Merton for me, at least the early/middle period Merton, is simply wonderful. So many of his struggles are something I can identify with. I do think he went a bit off the rails towards the end, however. One of my favorite passtimes is to go up to the cottege before ice out, light a fire in the stove, put on some good classical Russian music, pour a good MacAllan's and read Merton.
Kosta's observation about the Age of Reason is spot on. Luckily in many ways, it didn't penetrate the religious consciousness of the Eastern Church.
There's a marvelous little book you might enjoy, if you can find it. Its called "Orthodox Spirituality By a Monk of the Eastern Church." Sometimes it can be hard to find, but frankly most anything by the Desert Fathers is good reading for a contemplative.
+1 !
Kolo, Merton only recongnized that Eastern religions rely on apophatic thinkling as we do. He made it very clear, however, that they lack the essential link between God and man, namely Christ.
No other religion can have such a close and personal relationship with God. It is only in Christ that God becomes visible and therefore personal. To other religions, where spirituality and apophatic ways are common, God still remains a distant and impersonal entity.
Merton never crossed into that realm. But he could certainly relate more to Hinduism and Buddhism than to the Wrathful God of the West. You should read some of the upanishads and similar writings and you will recognize a lot of our own Desert Fathers in them.
I appreciate your book suggestion and I think I may have found it - or two of it. One seems to be the original and the other a revision, maybe.
Could you take a quick look to see if this is the book you mean and if so which you think I should order?:
thanks..