The Springs of Contemplation A Retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani [Hardcover]

In the Sixties, Merton invited a group of contemplative women -- cut off by inflexible rules from any analysis of important movements in the Church and the world -- to make a retreat with him at his abbey in Kentucky. What he and they said on such themes as Zen, a Way of Living Life Directly, Prophetic Choices, and The Feminine Mystique, is the text of this book.

Thomas Merton(1915-1968) is one of the foremost spiritual thinkers of the twentieth century. Though he lived a mostly solitary existence as a Trappist monk, he had a dynamic impact on world affairs through his writing. An outspoken proponent of the antiwar and civil rights movements, he was both hailed as a prophet and castigated for his social criticism. He was also unique among religious leaders in his embrace of Eastern mysticism, positing it as complementary to the Western sacred tradition. Merton is the author of over forty books of poetry, essays, and religious writing, includingMystics and Zen Masters, andThe Seven Story Mountain, for which he is best known. His work continues to be widely read to this day.

Merton's warmth and humor, his full understanding of the limitations of gender-based stereotypes and his inductive approach to teaching are hallmarks of these dialogues that remain widely relevant. Publishers Weekly

This volume reveals Merton in such an accessible, conversational way. Library Journal