Mystici a zenoví mistři – Merton Thomas (2022)

Thomas Merton is spoken of as one of those rare Western minds who felt completely at home in Zen. In this book, he discusses various religious concepts – early monasticism, Russian Orthodox spirituality, the Shakers, Zen Buddhism, all with characteristic Western directness. Merton not only studied these religions from the outside but engaged with them empathetically and actively from the inside. "All the chapters," Merton wrote, "are united by one central interest: to understand the different ways in which people from various traditions have conceived the meaning and method of the 'path' that leads to the highest levels of religious or metaphysical consciousness." ******************** Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion. He was ordained a priest in 1949 and received the name "Father Louis." He was a member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, where he lived from 1941 until his death. Merton wrote over 50 books, dozens of essays, and reviews. He became a strong advocate for interreligious understanding, promoting dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures – the Dalai Lama, Japanese writer D. T. Suzuki, Thai...