Name: zen and the birds of appetite.
Price: 18.47 EUR
Availability: InStock
Author: Thomas Merton
ISBN: 9780811201049

Type

Physical Book

Author

Thomas Merton

Publisher

New Directions Publishing Corporation

Language

English

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

20.4 x 13.5 x 1.0 cm

Weight

0.17 kg.

ISBN

081120104X

ISBN13

9780811201049

Synopsis "zen and the birds of appetite."

Zen enriches no one, Thomas Merton provocatively writes 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 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 reader a strong taste of the mature Merton. Never does one feel him losing his own faith in these pages; 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.

Thomas Merton

(Author)

View Author's Page

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, and poet, known for his works on spirituality, mysticism, and social justice. His most influential book, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), is a spiritual autobiography that became a classic of religious literature. Other notable works include New Seeds of Contemplation (1961) and Mystics and Zen Masters (1966), where he explores the contemplative life and social responsibility from faith.

Merton wrote about interfaith dialogue, especially with Buddhism and Hinduism, influencing modern spiritual thought. His writings combine philosophical depth with accessible prose, making him one of the most relevant figures of the 20th century in the religious and humanist fields.

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