Product Description

This winner of the Best Spiritual Book Award for 2003-2004 from the Sacramento Publishers & Authors is a penetrating fact-based study of what could have occurred on the last day of Merton's life. It is the first book to provide a radical reinterpretation of Merton's character. Hourihan provides a convincing answer to a question that a multitude of Catholics, and others, have asked themselves: Why did the famous Catholic monk, and acclaimed writer die so mysteriously and suddenly? The author probes the enigmatic December 1968 event, which occurred at an international monastic conference outside of Bangkok, with such insight that the significance of Merton's death is illuminated for the first time. He sees Merton as a tragically divided soul unable to resolve his conflicts within a Christian framework, and who was driven for release - too late and unsuccessfully - into the world of Oriental mysticism. He was a man who should not have become a monk in the first place; falling victim as he did to his own spiritual inadequacies, as well as to fame, and uncritical hero-worship from both laity and clergy alike lacking knowledge of what constituted a true mystic. Hourihan dramatically reveals why Merton was not a 'spiritual master or mystic' as he has been referred to by followers. His basic conclusion is that Merton is typical of Westerners who lack grounding in a mystical orientation that would instruct them about the nature of spirituality. This dramatic portrayal, written by an American who writes from an Eastern philosophical perspective, will appeal to ex-Catholics and others with a Christian background searching for guidance outside of their traditional faith. It is not recommended for warm admirers of Thomas Merton who want to maintain their cherished image of him.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #703052 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

From the Publisher
Paul Hourihan’s powerful new voice challenges our most basic assumptions about religion and spirituality in this intense, unforgettable rendering—in semi-fictional form—of the last hours of Thomas Merton’s life.

From the Author
Question: What prompted you to write this book?

PH: I read a number of Merton’s books, but the more I read the clearer it became that his image as a great contemplative was far from the truth. For one thing, the manner of his death did not seem appropriate for a man of God. Anyone could have died in a similar way. Why did he die the way he did? My book attempts to throw light on this by taking us to his last day and using the power of creative imagination, to give us a rendering of what might have taken place.

Question: It appears you’ve written an anti-Catholic book.

PH: It is not anti-Catholic. What it does is project a view of genuine religion as a living thing—not dogmatic, not confined to the rules and traditions of an organization.

Question: Who would find this book interesting?

PH: Probably ex-Catholics would, and those who have stopped going to church, who are disenchanted with Catholicism and want more out of religion than present-day Catholicism provides. But others can benefit as well.

Question: Was your aim to present Merton as a basically flawed individual?

PH: No, my purpose was to attempt to set the record straight. Because Merton wrote so convincingly about spiritual subjects, it was easy to believe that the man himself reflected the wisdom in his writings. I was compelled to rectify this false estimate. He did have good characteristics, and these are readily indicated in the book.

About the Author
PAUL HOURIHAN, mystic and teacher, was born and educated in Boston where he earned a doctorate in English literature. For 15 years he taught dozens of courses and gave innumerable lectures on the subject of great mystics and mysticism in Ontario, Canada. Committed to the spiritual path for over 45 years and a close student of India’s Vedantic philosophy, he becomes a suitable commentator on the significance of the death of the influential monk and writer. This is the second of his dozen thought-provoking books to be published.

Customer Reviews

Merton and the Church
Paul Hourihan's depiction of the Catholic Church in this book speaks so perfectly of the kind of institution that could create, and destroy, a person such as Merton. Hourihan's honesty and insight expressed the exact feelings I had about the Church, and without doubt history will prove the truth of his observations. We can only hope this wisdom will reach the masses, so to speak, and that the light and love that Christ taught will be spread beyond the dark walls that now attempt to confine it.

An author's view of Catholicism...not necessarily Merton's
Paul Hourihan's novelization of Thomas Merton's last day reads more like an apologia for his own loss of faith in things Catholic rather than an imaginative exploration of Merton's death in Asia. This self-published novel reveals far more about the author than it does its subject. For a real understanding of the issues Thomas Merton wrestled with read the journals he maintained during the course of his adult life.

...
This book begins with a "note of caution" to potential readers, suggesting that this "novel" may "seem overly provocative to many" and "may offend Westerners comfortable in their religious beliefs - especially warm admirers of Thomas Merton." This caution really does not go far enough.

Paul Hourihan in this book portrays Thomas Merton having a long dialogue with himself in the days and hours leading up to his accidental death in Bangkok in December 1968 about the value of his life, especially his monastic life, questioning whether or not he had got it all wrong. The author's standpoint is clearly that he had, suggesting that the traditional Christian paths to God are mistaken and that Eastern religions, especially India's Vedanta philosophy, was the path that Merton should have followed. He suggests that Merton was subconsciously drawn to the electric fan in his Bangkok room as a way out of the dilemma in which he found himself - either continuing in a way of life he no longer believed in or, alternately, starting again in an Eastern religion and disturbing the "simple faith" of so many of his loyal readers.

Under ordinary circumstances I would not have finished reading this book, it is badly written, tedious and Hourihan is basically using Merton as a vehicle for his own anti-catholic polemic from a Vedantic perspective. Readers of Merton will see all too quickly the falsity of his arguments. Merton's inter-faith dialogue was based on his deep grounding in his own tradition, a tradition he was clearly committed to right up to his final days as is evident from the final entries in his personal journals - celebrating the Eucharist, lunching with the apostolic delegate and attending the monastic conference at which he was to die.

... Be warned.