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  • The Wisdom of the Desert

  • Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century
  • By: Thomas Merton
  • Narrated by: Greg Chun
  • Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)
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The Wisdom of the Desert cover art

The Wisdom of the Desert

By: Thomas Merton
Narrated by: Greg Chun
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Summary

The Wisdom of the Desert was one of Thomas Merton's favorites among his own books, surely because he had hoped to spend his last years as a hermit.

The personal tones of the translations and the blend of reverence and humor so characteristic of him show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth-century Christian fathers who sought solitude and contemplation in the deserts of the Near East.

The hermits of Screte, who turned their backs on a corrupt society remarkably like our own, had much in common with the Zen masters of China and Japan, and Father Merton made his selection from them with an eye to the kind of impact produced by the Zen mondo.

©1960 Abbey of Gethsemani, Inc. (P)2019 New Directions Publishing Corporation

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excellent content but

excellent content with depths and wisdom. I would have preferred it with an English UK accent or even Middle Eastern, the American accent and pronunciation don't really suit the text.

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