The Inner Experience - by Thomas Merton & William H Shannon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Thomas Merton's groundbreaking last major work--a provocative and pivotal look into contemplation and the true meaning of spirituality

"True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace."--Thomas Merton

Revised directly before his untimely death and released in full for the first time ever, Merton's book on contemplation has captivated readers for decades. In it, Merton takes us down a different spiritual journey than his previous books, one that bridges eastern and western religions in his signature brilliant insightfulness.

Thought-provoking and challenging, The Inner Experience delves into contemplation by exploring both Catholic monasticism and mysticism alongside Buddhism and the ancient traditions of meditation and spirituality.

Merton was still tinkering with this book when he died; this was profoundly the book he struggled with most during his career as a writer. But now Merton's legacy lives on, through evergreen discussions on what a spiritual path can look like when you relinquish the need to be all-knowing, and how a lack of self-reflection and inner trust is actually the ultimate sin. Merton's last words are for anyone seeking faith in a higher power--or simply seeking a deeper faith in themselves.

From the Back Cover

Now in paperback, revised and redesigned: This is Thomas Merton's last book, in which he draws on both Eastern and Western traditions to explore the hot topic of contemplation/meditation in depth and to show how we can practice true contemplation in everyday life.

Never before published except as a series of articles (one per chapter) in an academic journal, this book on contemplation was revised by Merton shortly before his untimely death. The material bridges Merton's early work on Catholic monasticism, mysticism, and contemplation with his later writing on Eastern, especially Buddhist, traditions of meditation and spirituality. This book thus provides a comprehensive understanding of contemplation that draws on the best of Western and Eastern traditions.

Merton was still tinkering with this book when he died; it was the book he struggled with most during his career as a writer. But now the Merton Legacy Trust and experts have determined that the book makes such a valuable contribution as his major comprehensive presentation of contemplation that they have allowed its publication.

Review Quotes

"Merton speaks to us even now -- and freshly -- with these perceptive insights into the contemplative life." -- Paul Wilkes, author of Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life

"[Thomas Merton] is perhaps the proper patron saint of our information-saturated age, of we who live and move and have our being in social media, and then, desperate for peace and rest, withdraw into privacy and silence, only to return. As we always will." -- The New Yorker