk, spiritual advisor, and social critic, Thomas Merton is a unique—and uniquely beloved—figure of the twentieth century, and this little rosary brings together his best-loved poems and prose. Drawn from classics like New Seeds Of Contemplation and The Way Of Chuang Tzu as well as less famous books, the writings in Silence, Joy offer the reader deep, calming stillness, flights of ecstatic praise, steadying words of wisdom, and openhearted laughter. Manna for Merton lovers and a warm embrace for novices, this slim collection is a delightful gift.

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Thomas Merton's thought-provoking book is a series of essays about various Amerindian cultures. †

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A new, broad, comprehensive view of the innovative poetry of the late, great Trappist monk and religious philosopher Thomas Merton. Poet, Trappist monk, religious philosopher, translator, social criticthe late Thomas Merton was all these things. Until now, no selection from his great body of poetry has afforded a comprehensive view of his varied and largely innovative work. In the Dark Before Dawn: New Selected Poems of Thomas Merton is not only double the size of Merton's earlier Selected Poems (1967), it also arranges his poetry thematically and chronologically, so that readers can follow the poet's multifarious interrelated lines of thought as well as his poetic development over the decades, from his college days in the 1930s to his untimely accidental death in Bangkok in 1968 during his personal Eastern pilgrimage. The selections are grouped under eight thematic headings"Geography's Landscapes," "Poems from the Monastery," "Poems of the Sacred," "Songs of Contemplation," "History's Voices: Past and Present," "Engaging the World," "On Being Human," "Merton and Other Languages."

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New Seeds of Contemplation is one of Thomas Merton's most widely read and best-loved books. Christians and non-Christians alike have joined in praising it as a notable successor in the meditative tradition of St. John of the Cross, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the medieval mystics, while others have compared Merton's reflections with those of Thoreau. New Seeds of Contemplation seeks to awaken the dormant inner depths of the spirit so long neglected by Western man, to nurture a deeply contemplative and mystical dimension in our lives. For Merton, "Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them: for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the soil of freedom, spontaneity and love."

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"One has to speak out and stand up for one's convictions. Inaction at a time of conflagration is inexcusable."—Mahatma Gandhi The basic principles of Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence (Ahimsa) and non-violent action (Satyagraha) were chosen by Thomas Merton for this volume in 1965. In his challenging Introduction, "Gandhi and the One-Eyed Giant," Merton emphasizes the importance of action rather than mere pacifism as a central component of non-violence, and illustrates how the foundations of Gandhi's universal truths are linked to traditional Hindu Dharma, the Greek philosophers, and the teachings of Christ and Thomas Aquinas. Educated as a Westerner in South Africa, it was Gandhi's desire to set aside the caste system as well as his political struggles in India which led him to discover the dynamic power of non-cooperation. But, non-violence for Gandhi "was not simply a political tactic," as Merton observes: "the spirit of non-violence sprang from an inner realization of spiritual unity in himself." Gandhi's politics of spiritual integrity have influenced generations of people around the world, as well as civil rights leaders from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Steve Biko to Václav Havel and Aung San Suu Kyi. Mark Kurlansky has written an insightful preface for this edition that touches upon the history of non-violence and reflects the core of Gandhi's spiritual and ethical doctrine in the context of current global conflicts.

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Hoy en día, todos están hablando de “comunidad”. Según Arnold y Merton, se puede vivirla también.En este manifiesto, Arnold y Merton plantean la posibilidad de la vida comunitaria intencional y examinan sus rasgos más destacados: amor, alegría, unidad y la gran aventura de fe, compartidos con otros en el camino. No describen ni prescriben la vida en comunidad; en cambio, ofrecen un ideal para guiar la búsqueda, y un llamado a renovar el compromiso y profundizar la fe.

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