Review: New Seeds of Contemplation

New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is, of course, a classic in spiritual writing in the 20th century. It is Thomas Merton's introduction to the contemplative life, which he sees as accessible for anyone- monk, lay person, whoever. It is a series of reflections on how to contemplate God and his world, including many of the pitfalls and the joys, written in the inimitable Merton's prose.

Many of the things that I love about Merton comes out in the book. His writing is lovely, of course, but what captures me more is his inherent good sense and his commitment to the belief that contemplation is for all. This is a valuable starting point and a book that I wish I had read years ago. Of course, I'm not entirely sure I would have understood it years ago, if I truly understand it now. A re-reading or many re-readings, I think, are in my future.

My advice with this book is to take it slow. Don't try to read to much. Read a section, read it again, think about it, reflect on it. I read New Seeds on the subway over the course of three months, reading a small section. Frequently, I had to re-read a section two, three or four times over as many days to get a glimmer. Other sections were gloriously clear. But let all of it sink in, and, I think, you'll be better for it.

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