Thomas Merton on the Search for Wholeness

Join Thomas Merton in exploring life’s great questions. In this audio program, Merton will challenge you with questions about man’s individual destiny, the human condition, prayer, and the nature of time. Originally delivered in 1965, these timeless lectures have been remastered and released as a set for your enjoyment. Delivered with wit and profound insight, these recordings will transport you into the abbey where Merton taught and imparted his spiritual wisdom.

In the first part, you will look at Greek tragedy and Chinese philosophy, both or which rose to prominence in the fifth and sixth centuries BC. The wisdom in Greek tragedy and Chinese thought is linked to that of the Scriptures, and in them we discover similar developments of thought. We see man acquiring a sense of identity and destiny as he comes to terms with freedom and responsibility.

In the second half, you will look at the concept of time and how it relates to prayer. The monastic life that Merton lived was one of constant prayer, in which time is experienced differently. Merton looks at such great literary works as Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury to explore the concept of time in our lives.

Journey with Thomas Merton with these erudite and essential lectures today.

Photograph of Thomas Merton by Sibylle Akers. Used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. This course is part of the Learn25 collection.

Learn about downloadable programs.