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booknerd_therapist's review against another edition
4.0
I have some mixed feelings about this book.
It reads like one long prayer, which is lovely. Thomas Merton clearly has a very intimate, very passionate relationship with God. And of course, there were some things that were relevant to me, and some that were not. However, sometimes when I was reading, I just felt lost. Like I was missing something. Maybe some of it was just over my head, because I don't have that kind of relationship with God. I partly wish that Merton would have used simpler language in expressing his "seeds of contemplation."
On the other hand, as the title implies, this book absolutely does its job in provoking ideas for contemplation. I especially loved the chapter called "Sentences" which, unlike the other chapters, just contained short, proverb-like expressions instead of long paragraphs on a given subject. I found these very inspiring and excellent for meditation.
I would recommend this to someone who is working on deepening his/her prayer life. I don't think I'd recommend this to a new believer.
It reads like one long prayer, which is lovely. Thomas Merton clearly has a very intimate, very passionate relationship with God. And of course, there were some things that were relevant to me, and some that were not. However, sometimes when I was reading, I just felt lost. Like I was missing something. Maybe some of it was just over my head, because I don't have that kind of relationship with God. I partly wish that Merton would have used simpler language in expressing his "seeds of contemplation."
On the other hand, as the title implies, this book absolutely does its job in provoking ideas for contemplation. I especially loved the chapter called "Sentences" which, unlike the other chapters, just contained short, proverb-like expressions instead of long paragraphs on a given subject. I found these very inspiring and excellent for meditation.
I would recommend this to someone who is working on deepening his/her prayer life. I don't think I'd recommend this to a new believer.
nickjonesreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
While this isn't a difficult book to read, it is a deep book. It is rich in philosophical insights and simple in form. Towards the end of the book, Merton began to seem so foreign and exotic to my Western Christianity that I had trouble hanging with him as he entered the realm of the mystic. This book is definitely one to come back to after years of spiritual growth and development, but I am glad I read it now because it gives me something to look forward to in the future and it provided much light for the journey at present.
jgroden's review against another edition
3.0
Merton alternates between beautiful insights and the tangled philosophizing he separately deplores. Reminds me of Lao Tzu paired up with George R.R. Martin's editors.
krismoon's review against another edition
5.0
To Thomas Merton:
You single-handedly renewed my hope for Christiendom. We didn't even have to agree on everything, but between you and me, I'll take your word for it.
You single-handedly renewed my hope for Christiendom. We didn't even have to agree on everything, but between you and me, I'll take your word for it.
philippelazaro's review against another edition
5.0
“We are so convinced that past evils must repeat themselves that we make them repeat themselves. We dare not risk a new life in which the evils of the past are totally forgotten; a new life seems to imply new evils, and we would rather face evils that are already familiar. Hence we cling to the evil that has already become ours and renew it from day to day, until we become identified with it and change is no longer thinkable.”
–Thomas Merton
Book No. 02 of 2018
It felt like a good time for another Thomas Merton read. This one was packed full of so much good stuff. It wasn’t a long read, but it was so rich that you couldn’t just brush through it.
I’ve been finding more and more value in contemplation over the past few years, and this book seems to offer a very big picture look at what contemplation is– and definitely what it isn’t. I can see how this book could even frustrate some, continually raising the bar for how to approach one’s spiritual life in humility. I’ll definitely be returning to this book a lot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
–Thomas Merton
Book No. 02 of 2018
It felt like a good time for another Thomas Merton read. This one was packed full of so much good stuff. It wasn’t a long read, but it was so rich that you couldn’t just brush through it.
I’ve been finding more and more value in contemplation over the past few years, and this book seems to offer a very big picture look at what contemplation is– and definitely what it isn’t. I can see how this book could even frustrate some, continually raising the bar for how to approach one’s spiritual life in humility. I’ll definitely be returning to this book a lot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
mattshervheim's review against another edition
I think it’s time to admit it: I don’t really understand Merton.
localrancher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0