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Thomas Merton on Sufism
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Thomas Merton on Prayer
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Renew your prayer life with Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton was one of the great spiritual masters: a Trappist monk, profound mystic, and brilliant writer. He inspired men and women from all walks of life with his dedication to prayer and contemplation. In 1967, near the end of his life, Merton gave a powerful set of lectures on prayer to the Sisters of Loretto. He channeled a lifetime full of wisdom, piety, and prayerfulness into these erudite yet down-to-earth talks.
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As an ex monk I could really appreciate this!
- By Clive Smart on 29-07-19
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Thomas Merton’s Great Sermons and Reflections
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The rarely heard sermons and reflective talks in this set attest to the depths of Thomas Merton’s brilliance. You’ll witness the evolution of Merton’s thought as he moved away from a narrow, cloistered mindset to an ecumenical and socially engaged outlook. This curated collection spans five years of his life and comprises four talks that showcase the themes close to Merton’s heart: the authentic Christian life, contemporary society, contemplation, Marxism, and the relationship of literature to religion.
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The Cloud of Unknowing: With the Book of Privy Counsel
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This anonymous fourteenth-century text is the glory of English mysticism, and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s new translation is the first to bring the text into a modern English idiom - while remaining strictly faithful to the meaning of the original Middle English. The Cloud of Unknowingconsists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union.
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The Lord
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The only true and unedited telling of the life of Christ - his life and times,in historical context, but not lacking the psychology behind his physical being and spirit. Unlike other books seeking to strip Jesus' story to reveal only the human being, Romano Guardini's The Lord gives the complete story of Jesus Christ - as man, Holy Ghost, and Creator. Pope Benedict XVI lauds Guardini's work as providing a full understanding of the Son of God away from the prejudice that rationality engenders.
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Helpful insights
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Thomas Merton on Prayer
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- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
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Overall
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Renew your prayer life with Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton was one of the great spiritual masters: a Trappist monk, profound mystic, and brilliant writer. He inspired men and women from all walks of life with his dedication to prayer and contemplation. In 1967, near the end of his life, Merton gave a powerful set of lectures on prayer to the Sisters of Loretto. He channeled a lifetime full of wisdom, piety, and prayerfulness into these erudite yet down-to-earth talks.
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Excellent
- By David Mullins on 16-10-18
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Ways of Prayer
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- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
-
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Join Thomas Merton in exploring one of the most influential figures in the history of spirituality. Born in the fourth century, Saint John Cassian (AD 360-435) lived when tensions between the traditional and innovative peaked. A monk and theologian, Cassian made the Christian tradition relevant for the needs of his day in his spiritual works. Indeed, his spirituality remains essential today; he influenced Saints Benedict and Ignatius of Loyola, and his works continue to be read worldwide.
-
-
As an ex monk I could really appreciate this!
- By Clive Smart on 29-07-19
-
Thomas Merton on Monastic Spirituality and the Quest for Peace
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What can your spiritual ancestors teach you about holy living today? Although they led ascetic lives centuries ago, St. Benedict, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and other early Christian saints have much to teach everyone in the 21st century. Through their enduring writings, they created blueprints of the spiritual life that remain as powerful in our time as ever.
-
Thomas Merton’s Great Sermons and Reflections
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rarely heard sermons and reflective talks in this set attest to the depths of Thomas Merton’s brilliance. You’ll witness the evolution of Merton’s thought as he moved away from a narrow, cloistered mindset to an ecumenical and socially engaged outlook. This curated collection spans five years of his life and comprises four talks that showcase the themes close to Merton’s heart: the authentic Christian life, contemporary society, contemplation, Marxism, and the relationship of literature to religion.
-
The Cloud of Unknowing: With the Book of Privy Counsel
- By: Carmen Acevedo Butcher (translator)
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This anonymous fourteenth-century text is the glory of English mysticism, and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s new translation is the first to bring the text into a modern English idiom - while remaining strictly faithful to the meaning of the original Middle English. The Cloud of Unknowingconsists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union.
