Thomas Merton

The Reverend Thomas Merton OCSO
Born	(1915-01-31)January 31, 1915 Prades, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Died	December 10, 1968(1968-12-10) (aged 53) Mueang Samut Prakan, Thailand
Citizenship	United States
Education	Clare College, Cambridge Columbia University (BA, MA)
Occupations	Trappist monk author
Religion	Catholicism
Church	Latin Church
Ordained	May 26, 1949(1949-05-26) (aged 34)
Writings	The Seven Storey Mountain (1948)

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Thomas Merton OCSO (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.

Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years,^[1] mostly on spirituality, social justice, and pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most widely-read works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948).

Merton became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through study and practice. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures including the Dalai Lama, Japanese writer D. T. Suzuki, Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa, and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.