Thomas Merton has 21 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 5 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 57 ratings. The most-rated is The Seven Storey Mountain.
The Seven Storey Mountain
Summary
The Seven Storey Mountain is the extraordinary spiritual testament of Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a man who experienced life to its fullest in the world before entering a Trappist monastery. By the end of his life, he had become one of the 20th century's best-known and beloved Christian voices. This autobiography deals...not with what happens to a man, but what happens inside his soul.
Public Domain (P)2009 Phoenix
New Seeds of Contemplation
Summary
New Seeds of Comtemplation is one of Thomas Merton's most widely read and best loved books. Christians and non-Christians alike have joined in praising it as a notable successor in the meditative tradition of St. John of the Cross, the Cloud of Unknowing, and the medieval mystics, while others have compared Merton's reflections to those of Thoreau. New Seeds of Contemplation seeks to awaken the dormant inner depths of the spirit so long neglected by Western culture, to nurture a deeply contemplative and mystical dimension in our lives.
©1962 New Directions (P)2014 Franciscan Media
The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)
Summary
Classic writings from the great Zen master in exquisite versions by Thomas Merton, with a preface by his holiness the Dalai Lama, now in audio for the first time. Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries BC, is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings). Indeed, it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name: Zen. The Chinese sage abounds in wit and paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being. Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao.
©1965 The Abbey of Gethsemani (P)2018 New Directions
The Wisdom of the Desert
Summary
The Wisdom of the Desert was one of Thomas Merton's favorites among his own books, surely because he had hoped to spend his last years as a hermit. The personal tones of the translations and the blend of reverence and humor so characteristic of him show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth-century Christian fathers who sought solitude and contemplation in the deserts of the Near East. The hermits of Screte, who turned their backs on a corrupt society remarkably like our own, had much in common with the Zen masters of China and Japan, and Father Merton made his selection from them with an eye to the kind of impact produced by the Zen mondo.
©1960 Abbey of Gethsemani, Inc. (P)2019 New Directions Publishing Corporation
Contemplative Prayer
Summary
This is Merton at his best, applying ancient wisdom to the longings of our age through thoughtful commentary on Scripture and writers of the Western spiritual tradition. This book distills Merton's own reading and long experience with contemplation.
©1969 The Merton Legacy Trust (P)2007 St. Anthony Messenger Press
Thoughts in Solitude
Summary
As timely now as when it was originally published in 1956, Thoughts in Solitude addresses the pleasure of a solitary life, as well as the necessity for quiet reflection in an age when so little is private. In thoughtful and eloquent prose, Merton writes of our inalienable right to solitude and interior freedom. Society, he tells us, depends for its existence on the personal solitude of its members.Thoughts in Solitude stands alongside The Seven Storey Mountain as one of Merton's most enduring and popular works.
©1958 Farrar, Strauss & Giroux (P)2014 Franciscan Media
Thomas Merton on Prayer
Summary
Renew your prayer life with Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton was one of the great spiritual masters: a Trappist monk, profound mystic, and brilliant writer. He inspired men and women from all walks of life with his dedication to prayer and contemplation. In 1967, near the end of his life, Merton gave a powerful set of lectures on prayer to the Sisters of Loretto. He channeled a lifetime full of wisdom, piety, and prayerfulness into these erudite yet down-to-earth talks. Now, you have the rare opportunity to hear Merton's moving lectures, deepening your own life of prayer with one of the great modern spiritual masters. This series has been remastered and made available for you to enjoy. In these heartfelt talks, Merton reaches out across the decades to inspire your spirit. He will lead you on a powerful journey, giving you new insights into praying contemplatively. You will explore such topics as religious poverty, philosophy, and monasticism. As you do so, you will discover what it means to truly live as a Christian today. Recorded half a century ago, these talks remain as powerful today as ever. Merton will transform your life with his timeless insights into contemplation, the search for meaning, and more. Join him on this life-changing experience. Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
©2016 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2016 Now You Know Media Inc.
