The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation

Thomas Merton’s groundbreaking last major work—a provocative and pivotal look into contemplation and the true meaning of spirituality

“True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace."—Thomas Merton

Revised directly before his untimely death and released in full for the first time ever, Merton’s book on contemplation has captivated readers for decades. In it, Merton takes us down a different spiritual journey than his previous books, one that bridges eastern and western religions in his signature brilliant insightfulness.

Thought-provoking and challenging, The Inner Experience delves into contemplation by exploring both Catholic monasticism and mysticism alongside Buddhism and the ancient traditions of meditation and spirituality.

Merton was still tinkering with this book when he died; this was profoundly the book he struggled with most during his career as a writer. But now Merton’s legacy lives on, through evergreen discussions on what a spiritual path can look like when you relinquish the need to be all-knowing, and how a lack of self-reflection and inner trust is actually the ultimate sin. Merton’s last words are for anyone seeking faith in a higher power—or simply seeking a deeper faith in themselves.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is widely regarded as one of the most influential spiritual writers of modern times. He was a Trappist monk, writer, and peace and civil rights activist. His bestselling books include The Seven-Storey Mountain, New Seeds of Contemplation, and Mystics and Zen Masters.

William H. Shannon is Professor Emeritus, at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. He is the founding president of the International Thomas Merton Society, the general editor of the Thomas Merton letters, and coauthor of The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia with Christine Bochen and Patrick F. O'Connell. He is the author of the much acclaimed biography of Merton, Silent Lamp, as well as a number of books on spirituality, and has been published in many journals. He lives in Rochester, New York.