The Secular Journal of Thomas Merton

by Thomas Merton

THE SECULAR JOURNAL OF THOMAS MERTON . . . A private record . . . kept between October, I939, and November, 194i , as a young man in his mid-twenties . . . the Journal's over-aIl communication is that of generosity and idealism." Starting in a furnished room in Greenwich Village and reaching to to a climax at the Abbey of Gethsemani . . . this volume throbs wih human inteerst.

Genres: Spirituality, Biography, Catholic

270 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1977

About the author

Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. In December 1941 he entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani and in May 1949 he was ordained to priesthood. He was a member of the convent of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.
Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948). His account of his spiritual journey inspired scores of World War II veterans, students, and teenagers to explore offerings of monasteries across the US. It is on National Review's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the century.
Merton became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through his study of mystic practice. His interfaith conversation, which preserved both Protestant and Catholic theological positions, helped to build mutual respect via their shared experiences at a period of heightened hostility. He is particularly known for having pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama XIV; Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki; Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He traveled extensively in the course of meeting with them and attending international conferences on religion. In addition, he wrote books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and how Christianity is related to them. This was highly unusual at the time in the United States, particularly within the religious orders.

Reviews

[Megan]

If I read too much Thomas Merton, I may get religion!

[Steven H]

FASCINATING DIARY EXCERPTS PRIOR TO MERTON'S ENTRY INTO THE TRAPPISTS

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, as well as a best-selling writer, poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. Tragically, he was accidentally electrocuted while in Thailand at a conference of Christian and non-Christian monks. Written from October 1939 to November 1941, Merton wrote in the 1959 Preface, "These are a few selections taken from a diary that I kept when I was a layman... This was written, like most diaries, informally, colloquially, and in haste... the careless style, the callow opinions and all the other defects are those of a writer much younger and even more unwise than I am at present."

He wrote, "If people looked at good pictures more, they would learn more about meditation, and if they meditated more they would learn more about looking at pictures." (Pg. 15) He recounts an experience in church: "And so the unshakeable certainty, the clear and immediate knowledge that heaven was right in front of me, struck me like a thunderbolt and went through me like a flash of lightning and seemed to lift me clean up off the earth... it was as much an experience of loving as of knowing something, and in it love and knowledge were completely inseparable." (Pg. 76-77)

In June 1940, he wrote, "I don't pretend... to understand the war... the knowledge of what is going on only makes it seem desperately important to be voluntarily poor, to get rid of all possessions this instant... I am scared to take a proprietary interest in anything, for fear that my love of what I own may be killing somebody somewhere." (Pg. 110-111)

He observes, "It is astounding how little we really pray... If a person prays an hour a day, it seems tremendous: he begins to think himself a monster of asceticism." (Pg. 120) Later, he says, "A purgatory is a place where we tear away our sins like plasters although not as suddenly... But there is this paradox: an abbey is an earthly paradise because it is an earthly purgatory." (Pg. 186) Presciently, he wrote on April 12, 1941, "I only desire ... to follow His will... Could it ever possibly mean that I might some day become a monk in this monastery?" (Pg. 203)

This book sheds a great deal of light (even more than "Seven-Storey Mountain," in some respects) on Merton's development leading up to his entry into the abbey.

[Chase]

Great philosophical dive into the budding mind of one of the greatest Catholics of the 20th century. This man was able to put to what words what i havent been able to for the 21 years ive been Catholic

[Catherine Terelak]

literally love thomas merton. what a g

[Stephen]

Not a typical journal, Merton made these reflections on art, literature, religion, and Cuba while he was in his mid-20's living in New York, after he took an interest in Catholicism but before he became a Trappist monk. This was long before he became famous writer on Zen Buddhism, and like a lot of converts, Merton had his whole "convertitis" phase, when he took a superior attitude to the big "isms" of the 1930s (including atheism and Communism). This journal dates from that period, at the time of his first trip to Gethsemani in Kentucky and well before he wrote the The Seven Storey Mountain, but it's a worthwhile read -- at least to show how incredibly similar our own times are (intellectually) to the rocky world of the late 30's, when there was so much politically-driven, probably intentional, misunderstanding between religious and non-religious folks.

The young Merton wasn't exempt from squabbling and even sneering, but I found this book tremendously thought-provoking on lots of issues besides religion itself. (The part on his visit to Havana, Cuba, in 1940 was disappointing, but he was a keen observer of art and poetry.) Merton later kept a cardiogram-like chart where he ranked his own books. Secular Journal is probably somewhere in the middle, but a quick, interesting read.

[Anthony]

This is Merton's journal before he was a monk and before he was Catholic. It is not as intimidating because he is not yet the spiritual master which he will become. It is just private observations through his times growing up in NYC, studying at Colombia University, living in Cuba, etc. This book was very helpful for me when I was not yet comfortable reading his deeper books.

[Arthur]

A lovely, candid, personal account of a man becoming a monk.