Finding True Meaning and Beauty
Summary
Join Thomas Merton in spellbinding lectures on two essential philosophical topics. In this audio program, you will learn about the meaning of life and the essence of beauty with Thomas Merton, one of the 20th century's great thinkers. Delivered with unrivaled brilliance and insight, these remastered recordings of Merton himself will transport you into the abbey where he taught and imparted his spiritual wisdom. In the first part, you will explore man's search for meaning. Merton draws from such diverse wisdom as the psychoanalysis of Viktor Frankl, the mysticism of Sufism, Hasidic lore, and the poetry of William Wordsworth to demonstrate how the search for meaning is essential to our existence. Meaning, he says, dwells deep within all of us, and we need only to root ourselves in spirituality to discover this. Next you will look at the philosophical concept of beauty. As humans we are naturally drawn to the beautiful, whether in art or in nature. True beauty is transcendent, extending beyond the merely aesthetic, and it is essential to the spiritual life. Art and contemplation bring us to the highest form of pleasure - that is, the beauty of God. By understanding beauty, then, we thus move toward spiritual perfection and fulfillment. These moving conferences delivered by Merton challenge the intellect and move the spirit. Listen to his timeless words today. Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
©2012 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2012 Now You Know Media Inc.
Zen and the Birds of Appetite
Summary
Merton, one of the rare Western thinkers able to feel at home in the philosophies of the East, made the wisdom of Asia available to Westerners. "Zen enriches no one," Thomas Merton provocatively begins in his opening statement to Zen and the Birds of Appetite, one of the last books to be published before his death in 1968. "There is no body to be found. The birds may come and circle for a while...but they soon go elsewhere. When they are gone, the 'nothing,' the 'no-body' that was there, suddenly appears. That is Zen. It was there all the time but the scavengers missed it, because it was not their kind of prey." This gets at the humor, paradox, and joy that one feels in Merton's discoveries of Zen during the last years of his life, a joy that was very much present in this collection of essays. Exploring the relationship between Christianity and Zen, especially through his dialogue with the great Zen teacher D.T. Suzuki, the book makes an excellent introduction to a comparative study of these two traditions, as well as giving the listener a strong taste of the mature Merton. Never does one feel him losing his own faith; rather, one feels that faith getting deeply clarified and affirmed. Just as the body of "Zen" cannot be found by the scavengers, so too, Merton suggests, with the eternal truth of Christ.
©1968 The Abbey of Gethsemani, Inc. (P)2019 New Directions Publishing Corp.
Thomas Merton on Desert Spirituality
Summary
Travel into the desert with Thomas Merton as your guide. In the third century, men and women journeyed into the deserts of Syria and Egypt. Turning away from the world, they sought to find salvation in solitude. By doing so, they developed new forms of monasticism and spirituality. Now known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers, their wisdom remains as inspirational today as ever. In this set of lectures released to the public for the first time ever, you will learn about these spiritual ancestors with Thomas Merton as your personal teacher. Under Merton's guidance, you'll enter the Abbey of Gethsemani to journey through centuries of spiritual history. These eight talks, originally recorded in the 1960s and remastered for your enjoyment, center on the eremitic mystics in modern-day Syria. You'll meet such inspirational figures as St. Symeon the Stylite, St. Julian Sabas the Elder, and St. Aphraates. As you will learn from Merton, these complex monks were far ahead of their time. As Merton says, these hermits were "humble, quiet, sensible people, with a deep knowledge of human nature" (The Wisdom of the Desert). By journeying into the desert, they found a transcendent closeness with Jesus Christ. Centuries later, we still have much to glean from their works. When you listen to Thomas Merton in his own voice, you will open your mind and spirit to the timeless wisdom of the desert. Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
©2016 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2016 Now You Know Media Inc.
No Man Is an Island
Summary
No Man Is an Island is a collection of 16 essays in which Thomas Merton plumbs aspects of human spirituality. Merton treats the “basic verities on which the spiritual life depends”. Essay themes include hope, conscience, sacrifice, charity, sincerity, mercy, and silence. The work is threaded through with Merton’s deep awareness that we are all called to “live not for ourselves but for others”. The first essay, “Love Can Be Kept Only by Being Given Away”, is a spiritual classic.
©1983 The Merton Legacy Trust (P)2007 St. Anthony Messenger Press
Thomas Merton on Augustine, Jerome, and Ambrose: The Philosophy of the Great Latin Fathers
Summary
Renew your faith as you learn about the founding fathers of Christian theology with Thomas Merton. Three men laid the groundwork for Christianity’s philosophy, theology, and learning. Seventeen centuries later, a spiritual visionary taught gripping classes on these Church Fathers. Why study the foundational texts of Christian thought? Merton prefaces his talks by answering this question. The foundational texts form the basis of the contemplative and learned life. The same holds true for anyone who wants to seriously explore the big questions of meaning, purpose, and values. You will begin with an introduction to the foremost philosopher of Christian antiquity - Saint Augustine - and his classic On Christian Doctrine. Parsing Augustine’s profound theology into accessible talks, Merton describes his core ideas. Before taking a deeper dive into Augustine, you will turn to the mystical humanism of Saint Ambrose. Next, you will examine St. Jerome’s letters, which rank among the most important Christian texts. As entertaining as he is knowledgeable, Merton connects with students through humorous anecdotes. His passionate teaching will both inform you and instill passion for deep learning.
