Religious Research

Religious Research

Thomas Merton and Buddhism

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 PhD student, Religions and Mysticism, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate professor, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant professor, Iranian Research Institute of Philosophy, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jrr.2024.337341.2030
Abstract
Thomas Merton, one of the most renowned twentieth-century Christian theologians, owes much of his fame to his published works on interfaith dialogues between Christianity and other religions, particularly Eastern ones. He tried to lay the foundation of this dialogue upon shared beliefs and similarities between Christianity and ancient religions. Of all Eastern mysticisms, Merton was particularly interested in Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism. Buddhism, as presented by Suzuki, was a rich source of encounter and dialogue with the Gospel and new Christian doctrines for Merton. It seems that Suzuki presents Zen as a ritual that happens to relate to Buddhist history and teachings. However, Merton often found that Zen was deeply originated in the Buddhist tradition, as it creates a framework along with meditation in the mind and a vast insight.
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