The Seven Storey Mountain: The Seven Storey Mountain

The Seven Story Mountain follows the life of Thomas Merton from his hectic life as a child, from indulging in worldly pleasures while studying at Cambridge, and leading to being ordained as a monk in one of the strictest monasteries of his time. Thomas Merton explicitly explains every detail of his life allowing the reader to become totally immersed in his world. Though Merton I feel expounds on mundane details at times, his writing overall was very descriptive and exciting to read. I found this book fascinating not only because his life was so interesting and rich, but also because it is sprinkled with wisdom throughout. One heartwarming moment that i recall on pg 63 is when Merton was being cared for by another family for a short time and learns what unconditional love is. He explains his stay with them by saying: "The more I think of them, the more I realize that I must certainly owe the Privats for more than butter and milk and good nourishing food for my body. I am indebted to them for much more than the kindness and care they showed me, the goodness and the delicate solicitude with which they treated me as their own child, yet without any assertive or natural familiarity. That was why I was glad of the love the Privats showed me, and was ready to love them in return. It did not burn you, it did not hold you, it did not try to imprison you in demonstrations, or trap your feet in the snares of its interest." Another nugget of wisdom that I found useful was when Thomas Merton explains life by saying "What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous." The Seven Story Mountain is a fantastic book to read for anyone who is trying to find meaning and purpose in life. Merton tells us of how his quest to find meaning through worldly pleasures, and everything else under the sun, to which he later dismisses as meaningless. I believe that anyone searching for not only God but also a religion to follow could benefit from reading this because you will find the you are not alone and you will be able to relate to Merton's own struggles. This is definitely a book to read slowly and reflect on; and it is still engrossing when it rests at 467 pages! When all is said and done The Seven Story Mountain is an inspirational and comforting story of Thomas Merton the man painstakingly converting into Thomas Merton the monk. You will laugh, you will be happy, you will be sad, you will feel pain, you will feel empathy and you will grow. The Seven Story Mountain is truly an adventure to embark no matter what your faith.

