Thomas Merton Collection (7 vols.)

by Thomas Merton; M. Basil Pennington; William H. Shannon

Publishers:

Burns and Oates; Continuum; St. Anthony Messenger Press

, 1976–2000

Overview

Thomas Merton is regarded as one of the most influential Catholic writers of the twentieth century. The Thomas Merton Collection brings together four of Merton’s key works and three books about his life, spiritual perspectives, and teachings. Combined, these works provide a complete picture of the development of Merton’s spiritual perspectives, and their application to daily life.

Learn about the importance of contemplation in your spiritual journey, strengthen your identity in Christ, and understand how inner solitude is connected to faith. Thomas Merton’s works are timeless, as is the narrative of his life.

Each volume is indexed and tagged, allowing you to cross-reference the collection with the rest of your Logos library. Search for specific passages of Scripture and find key words with just a click.

Key Features

• Presents Merton’s perspectives on contemplation, identity, solitude, and Eastern religions
• Includes three works by renowned scholars about the development of Merton’s spiritual perspectives
• Offers applications of concepts for daily life

Product Details

• Title: Thomas Merton Collection
• Authors: Thomas Merton, William H. Shannon, M. Basil Pennington
• Publisher: Continuum
• Volumes: 7
• Pages: 1,302

The Ascent to Truth: A Study of St. John of the Cross

• Author: Thomas Merton
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 258

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this book, Thomas Merton writes that God himself is truth, and this is the truth people must seek. Merton expresses that contemplation—a supernatural experience of God—is an important aspect of seeking the summit of truth.

This book defines the nature of the contemplative experience, describes the necessary interior exercise which precedes it, and illustrates mature contemplation. Merton’s exploration is shared within the context of an exposition of the doctrines of the sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite, St. John of the Cross.

This elegantly written analysis provides nourishment for people journeying towards truth.

The work of a man of clear intellect, who has made a choice and can explain why he has made it.

—The Observer

Inspirational writing on a very high plane.

—The New Yorker

The New Man

• Author: Thomas Merton
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In The New Man, Thomas Merton addresses the challenge of living a Christian life in a world that is as increasingly out of touch with real humanity as it is out of touch with God. Merton argues that it “is a spiritual disaster for a man to rest content with his exterior identity.” Merton shares that as our true identity is defined in Christ we must find and define ourselves in the divine image.

The New Man is both a powerful meditation on Christian renewal and an insightful analysis of the loneliness that lies within the alternatives to God pursued by people today.

To those who shrink from the usual sort of ‘spiritual reading,’ Thomas Merton’s book may be recommended. They will be confronted by a vigorous, questioning mind that again and again anticipates an objection . . .

—The Times Literary Supplement

Thoughts in Solitude

• Author: Thomas Merton
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 114

Merton’s Thoughts in Solitude shares the author’s reflections on a solitary life, as well as the importance of quiet reflection. Merton writes that inner solitude is closely tied to personal integrity, and thus implies responsibility and freedom.

Thoughts in Solitude is a timeless book, as society affords people increasingly less privacy. Merton argues that inner solitude is both a necessity for personhood and acceptance of God’s gift free of grace.

This timeless work will be enjoyed by anyone seeking to understand solitude or deepen their practice of quiet reflection.

Thoughts on the East

• Author: Thomas Merton
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 98

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Towards the end of his life, Thomas Merton became deeply interested in Asian religions and passionate about promoting dialogue between Eastern and Western religious traditions. Thoughts on the East is a compilation of extracts from Merton’s Asian Journal, and from his works on Eastern religions, which were written during the last years of his life. When combined, they provide a complete definition of Merton’s meditations on Taoism, Zen, Hinduism, Sufism, and varieties of Buddhism.

This book will strengthen your understanding of Eastern religions, and serve as a reference for anyone interested in dialoguing with individuals of different faiths.

One of the most engaging features of Merton’s mind and sensibility is his feeling for what is authentic and pure, even when it occurs outside the house of Latin Catholicism. . . . He extended his interests and sympathies to the great non-Christian religions, especially the Buddhist traditions, and especially to their expressions in the form of monasticism. This was his last great passion, one that George Woodcock is well equipped to comment on . . .

—New York Review of Books

Thomas Merton’s Paradise Journey: Writings on Contemplation

• Authors: Thomas Merton and William H. Shannon
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 312

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Thomas Merton is recognized for his exploration of contemplation. In this book, renowned Merton scholar William H. Shannon explores the development of Merton’s meditations on the subject, tracing the evolution of his thoughts from What is Contemplation? to his later works on Eastern religions.

This book also includes excerpts from The Inner Experience. Merton had requested that this text never be published, meaning that the excerpts are normally only available to those with access to the original manuscript. Shannon not only includes the excerpts, but provides insightful commentary.

No one understands Merton’s views on contemplation better than William Shannon. Writing with the confidence, ease, and unconscious eloquence of a true spiritual master, Shannon gently guides the reader through the many paradoxes of contemplative prayer. This may be Monsignor Shannon’s best book.

—Robert Inchausti, author, Thomas Merton’s American Prophecy

This clear, masterful exposition of contemplation as the primary focus of Merton’s teaching, writing, and prayer is yet another gift to the monk’s readers by a first-rate interpreter of Merton’s spiritual legacy. William Shannon’s state-of-the-art scholarship will draw the wide audience it richly deserves.

—Johnathan Montaldo, director, Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine College, Louisville, Kentucky

William H. Shannon was professor emeritus in the religious studies department at Nazareth College. Shannon was also the founding president of the International Thomas Merton Society and author of multiple books, including The Silent Lamp: The Thomas Merton Story and ‘Something of a Rebel’: Thomas Merton, His Life and Works—An Introduction. Shannon died peacefully on April 29, 2012 at the age of 94.

Thomas Merton, Brother Monk: The Quest for True Freedom

• Author: M. Basil Pennington
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 208

This book is an intimate portrait of Thomas Merton. Author and fellow Trappist monk, M. Basil Pennington, knew Merton well. In this book, Pennington draws on his own knowledge of Merton, Merton’s writings, and the remembrances of others. This allows for a detailed study of Merton’s development from a young man to renowned author, activist, and contemplative.

M. Basil Pennington was a Trappist monk. He authored over 60 books, including Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form, Monastic Life, and A School of Love: The Cistercian Way to Holiness.

On Retreat with Thomas Merton

• Author: M. Basil Pennington
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 1995
• Pages: 120

In this book, M. Basil Pennington relates his experiences of retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, the former home of Thomas Merton. Written in journalistic style, Pennington describes both his daily activities and spiritual experiences.

M. Basil Pennington was a Trappist monk. He authored over 60 books, including Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form, Monastic Life, and A School of Love: The Cistercian Way to Holiness.

About Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood. Merton is regarded as one of the most influential Catholic writers of the twentieth century. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 70 books, including his widely acclaimed autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain.