Teacher

Thomas Merton



Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was an American Roman Catholic Trappist monk, poet, author, theologian, student of interfaith understanding, and activist for social change. His work dove deep into the ways in which religions are similar, and he envisioned a more peaceful world through helping people understand and appreciate spiritual paths different from their own. He wrote over fifty books and countless essays on social justice, religion, and theology throughout his life, and he strove to weave mysticism into his works while connecting these beliefs to overarching societal ideas and structures.

Thomas Merton
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Thomas Merton: Spiritual Master, The Essential Writings

A one-volume anthology of the spiritual writings of the greatest spiritual master the American Catholic church has produced in this century. The selections, which are substantial in length, provide a generous sampling of Merton's vast output.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageThe frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.

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Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer—The Journals of Thomas Merton

Spanning an eleven-year period, Entering the Silence reflects Merton's struggle to balance his vocation to solitude with the budding literary career that would soon established him as one of the most important spiritual writers of our century.

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An Interview with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Rabbi Zalman shares his experiences at the Abbey of Gethsemani, his meetings with Thomas Merton, ecumenism, and infused contemplation

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Love and Living

Love and Living is a posthumously published collection of Merton's essays and meditations centering on the need for love in learning to live. "Love is the revelation of our deepest personal meaning, value, and identity." Edited by Naomi Burton Stone and Brother Patrick Hart.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageYou do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageDo not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageInstead of hating the people you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed—but hate these things in yourself, not in another.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageThe more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers most.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageOur job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.

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Cynthia Bourgeault