For those who know Thomas Merton well

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Buddhism was very popular during the 60’s. All the college kids those days went from Christianity to Buddhism. Remember George Harrison and his Krishna Krishna songs. Sex, drugs and Buddhism were the thing back then. It was considered to be peaceful, organic and natural. Plus it didn’t tell the kids not to have sex. It was a win-win for the dropout generation. Merton’s connection was probably more profound. Here is an article. https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/nhat-hanh-is-my-brother
 
Krishnas are Hindus, not Buddhists.

Buddhism continues to be popular. People find meaning, purpose and sometimes, community in it.

Serious Buddhists do not engage in sex and drugs along with their Buddhism.
 
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You are right, of course. I conflated the two as the whole trend toward Eastern philosophy went beyond just Buddhism. Although, as I recall, Zen was king back then.
 
Zen is indeed Buddhism.

On the Kung Fu TV series, the main character was a Buddhist monk.

Buddhism teaches a moral code not unlike Christianity. I think that makes it a pretty easy switch for some Westerners.
 
goout said:
The Church sees the good in people as Christ did. If not, St Peter cannot be St Peter as he denied the Christ he knew personally
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Peter denied Him thrice, in public. Also all the apostles abandoned our Lord in the last hour, except John, who was at the cross with Mary. Merton may have strayed/questioned the church or its teachings in finding new ways to interpret spirituality but he never denied Our Lord. His books are hard to get into, same with CS Lewis’s.
 
They were Shaolin Monks. Shaolin is Zen Buddhist. Zen Buddhism is a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism. That may be why they appeared Taoist to you.
There are also other groups of Buddhists besides Zen practitioners.
 
Well , I’m glad to see you’re putting that brain of yours to good use, studying and thinking about the Faith, then coming here to CAF and sharing that with others.

Thanks!
 
What kind of engineer ?

I was a Printed Circuit Layout Designer and CAD Specialist before I retired

Jim
 
ontheway1 said:
He is a good overview of Merton’s move toward Buddhism toward the end of his life. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/can-you-trust-thomas-merton
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This looks like a substantive and well thought out article. I will have to read it. Thanks!
Tis_Bearself said:
To the extent he might have been veering off the rails in his later life, and I don’t say for certain he was, I firmly believe that in some cases God calls people home before they can get themselves in trouble on earth. It can be a merciful act of God.
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Yes, that thought did cross my mind, too. It seems entirely possible that Merton was getting a little close to “stepping over the edge” let’s call it to a place that would not have been particularly good. I’ve worded it very ambiguously, I know. But I’m having trouble articulating quite what I mean at this very moment. I’m sure someone will come along and chide me for it.
 
He was a mystic. As such he could see truth in other religions as. Well as his own. Contemplative have a brotherhood/sisterhood of the inner experience beyond words.
 
@Cloisters
I’m in awe… I’ve long been a Merton “fan” and am reading and learning about Pennington now. I never quite put a finger on it, but the connection between the Buddhists and Catholics in my neck of the woods has always been strong. I think it must be the contemplative nature. I know many Benedictines and Dominicans who are close with local Buddhists. The Dalai Lama has paid a couple of visits; his nephew lives in the general area and has a significant Buddhist center. The last publicly known visit, the local Catholic community hosted the Dalai Lama for prayer and was reciprocated with an invitation to some event of theirs. I can picture Merton in the midst, and maybe Pennington, too, as I read more of his works.
 
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“JamalChristophr said:
Yes, that thought did cross my mind, too. It seems entirely possible that Merton was getting a little close to “stepping over the edge” let’s call it to a place that would not have been particularly good. I’ve worded it very ambiguously, I know. But I’m having trouble articulating quite what I mean at this very moment. I’m sure someone will come along and chide me for it.
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I only read Seven Story Mountain and Seeds of Contemplation, but I’ve “heard” he kinda danced right up to the edge of heresy, in some of his later writings, not that he crossed the line, but said a few things that could be interpreted the wrong way…
 
If anything needs to be taught in Catholic schools and churches, it’s Dark Night of the Soul by St John of the Cross. Much grief is perpetrated by ignorant laity. Dark Night would go a long way to humbling the faithful.

One of our interns at work was a Thai Buddhist. She was very self-effacing, and didn’t like having her photo taken. She was also very perceptive. When she brought back gifts from her Homeland, she nailed mine on the head by offering me a t-shirt showing the river boat market. Our department dealt with economic development, so I pray she landed a good job that benefited her people.
 
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