-
-
Beaufitul
- By TGW on 27-09-16
-
The Lord
- By: Romano Guardini
- Narrated by: Gordon Greenhill
- Length: 26 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The only true and unedited telling of the life of Christ - his life and times,in historical context, but not lacking the psychology behind his physical being and spirit. Unlike other books seeking to strip Jesus' story to reveal only the human being, Romano Guardini's The Lord gives the complete story of Jesus Christ - as man, Holy Ghost, and Creator. Pope Benedict XVI lauds Guardini's work as providing a full understanding of the Son of God away from the prejudice that rationality engenders.
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Helpful insights
- By John on 09-08-18
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Old Filth
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Long ago, Old Filth was a Raj orphan - one of the many young children sent 'home' from the East to be fostered and educated in England. Jane Gardam's novel tells his story, from his birth in what was then Malaya to the extremities of his old age. In so doing, she not only encapsulates a whole period from the glory days of British Empire, through the Second World War, to the present and beyond, but also illuminates the complexities of the character known variously as Eddie, the Judge, Fevvers, Filth, Master of the Inner Temple, Teddy and Sir Edward Feathers.
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Lovely Tale of an Interesting Life
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Thomas Merton on Contemplation
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Fr. Anthony Ciorra PhD, Thomas Merton
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
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You are invited to sit at the feet of a contemplative master. After a radical conversion experience, Thomas Merton became a Trappist monk in the Abbey of Gethsemani. At the heart of Merton's transformative conversion was contemplation. Now, this series invites you into that profound contemplative experience in six remastered conferences delivered by Merton. As you listen to Merton in his own voice, you will encounter his most profound teachings on prayer and contemplation.
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The best I've heard from Merton.
- By Kingdiplodocus on 16-07-15
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Thomas Merton on Franz Kafka
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
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What is the function of the contemplative in the modern world? This question lies at the root of Thomas Merton’s extended contemplation of Franz Kafka’s dystopian novel, The Castle. Now, you have the rare opportunity to hear Merton - the English professor-turned-monk and a literary genius in his own right - discuss The Castle as a metaphor for the monastic life. Originally recorded in 1967 and newly remastered to enhance your listening experience, this audio set collects four talks on Kafka that Merton delivered during the month of June.
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The Mystical Heart of Islam: Rumi and Sufism
- By: David Christopher Lane - editor, F. Hadland Davis
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
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This is an abridged edition of a classic text on Rumi and Sufism which was first published in London in 1920 under the title The Persian Mystics and authored by F. Hadland Davis. This special edition contains selections from the poetry of Rumi. Also included is an analysis of Sufism and the concept of love. Edited by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD.
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Meister Eckhart's Living Wisdom
- Indestructible Joy and the Path of Letting Go
- By: James Finley
- Narrated by: James Finley
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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The 13th-century mystic Meister Eckhart was the most brilliant Christian scholar of his day, but he was also legendary for the way that he opened listeners to the direct experience of God during his public talks. Today, his written wisdom remains alive as ever, ready to illuminate us. With Meister Eckhart's Living Wisdom, James Finley, one of today's best-known teachers of the Christian contemplative tradition, invites us into Eckhart's insights in the same way that this luminary teacher delighted in sharing them.
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demanding of total attention!
- By richard2 on 13-12-17
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Solitude and Togetherness
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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You are invited to take a spiritual journey with Thomas Merton. Originally presented to a group of nuns on a four-day retreat, these moving talks will touch your heart while revealing new pathways for your spiritual growth.
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Revelations of Divine Love
- By: Julian of Norwich
- Narrated by: Katie Scarfe
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 8, 1373, 30-year-old Julian of Norwich, sick and near death, had a series of visions of Christ. In these 16 visions she learnt about God's loving nature. God in Julian's visions was not angry and wrathful. Instead, the three properties of God were presented as life, love and light, and all of His creation was good, including his servant, man. In Julian's version, Man is not to blame for his sin; instead it is something that he must experience and overcome in his spiritual journey with God.
