An Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Initiation Into the Monastic Tradition, 3

by Thomas Merton

In these conferences dating to 1961, Thomas Merton provides for his audience of young monks an overview of major themes and figures in the Christian mystical tradition as an integral part of their religious inheritance and a crucial part of their spiritual formation. From Fathers of the Church such as St Athanasius and St Gregory of Nyssa, through such important medieval theologians as St Bonaventure, Hadewijch and Meister Eckhart, to the great Spanish Carmelites St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross, Merton traces such key topics as the integration of theology and spirituality; the importance of "natural contemplation"—recognizing the divine presence in creation; the centrality of apophatic or "dark" contemplation; and the role of spiritual direction in forming mature and balanced contemplatives.

Genres: Christianity, Theology, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2007

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

[Brian Hohmeier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merton is, of course, perennially brilliant and even in the driest of his notes flashes beauty, but these compiled lectures not only do devolve rapidly in their organization toward the end but also become quite difficult to follow for all of their bracketing, fragmentation and inserted marginalia. The abridged and much more actively edited _A Course in Christian Mysticism_ becomes the better equivalent read for anyone looking for exactly what both titles promise, with little lost in the abridgment.

[Bishoy M. Farag · Rating 1 out of 5]

الترجمة العربية موسفة جدا من شخص المفروض انه مدرس للفلسفة المسيحية وانه لا يفقه شي فيها وهذا حال معظم دكاترة الجامعات في مصر
Arabic translation is very bad