New Seeds of Contemplation Author: Thomas Merton | Language: English | ISBN:
B007PKQ2GE | Format: PDF
New Seeds of Contemplation Description
One of the best-loved books by one of the great spiritual authors of our time, with a new introduction by best-selling author Sue Monk Kidd.
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."
- File Size: 706 KB
- Print Length: 324 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0811217248
- Publisher: New Directions (October 18, 2007)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007PKQ2GE
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,486 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #9
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Religious - #12
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Eastern Philosophy - #14
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Meditations
- #9
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Religious - #12
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Eastern Philosophy - #14
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Meditations
Thomas Merton wrote "Seeds of Contemplation" when he was a young, relatively inexperienced contemplative. "New Seeds" is his reworking of that text, written after twelve years of intense spiritual effort.
Among other things, "New Seeds" is a great companion piece to St. John's "Dark Night of the Soul." I struggled mightily with that book, due to the complexity of thought and of the writing itself. Merton goes through these same stages of spiritual awareness and development in language I found far easier to understand.
But "New Seeds" is not merely a reworking of "Dark Night". I can't judge the value of his insights as they would apply to a true contemplative, but I suspect he offers much. For a worldly person who seeks spiritual growth, there is no question of this book's value.
Merton's major theme is humility. Only through humility can we discover faith. Only through humility can we rid ourselves of the distractions that separate us from God. Materialism, pride, sensuality, and the like are so well accepted in our society that we seldom see on how deeply they disrupt our souls. Merton's uncompromising reflections are a cold slap in the face.
"New Seeds" is also a moving defense of mysticism. God cannot be found through reason alone. He cannot be understood by reading or thinking. In fact, He cannot be understood at all. The emptying that we must do, the shedding of our selfish skins, can only begin when we decide to relinquish our selves to His will. Again, in a materialistic society, such ideas seem absurd; Merton conveys them with a power that makes any other idea seem absurd, even to the most rational reader.
Finally...
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