Mystics and Zen Masters

Thomas Merton's devotion to the Roman Catholic Church never impeded his ability to appreciate the world's varieties of religious thought—if anything, the contemplative nature of his monasticism encouraged it. In Mystics and Zen Masters, Merton discusses diverse religions and theologies—from Russian Orthodox spirituality and Shakers to the Tao Te Ching and Zen Buddhism—and in the process examines the deep-rooted similarities between Eastern and Western mysticism. "All these studies," Merton wrote, "are united by one central concern: to understand various ways in which men of different traditions have conceived the meaning and method of the 'way' which leads to the highest levels of religious or of metaphysical awareness." However, Merton performs more than a mere external analysis, and in the end achieves a full grasp of these religions from within through an active engagement with their values and philosophies.