The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation

Thomas Merton draws on both Eastern and Western traditions to explore the hot topic of contemplation/meditation in depth and to show how we can practise true contemplation in everyday life.

Never before published except as a series of articles in an academic journal, this book on contemplation was revised by Merton shortly before his death. The material bridges Merton’s early work on Catholic monasticism, mysticism, and contemplation with his later writing on Eastern, especially Buddhist, traditions of meditation and spirituality. This book thus provides a comprehensive understanding of contemplation that draws on the best of Western and Eastern traditions.