During his last years, he became deeply interested in Asian religions, particularly Zen Buddhism, and in promoting East-West dialogue. After several meetings with Merton during the American monk's trip to the Far East in 1968, the Dalai Lama praised him as having a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. It was during this trip to a conference on East-West monastic dialogue that Merton died, near Bangkok, on December 10, 1968. The date marked the twenty-seventh anniversary of his arrival at Gethsemani.
Merton in His Own Voice - Audio recordings of Thomas Merton teaching the novices at Gethsemani; a talk he delivered in the 1960s.. Images provided by The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University and Merton Legacy Trust.
The Festival of Faiths presents “A Decade in Retrospect”
This virtual retrospective will tap into the treasuries of wisdom from diverse faith traditions, revisiting rich Festival content from the past decade. Through spiritual practices, insightful dialogue, music, film and more, we will explore themes including our sacred earth; compassion; faith in action; and silence and contemplation.
Light of Awareness