New Seeds of Contemplation

Posted on 24 November 2017 by Thomas Merton

New Seeds of Contemplation 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 with those of Thoreau New Seeds of Contemplation seeks to awaken the dormant inner depths of the spirit so long neglected by Western man, to nurture a deeply contemplative and mystical dimension in our lives For Merton, Every moment and every event of every man s life on earth plants something in his soul For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the soil of freedom, spontaneity and love. Best Read New Seeds of Contemplation [ Author ] Thomas Merton [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr For a few years, I fostered a very robust fascination with Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who was a prolific writer I can t remember how I found Merton, maybe some long ago professor of mine or a reference in someone else s book, but since I started reading him almost a decade ago, he has,than any other writer, influenced my way of seeing the world He was a pacifist and a political activist, at least in the sense that he spoke out boldly against things he found immoral or unethical lik For a few years, I fostered a very robust fascination with Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who was a prolific writer I can t remember how I found Merton, maybe some long ago professor of mine or a reference in someone else s book, but since I started reading him almost a decade ago, he has,than any other writer, influenced my way of seeing the world He was a pacifist and a political activist, at least in the sense that he spoke out boldly against things he found immoral or unethical like the atomic bomb He also believed wholeheartedly in the need for a writer to have space to think and be alone what he called silence and solitude In New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton introduces his readers to the idea of contemplation as a way of life He urges us all to dip deeper into our thoughts and to slow down from our action, to turn away from that which distracts us and to open up to that which reminds us of true reality, t...I have a huge crush on Merton He is the grace my Abba gave me in the silence I weep when I read him and sigh, and say, I feel exactly the same wayover and over again Read him, if you doubt, if you wonder, if you wander, if you think about your faith.Ok,so, let me say to begin that I think Thomas Merton is a brilliant mind If there were a dozenMertons in the world, I m convinced there would be peace on earth.That being said, Brother Tom plunges into a book in which he attempts to lay the groundwork, or to set the vibe for one s odyssey into contemplation Tricky thing is that you cannot really describe contemplation Merton says so himself The best we can do is to label it the darkness and say, well, it s not that, and it s not and Ok,so, let me say to begin that I think Thomas Merton is a brilliant mind If there were a dozenMertons in the world, I m convinced there would be peace on earth.That being sa...I have some mixed feelings about this book It reads like one long prayer, which is lovely Thomas Merton clearly has a very intimate, very passionate relationship with God And of course, there were some things that were relevant to me, and some that were not However, sometimes when I was reading, I just felt lost Like I was missing something Maybe some of it was just over my head, because I don t have that kind of relationship with God I partly wish that Merton would have used simpler lang I have some mixed feelings about this book It reads like one long prayer, which is lovely Thomas Merton clearly has a very intimate, very passionate relationship with God And of course, there were some things that were relevant to me, and some that were not However, sometimes when I was reading, I just felt lost Like I was missing something Maybe some of it was just over my head, because I don t have that kind of relationship with God I partly wish that Merton would have used simpler language in expressing his seeds of contemplation On the other hand, as the ti...I began reading this book in 1996, completing it perhaps a year later I was completely captivated At a time in my life when my soul yearned for some sense of reason beyond my daily encounters Thomas Merton s New Seeds of Contemplation struck a timely cord The soul that seeks truth, no doubt will find it To engage truth be...If I could rate this as higher than 5 stars, I would This is probably the most impacting and thoughtful book I have read aside from the Bible , and I keep coming back to it over and over again for fresh insight.Thomas Merton was both a contemplative monastic as well as a radical activist His life of solitude and contemplation did not cause him to turn inward, but called him to look out into the world He was an advocate of civil rights, a critic of Vietnam and nuclear proliferation, and an au If I could rate this as higher than 5 stars, I would This is probably the most impacting and thoughtful book I have read aside from the Bible , and I keep coming back to it over and over again for fresh insight.Thomas Merton was both a contemplative monastic as well as a radical activist His life of solitude and contemplation did not cause him to turn inward, but called him to look out into the world He was an advocate of civil rights, a critic of Vietnam and nuclear proliferation, and an author and literary critic His spiritual insight became the foundation of his public voice, knowing that only the truth found in God would be powerful enough to overcome the powers and structures of this world.While other writings of Merton s areoutward oriented, this book contains many devotional reflections on the inward life, finding the hidden places of the Spirit ...Glad I read this book, and would pass it along to anyone wondering about prayers and meditation There were a couple of chapters and some parts of the book I glossed over because I am reluctant to believe it is possible to arrive at perfection as a contemplative And this book would be a challenge to someone who gets stuck on the male gender assigned to God, but I personally did not find that inhibiting I consider Merton to be a sage of our ti...I acknowledge that Thomas Merton probably had a true connection to God, that he was a holy man who by all accounts walked the walk as well as talked the talk I also acknowledge that New Seeds of Contemplation is an engaging explanation of some of Merton s core ideas, as well as a compelling argument for the spiritual value in leading what Merton terms a contemplative lifeexactly, a life in contemplation of God s will and your purpose within that will However, nothing I ve read in a I acknowledge that Thomas Merton...This is a book to put on your nightstand and read slowly, a few pages at a time And then take a break to process it, and read again So much of what Thomas Merton talks about in this book made my heart race, because I recognized it I hope someday I am able to experience the parts I have not yes, even the deserts and darkness he references routinely His grasp of the human person and resistance to God makes so much clear about the world today, especially attitudes among both self righteous This is a book to put on your nightstand and read slowly, a few pages at a time And then take a break to process it, and read again So much of what Thomas Merton talks about in this book made my heart race, because I recognized it I hope someday I am able to experience the parts I have not yes, even the deserts and darkness he references routinely His grasp of the human pers...I just can t seem to get enough of Thomas Merton, this is a book not to be rushed but savored slowly Often I found I had to re read a passage to get the meaning and once I got it the lightbulb shone brightly I wouldn t recommend this book for the new believer because it delves heavily into the inner spiritual life The concepts and spirituality he discusses might discourage or confuse a new believer in Christ I am a forever fan of his and I have been slowly building my personal library of h I just can t seem to get enough of Thomas Merton, this is a book not to be rushed but savored slowly Often I found I had to re read a passage to get the meaning and once I got it the lightbulb sho...

English
24 November 2017

Thomas Merton