Contents
Foreword vii
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
List of Abbreviations xix
List of Tables xxi
Introduction xxiii
Chapter 1 Merton's Own Inner Experience and Interreligious Dialogue
1
Chapter 2 Merton's Pioneering Work with Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
61
Chapter 3 Merton's Pioneering Work with
Inter-Monastic/Contemplative Dialogue 123
Chapter 4 Merton's Legacy: Beyond His Encounter with Buddhism
181
Conclusion 243
Bibliography 257
Index 275
Jaechan Anselmo Park, OSB is a member of St. Benedict Waegwan Abbey in South Korea, where he has been vocation director and director of the Monastic Experience program. He received his STL and ThD from Regis College at the University of Toronto, Canada, where he is currently completing a doctorate in sacred theology. Park is interested in spiritual direction, Thomas Merton and inter-monastic religious dialogue. Presently, he engages in Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIMMID) as an at-large director for intra-monastic dialogue in Asia. Bonnie B. Thurston, after years as a university and seminary professor, lives quietly in her home state of West Virginia. She is the author of many books on Scripture and theology, including Maverick Mark: The Untamed First Gospel, The Spiritual Landscape of Mark,and Philippians in the Sacra Pagina series, all published by Liturgical Press. Her poetry appears frequently in religious periodicals, and among her published collections is Belonging to Borders: A Sojourn in the Celtic Tradition. She is also a contributor to Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press).
"In Thomas Merton's Encounter with Buddhism and Beyond
Jaechan Park explores Thomas Merton's dialogue with Buddhism
getting to the very heart of it as only a fellow monk, steeped in
the daily monastic rhythm of prayer and work, could do. Park then
builds on Merton's legacy suggesting important ways monastic and
contemplative interreligious dialogue can continue to develop in
the twenty-first century and beyond."Paul M. Pearson, Director,
Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University
"Jaechan Anselmo Park has gifted us with a carefully written,
well-organized exploration of Thomas Merton's understanding of
inner experience, interreligious dialogue, and
inter-monastic/inter-contemplative dialogue. His detailed
exploration of Merton's legacy concerning these matters establishes
a context for considering the future of inter-monastic exchange and
contemplative dialogue in Asia, and more specifically, Korea.
Thomas Merton's Encounter with Buddhism clearly describes
each of the topics that are explored, providing a historical
overview and a critical analysis, drawing from well-recognized
Merton scholars. Park makes extensive use of the books and journals
of Merton, demonstrating both a familiarity and a critical
knowledge of these works. He carefully-and this is much
appreciated-repairs the exclusive language found in the older
texts. Whether readers have an interest in the work of Thomas
Merton, interreligious dialogue, orinter-monastic discourse, they
will find this book to be an essential companion."Dennis Patrick
O'Hara, St. Michael's College, University of Toronto
"Fr. Park's profound study of Thomas Merton's multi-religious
encounters reveals the enormous impact and importance of Merton's
legacy for the church and for the world. It is the first extensive
study to explore Merton's legacy in terms of how it has shaped the
institutional church, through the activities of the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and through the Monastic
Interreligious Dialogue (MID), which functions under its aegis.
This is a convincing portrayal of Merton's pivotal importance in
the history of interreligious dialogue."Joe Raab, Professor of
Religious Studies and Theology, Siena Heights University, co-editor
of The Merton Annual
"This is a well-researched and readable analysis of Thomas Merton's
understanding of and engagement with Buddhism. The work is enhanced
by an extended consideration of the Christian-Buddhism dialogue
from a monastic perspective. Since the author himself is an Asian
monk he brings a fresh angle to his task. Like the good householder
of the Gospel, Father Park brings forth old things and new."
Lawrence S. Cunningham, The University of Notre Dame
"This book is written by an experienced Asian Benedictine. It
delves into the process of Thomas Merton's spiritual transformation
through his encounter with Zen and Tibetan Buddhist thought, and
his involvement in the dialogue of religious experience with their
practitioners. Father Park makes it clear that the dialogue between
Catholicism and Buddhism must be of a different kind from that with
Judaism and Islam which centers on the dialogue of theological
exchange. And indeed, because the practitioners of Buddhism
emphasize the priority of experience over faith, a fruitful
dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists may well be impossible
without a dialogue on contemplative prayer. The book should be of
special interest not only to lay and monastic contemplatives, but
to those interested in double religious belonging and the new
evangelization."Ovey N. Mohammed, SJ, Professor Emeritus of
Catholicism and Eastern Religions, Regis College, University of
Toronto
"An intriguing and significant contribution to interfaith
encounter, Benedictine Jaechan Anselmo Park's carefully researched
Thomas Merton's Encounter with Buddhism and Beyond provides
fresh insight into the way that Merton's evolving sense of
contemplation and his exploration of experiential interfaith
dialogue broke new ground. Park's passionate concern for human
self-transformation is evident as he chronicles Merton's
explorations of the inner dimensions of contemplative practice,
despite the Cistercian's sometimes limited understanding of
Buddhism. These explorations, both existential and intellectual,
continue to provide a challenging yet fruitful model for interfaith
dialogue that goes beyond theology and action-orientation to the
contemplative core of religious experience however variously it
might be conceptualized or experienced."Wendy M. Wright, Professor
Emerita of Theology, Creighton University
"The author's detailed, clearly articulated, logically developed
argument, based on a thorough familiarity with the full range of
relevant primary and secondary sources, makes a strong, persuasive
case for the crucial importance of Merton's contribution to
interreligious dialogue generally and to Buddhist-Christian
inter-monastic/contemplative interaction in particular."Catholic
Books Review
"I am aware of no other study that combines both a critical
appraisal of Merton's limitations with respect to Buddhism while
celebrating his capacious desire to learn from and be transformed
by the other. Although set as an academic study, this is a book
written from the heart of contemplative prayer and gratitude, such
that Pieris' conviction bears out, with a welcome twist:
Christianity can recover its Eastern sense by dialoguing with its
own monks, especially those from the East."
Christopher Pramuk, Regis University
"Even though various books and articles about Thomas Merton's keen
interest in Buddhism and his dialogue with particular Buddhists
have already appeared, Jaechan Anselmo Park's recently published
work is a valuable addition to these studies. The book offers
extensive reflections on the way in which Merton's legacy continues
in our own day, including in Park's native South Korea."
American Benedictine Review
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