I first read Merton’s book in 1955. It was at that time a seven year old text. I was in Catholic School, and was influenced by the Franciscan priest who was saying Mass at our church. As many young men in the 50s I thought of entering the seminary and becoming a priest. The door to that exploration was via the Franciscan Pro-Seminary located but a few miles from my house. I would cycle up the steep hill on Saturdays and spend time understanding what was involved in a vocation as a Franciscan. The priest became a long time mentor but at the beginning he gave me a copy of Merton’s work. I guess he did so to enlighten me by as a young man much so Merton was of a man living a life I could at best dream of. Merton was privileged, educated, uncertain, and at times rambling. But I read it in total. As for the vocation, poverty and chastity were no problem, but the obedience thing really got to me. I gather Merton had no problem there. It would not be until some sixty years later when reading St Francis’ revised Second Rule that I saw Francis saying in a somewhat paraphrased manner; “well the obedience issue can sometimes be problematic, if all else fails follow you conscience”. That to me explained Ockham and the battle with Avignon. But alas Merton never got that far. Having now read Merton some seventy years later I was surprised how my life and experiences have dramatically refocused this work. In the 50s Catholicism was strong, well organized and focused. The Mass was in Latin in every country, Catholic schools were everywhere, and Rome ruled unquestioned. Furthermore the Church had its philosopher, St Thomas Aquinas, and the mid century philosophers in Gilson and Maritain. The Church was on a strong foundation. Thus in the 30s, the time frame of Merton, the Church was in much the same condition but the world was in the midst of an economic collapse and anticipating the Huns and their advancement. Thus a 50s reader sees Merton in the timeframe of the 50s, post War and economically secure. Today’s reader sees a weakened Church, political conflict, and a fundamental lack of foundation for Catholic understanding. My view today of Merton’s work is massively different than that of the 50s. In the 50s I saw Merton on a path to faith. In today’s world I see Merton as a “posh boy” wandering the world without a care or a job. One wonders how he managed to float across Europe with little cares. His father an erstwhile painter, his mother ill and a fellow follower. He had the good fortune of a well to do grandparents. One now wonders what a normal child of the 30s was like, in the midst of the Depression, seeking to eke out a living with a paper route, washing dishes and the youths journey was at best on the A train from Brooklyn to Manhattan. One wonders what the wistful wanderings of Merton add to his religious enlightenment. The on to Columbia, the bastion of Catholic hatred by many of its faculty. He becomes a Communist with no understanding of what a Communist is. One asks if this were to be his true path to God. One reads about his studies at Columbia, and one wonders if this were the 2020s how he could ever afford it? Yet then it was affordable. His studies seem to be what he likes, with no emphasis on getting a job! Again displaying his class as one assured of some form of continued success by means of class. The turning point seems to be his reading of Gilson and the Medieval Philosophers. Now Gilson is a Thomist, and Thomism was but one of many philosophical movements in the Church. Merton seems affixed by Thomas and this begins his search for something, some meaning of life. As WW II approaches he fortunately gets a 4F rating for having lost too many teeth. In the 50s that passed me by but now in the 20s it struck me as strange. A somewhat wealthy young man spending time all over Europe and educated with degrees at Columbia having less than half his teeth. That became a symbol of his life to that time. He thus begins his journey to Catholicism. The structure, the somewhat Medieval symbolism and ambiance drives him forward. He gets baptized and starts on a path to full participation. The strangest part is his desire to become a priest just after no more than two years. It at first appears as just another one of his jumps. He starts with the Franciscans in New York City. Fortunately the Franciscans are concerned as to his rapid choices, more importantly his motivation and maturity. Why they wonder is this young man so eager to join their order. They see his many jumps in life and are concerned that this may very well be just another. They sensitively turn him down. Rejected his finds an alternative, the Trappists. He follows this path and gives us, the reader, the tale of a monk asking, at first, if he wants to enter, him saying no, and upon his second visit, the monk saying he had expected his return. Thus unlike the Franciscans he had found a home. Thus the end of the journey to his new home, with meaning and security. One asks how this book has merit in the current times. For the 50s, devout Catholics could see this as a victory over the worldly lives of the unredeemed. In the 20s of today, one may see a youth wandering with no guidance, yet having the financial support to do so, while the world around is in the midst of financial and political collapse. He seems almost oblivious to this. He seems quite comfortable at Columbia seeking wisdom from the literature presented to him, while a mere 10 blocks north people are barely surviving in the financial downturn. In the 50s one could ignore that view, in the 20s one wonders how this could not have been avoided being seen and commented upon.

すぐれた信仰告白であるが、やや長く盛り上がりに欠けるのは残念である。

I chose this book because it's a well-known classic that I always wanted to read. Also, it's a memoir, which I hoped to find helpful in writing my own memoir. Merton is a brilliant writer, recreating places and phases of his life story in such a way as to place me right in the thick of it. Also a gifted theologian, he writes convincingly of the reality of faith, the reality of God. He is convincing because he so deeply and unequivocally believes it himself. He is mercilessly honest about his own failings and wrongdoings, his pride, self-delusion, etc. From a young, confused, hedonistic, self-absorbed young man to a committed, serious man of faith, he took me every step of the way, never losing my understanding and sympathy. Why? Because of his scrupulous self-honesty and self-criticism. He also intelligently and fairly criticizes religious orders, holding them up to the ideal forged by Christ. Believers and nonbelievers alike will find this book intriguing and provocative. Colleen Gillis

This is a must-read for everyone wanting to know more about the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. I myself decided to start off with his biography and eventually move on to his other books. His autobiography really lights the way to a man who was a real searcher of truth and God. I believe he found both. Sadly, his untimely passing in 1968 shows once more, that great souls are not always accepted in this illusionary world.

An indispensable book for anyone interested in leading a happy life. Thomas Merton's vision of reality opens the reader's eyes to different and more healthy modes of confronting the everyday,

Book came in great condition. Can't wait to read it