Merton & Indigenous Wisdom

The previous six volumes in our series--Merton and Sufism, Merton and Buddhism, Merton and Judaism, Merton and Taoism, Merton and the Protestant Tradition, Merton and Hesychasm--feature essays by international scholars that assess the value of Merton's contributions to inter-religious dialogue. This seventh volume in our series gathers reflections that expose Merton's appreciation for the spiritual and religious genius of American and Canadian indigenous peoples. A new translation of his "Preface for Latin American Readers" is a significant manifesto of Merton's universality and "catholic" approach to the phenomenon of seeking God and the Sacred in all the world's cultures. The essays included are replete with passages from Merton's writings and transcriptions from his recovered weekly talks to the novices at the monastery of Gethsemani, where he lived until his untimely death in 1968.