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Excellent
- By Patrick on 30-01-19
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New Seeds of Contemplation
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Jonathan Montaldo, Sharon Cross
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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New Seeds of Comtemplation 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 to those of Thoreau.
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Lots to think about...
- By Andy Seys on 20-04-15
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Holistic Islam
- Sufism, Transformation, and the Needs of Our Time
- By: Kabir Helminski
- Narrated by: Kabir Helminski
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Islam once gave birth to a great civilization that respected religious diversity, freedom of conscience, and scientific thought, and Islamic knowledge contributed to the birth of humanism in the Renaissance. Here, renowned spiritual teacher and Sufi sheikh Kabir Helminski gives us a compelling interpretation of spiritual or holistic Islam that will hearten contemporary Muslims looking for a faith suited for our times, and providing non-Muslims a brilliant introduction to this rich spiritual tradition.
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Slightly short of excellent
- By Amazon Customer on 23-01-19
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Sermon on the Mount
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Richard Rohr
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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Richard Rohr leads us through the social, political and environmental setting out of which Matthew brought Christ’s radical message of a new world order. He explains Matthew’s challenge to let go of the conventional wisdom that comes with contemporary American culture. Each of seven talks brings us closer to the heart of the Sermon.
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Much food for thought
- By gary on 15-04-15
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Thomas Merton on the 12 Degrees of Humility
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
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You are invited into the classroom in which Thomas Merton delivered some of his most impassioned lectures on a timeless topic. In 1962 at Gethsemani Abbey, Thomas Merton taught an extraordinary course on the heart of Benedictine spirituality.
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Wonderful
- By martlayton on 29-06-18
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Thomas Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere
- By: James Finley
- Narrated by: James Finley
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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First presented at a series of popular retreats, this full audio program takes a participatory approach to Merton's most useful teachings, helping us to discover our true self...to disappear into God; to be submerged into his peace; to be lost in the secret of his face, as Merton said, through daily practices including contemplation, prayer, and faith. In the end we find ourselves in what the Taoist sage Chuang Tzu called the Palace of Nowhere, where all the many things are one.
Summary
In the 20th century, Thomas Merton, one of Christianity's great mystics, encountered the ancient Eastern mystical tradition known as Sufism. The result was an outpouring of mystical insight and spiritual wisdom.
In these talks, you will discover what first electrified Merton. The Sufi mystics have given us one of the world's most-read poets, Rumi; the beautiful mystical dance of whirling dervishes; interreligious insight; and new forms of contemplation. A visionary who sought to synthesize the best of Eastern and Western spiritualities, Thomas Merton's profound interest in the Sufi mystics is more relevant today than ever.
Merton explores the contemplative wisdom of Sufism to enhance our Christian understanding of mysticism and spiritual practice. In one of his talks to the novices at Gethsemani, he said, "The Sufis are seeking to know God and have ways of seeking to know God, and this should have some success with us.... We should be closer to the Sufis."
In these talks you will watch the development of Merton's spirituality as he moved toward a greater understanding of interreligious dialogue. Merton believed that the Sufis had much to teach us about prayer, mysticism, and contemplation.
Merton will bring you to new and exciting places as he reflects on Sufism and the mystical life. What Merton taught in the mid-20th century is prophetic for spiritual seekers in the contemporary world.
Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sybille Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
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- Carlmmm
- 06-03-19
Not a good introduction to Sufism
I have loved Thomas Merton writing on Christianity, especially The Seven Storey Mountain. So I thought his take on Sufism would be kind and knowledgeable. It is a series of live lectures by Merton to monks. It is wonderful to hear him live. But his comments have numerous painful inaccuracies and misunderstandings, and, sadly, unkindnesses and oversimplifications. There are much better introductions to Sufism. Ones I have read are by Douglas-Klotz, Ernst, Vaughan-Lee, Ghazali, Helminski, and especially Rumi. Start with any of these.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Dolores Plate
- 30-09-18
Thomas Merton Speaks
What a privilege to hear Merton speak on any subject! His views on Islam and Sufism are even more needed today. Thank Goodness he explored these ideas!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful