Thomas Merton, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Thomas Merton

priest and author

Date of Birth: 31-Jan-1915

Place of Birth: Prades, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Date of Death: 10-Dec-1968

Profession: writer, priest, poet, monk, theologian, journalist, essayist, peace activist, autobiographer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion.
On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews.
Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century.
Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding.
He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.
T.
Suzuki, the Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and authored books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.