©2018 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2018 Now You Know Media Inc.
Thomas Merton on The Cistercians: Sages of Silence
Summary
Join monk and mystic Thomas Merton on a journey through monastic and contemplative history. In these talks delivered by Thomas Merton, you will gain a rich introduction to the monastic period of church history, encountering such figures as St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Benedict, John Cassian, Basil, and Charlemagne. As you will come to discover, the history of monasticism is deeply intertwined with the greater history of Europe and the Christian contemplative tradition. Join one of the 20th century's great contemplative masters in deepening your understanding of the Christian life and spiritual history. A best-selling author and mystic, Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk, and his monastic vision shaped his profound spirituality. In this series of lectures, he examines the founding of the Cistercian Order, of which the Trappists are a part, and what the early Cistercians can teach us today. You will journey with Merton through the most vital events of Christian contemplative history. Explore Christian monasticism's origins in the Desert Fathers and Mothers, who encountered God in inspiring and radical ways. Then see how monasticism flourished under St. Benedict, whose rule promoted the power of humility, work, and prayer. Most importantly, you will see how the medieval Cistercians, founded at the Abbey of Cîteaux, have much to teach us about our world today. Facing the excesses of the Middle Ages, these inspiring spiritual ancestors sought lives of simplicity in order to make manifest their love of Christ. Theirs was a deeply contemplative practice in which they gave themselves over to God completely. With Merton as your guide, you will explore such topics as Lectio Divina, the conversion of manners, and the core values of the Trappist way of life. Merton delivers these lectures with his signature grace, wit, and wisdom. In taking Merton as your guide, you will discover what it means to dedicate yourself to the search for God.
©2014 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2014 Now You Know Media Inc.
Thomas Merton on Sufism
Summary
In the 20th century, Thomas Merton, one of Christianity's great mystics, encountered the ancient Eastern mystical tradition known as Sufism. The result was an outpouring of mystical insight and spiritual wisdom. In these talks, you will discover what first electrified Merton. The Sufi mystics have given us one of the world's most-read poets, Rumi; the beautiful mystical dance of whirling dervishes; interreligious insight; and new forms of contemplation. A visionary who sought to synthesize the best of Eastern and Western spiritualities, Thomas Merton's profound interest in the Sufi mystics is more relevant today than ever. Merton explores the contemplative wisdom of Sufism to enhance our Christian understanding of mysticism and spiritual practice. In one of his talks to the novices at Gethsemani, he said, "The Sufis are seeking to know God and have ways of seeking to know God, and this should have some success with us.... We should be closer to the Sufis." In these talks you will watch the development of Merton's spirituality as he moved toward a greater understanding of interreligious dialogue. Merton believed that the Sufis had much to teach us about prayer, mysticism, and contemplation. Merton will bring you to new and exciting places as he reflects on Sufism and the mystical life. What Merton taught in the mid-20th century is prophetic for spiritual seekers in the contemporary world. Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sybille Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
©2014 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2014 Now You Know Media Inc.
Thomas Merton on Contemplation
Summary
You are invited to sit at the feet of a contemplative master. In the words of renowned theologian Fr. Lawrence Cunningham, Thomas Merton was perhaps "the greatest spiritual writer and spiritual master of the 20th century". With a poet's sensibility, an intellectual's inquiring mind, and a prophet's courage, Merton has captured the hearts of readers and listeners around the world. After a radical conversion experience, Merton became a Trappist monk in the Abbey of Gethsemani, where he wrote the spiritual classic The Seven Storey Mountain. At the heart of Merton's transformative conversion was contemplation. Now, this series invites you into that profound contemplative experience. Recorded during the last decade of his life, these six powerful conferences were delivered by Merton at Gethsemani, where he gave religious instruction to the novice monks. As you listen to Merton in his own voice, you will encounter a candid, personal side of this beloved spiritual writer. Remastered for you to enjoy, these conferences exemplify his teachings on prayer and contemplation. These carefully selected conferences cover such topics as the spiritual journey, John Cassian's philosophy of prayer, silence as an act of worship, and the key components of prayer in meditation. In the final conference, you will listen to Merton's farewell address, a powerful talk that captures his human side. With an extensive afterword by Merton expert Fr. Anthony Ciorra, these conferences are true treasures. This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
©2014 Now You Know Media, Inc. (P)2014 Now You Know Media, Inc.
