The Other Side of the Mountain - (Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton (Paperback)

About the Book

Now in paperback, this final year of Thomas Merton's journals describes his trip to Southeast Asia, where he meets the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist and Catholic monks and discovers a rare and rewarding kinship with each.

Book Synopsis

With the election of a new Abbot at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton enters a period of unprecedented freedom, culminating in the opportunity to travel to California, Alaska, and finally the Far East - journeys that offer him new possibilities and causes for contemplation. In his last days at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton continues to follow the tumultuous events of the sixties, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy. In Southeast Asia, he meets the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist and Catholic monks and discovers a rare and rewarding kinship with each. The final year is full of excitement and great potential for Merton, making his accidental death in Bangkok, at the age of fifth-three, all the more tragic.

Review Quotes

"Merton's real autobiography is in his personal journals. They reveal an uncaged mind ceaselessly churned by contemporary events and culture...In the journals we find him turning old answers into new questions."-- "Newsweek""The journals reveal a complex and abundantly human man...We could ask for no better mentor and guide than Thomas Merton."-- "San Francisco Chronicle""Delightful...brilliant social, political, and personal commentaries."-- "New York Times Book Review""Merton's incredible energy, creativity, intellectual verve, and fervent faith are all on display in this extraordinary book. "-- "spiritualityhealth.com"