AUDIOBOOK
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These are some of the most fascinating Thomas Merton lectures ever recorded.
Recorded in the last year of his life, these talks capture Merton as he ponders profound questions in an accessible, down-to-earth way. You will glean insight from Merton on a wide range of subjects, all held together by his conviction in our call to live in freeing obedience to the Holy Spirit.
As Merton critiques the culture of his day, he speaks frankly about the way it creates alienated individuals who chase after superficial goals. He points to the contemplative life as a way to refute such a worldview. He guides us to seek out our deepest vocation. For him, the most mundane task done to glorify God is a prayer, and we can attain union with God through our daily work.
Among the interreligious topics Merton covers, his commentary on the relationship of Buddhism to Christianity is especially noteworthy, given that the Dalai Lama himself praised Merton as having a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he had ever known.
This course is truly remarkable. These talks will deliver you to the depth of Merton's great mind.
This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
Recorded in the last year of his life, these talks capture Merton as he ponders profound questions in an accessible, down-to-earth way. You will glean insight from Merton on a wide range of subjects, all held together by his conviction in our call to live in freeing obedience to the Holy Spirit.
As Merton critiques the culture of his day, he speaks frankly about the way it creates alienated individuals who chase after superficial goals. He points to the contemplative life as a way to refute such a worldview. He guides us to seek out our deepest vocation. For him, the most mundane task done to glorify God is a prayer, and we can attain union with God through our daily work.
Among the interreligious topics Merton covers, his commentary on the relationship of Buddhism to Christianity is especially noteworthy, given that the Dalai Lama himself praised Merton as having a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he had ever known.
This course is truly remarkable. These talks will deliver you to the depth of Merton's great mind.
This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
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Reviews
"The Merton talks (any and all) are special because in addition to the sound quality being acceptable and the content being as rich as is found reading his books, one can get a sense of the kind of person Merton was that is hard to get just from reading: warm, down-to-earth, funny."
Stephen Cook, Mansfield, TX, US
"We are privileged to be ,flies on the wall, of his classroom as Merton leads the novices into the deeper insights of the Benedictine tradition. Highly recommended. "
Richard Bell
"I've read many published works of Merton and, even though his work is now decades old, more than ever, they speak to our world today. To hear him speaking in his own voice adds a dimension of humanness to him that writings alone cannot convey. Also, his sense of humor, something we seem to never catch a glimpse of in print, clearly comes to us."
Therese McAteer, Winterville, NC, USA