Thomas Merton on Chinese & Greek Philosophy
Summary
A leading Christian intellectual and a global citizen, Thomas Merton was known for his mission to understand and learn from other cultures’ worldviews and philosophies. Now, as you listen to these nine captivating talks on Chinese and Greek philosophy, your own interest in these ancient schools of thought, Eastern and Western, will be ignited.
©2021 Thomas Merton (P)2021 Learn25
Thomas Merton on Solitude and Togetherness
Summary
You are invited to take a spiritual journey with Thomas Merton. Originally presented to a group of nuns on a four-day retreat, these moving talks will touch your heart while revealing new pathways for your spiritual growth. As you examine the relationship between solitude and solidarity, you will explore contemplation as practiced in its diverse forms by believers worldwide. For Merton, being contemplative meant living out the essential elements of the spiritual life. Having lived out the challenges and triumphs of a contemplative life, Merton had a plethora of practical advice to offer. If the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is truly at work daily, then what does it look like? How can we identify its authentic presence? If it's important to spend time in silence with God, how do we go about entering into it fruitfully? The chance to hear Merton — in his own voice — work through these and many other questions is priceless, for these talks reveal just how much care and wisdom he brings to the conversation. Ultimately, Merton seeks to teach us to welcome Christ's abundant life into our hearts so that we can truly experience the joy of the Resurrection. Let him show you the path to that profound joy today. (Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.) This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
©2012 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2012 Now You Know Media Inc.
Thomas Merton on the Contemplative Way
Summary
From the best-selling author of The Seven Storey Mountain and New Seeds of Contemplation, essential listening for all spiritual seekers. Recorded almost 20 years after The Seven Storey Mountain was published, these talks showcase a mystic at the height of his wisdom. In these moving talks, Merton tackles such topics as renewal, prayer, and affirming God. The contemplative life is not limited to those in solitude. Indeed, you will discover how we are all called to live contemplatively. This series is one of Merton's great masterpieces. Contemplation was perhaps the issue closest to Merton's heart, and he tackles it here with profound insights. You will be enrapt as you listen to Merton deliver these talks with his trademark eloquence and erudition. While you listen to Merton, you will see him wrestle with the complexities of contemplation. As Merton says, he left the world for the cloistered walls of the monastery to become an explorer of the "rocky land of the soul". At the heart of these lectures lie a sense of hope and an abiding awareness of God's presence in the world. Let Thomas Merton speak to your soul today. This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
©2016 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2016 Now You Know Media Inc.
A Message of Contemplatives to the World
Summary
Enjoy one of the greatest recorded works by Thomas Merton, the 20th century’s greatest spiritual writer. In the summer of 1967, religious communities around the world were experiencing a time of renewal and reflection. As monasteries sought to adopt practices prescribed by the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI asked two Cistercian monks to compose a message about the contemplative life. Those monks in turn sought the contributions of a fellow monk and master of contemplation - Thomas Merton. The resulting recording encapsulates the spiritual wisdom of a humble monk who changed the world. This digitally remastered recording is part of Thomas Merton’s spoken word legacy and is one in a series of carefully curated and remastered archival recordings of Thomas Merton - available exclusively from Now You Know Media. Allow the voice of Thomas Merton to guide you along your spiritual journey.
©2018 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2018 Now You Know Media Inc.
Thomas Merton on Poetry
Summary
"Literature, drama, poetry, make certain statements about [human] acts that can be made in no other way." (Thomas Merton) Take Thomas Merton as your personal poetry professor. You know Thomas Merton as one of the most beloved voices of the 20th century: a profound mystic, a gifted writer, and an exceptional teacher. He was also a celebrated poet and lifelong lover of literature, and these lectures showcase his extraordinary insights into poetry. Whatever your level of familiarity with poetry, hearing Merton in his own voice will invigorate your imagination. In this captivating set, Merton explores how poetry illuminates such topics as love, suffering, spirituality, and nature. Under his guidance, you will look at poets like William Blake, Gerard Manley Hopkins, WH Auden, TS Eliot, Emily Dickinson, Ezra Pound, Charles Peguy, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Both thoroughly in touch with contemporary society and unafraid to critique it from a Christian lens, Merton provides a unique perspective on classic literature. These lectures transport you into Thomas Merton's classroom. As you will discover, Merton saw poetry not only as one of the most profound modes of human expression but also as a way to encounter Jesus. A brilliant author himself, Thomas Merton possessed an unparalleled appreciation for these poets' work. Let the words of this masterful poet enlighten you today. Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. These recordings are from the archives of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.
©2017 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2017 Now You Know Media Inc.