Rating: 
Summary: New Seeds of Contemplation is Thomas Merton's best book.
Review: New Seeds of Contemplation is a book ON contemplation. It is a wonderful book, and shows Merton at the height of his "powers" (his relationship with God). It breathes the peace and slowness of the contemplative life, and discusses spiritual problems, thorny issues, questions that come up, and issues of justice and procedure. Merton is a master at tackling questions probably everyone has wondered about, but not known the answer to, skilled as he was in both prayer AND spiritual direction. It is also a beautiful book, with the monk's simplicity of perspective on being and doing, similar to Brother Lawrence's "Practicing the Presence of God". "Work done under pressure cannot be dedicated to God, because God does not will such work." "If you have to live in a city and work among machines and noise, be glad that you at least have a spark of peace in your soul and know solitude is the source of peace and joy - many people do not even know that anymore." (I am paraphrasing). He was a contemporary monk in a modern world faced with the modern world's problems, but commenting on these from a place apart - his monastery, so his voice was at once very necessary, and irreplaceable. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: New Seeds of Contemplation is Thomas Merton's best book.
Review: New Seeds of Contemplation is a book ON contemplation. It is a wonderful book, and shows Merton at the height of his "powers" (his relationship with God). It breathes the peace and slowness of the contemplative life, and discusses spiritual problems, thorny issues, questions that come up, and issues of justice and procedure. Merton is a master at tackling questions probably everyone has wondered about, but not known the answer to, skilled as he was in both prayer AND spiritual direction. It is also a beautiful book, with the monk's simplicity of perspective on being and doing, similar to Brother Lawrence's "Practicing the Presence of God". "Work done under pressure cannot be dedicated to God, because God does not will such work." "If you have to live in a city and work among machines and noise, be glad that you at least have a spark of peace in your soul and know solitude is the source of peace and joy - many people do not even know that anymore." (I am paraphrasing). He was a contemporary monk in a modern world faced with the modern world's problems, but commenting on these from a place apart - his monastery, so his voice was at once very necessary, and irreplaceable. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: For all contemplatives
Review: The title tells all. If you are not "into" contemplation, why would you start to read this book? That being said, however, Merton wrote the predecessor of this book, which was just called "Seeds of Contemplation," after several years in a Trappist monastery. This one came after several more years, and he was writing out of his personal experience, so it reflects a mature contemplative spirit and may be hard for the beginning pray-er to fully digest.
Even so, there will be much here for anyone who aspires to or who is already experienced in centering prayer, Christian meditation, Prayer of the Heart. Since it is arranged in fairly short chapters, the reader is free to float around looking for what he or she needs right now. Of course, you may simply not like Thomas Merton! But cruise through the book today, and come back to it a year from now. And a year after that, and so on. It will speak to you at ever new levels, and will provide you with spiritual food all along your way.review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God
Rating:
Summary: For all contemplatives
Review: The title tells all. If you are not "into" contemplation, why would you start to read this book? That being said, however, Merton wrote the predecessor of this book, which was just called "Seeds of Contemplation," after several years in a Trappist monastery. This one came after several more years, and he was writing out of his personal experience, so it reflects a mature contemplative spirit and may be hard for the beginning pray-er to fully digest.
Even so, there will be much here for anyone who aspires to or who is already experienced in centering prayer, Christian meditation, Prayer of the Heart. Since it is arranged in fairly short chapters, the reader is free to float around looking for what he or she needs right now. Of course, you may simply not like Thomas Merton! But cruise through the book today, and come back to it a year from now. And a year after that, and so on. It will speak to you at ever new levels, and will provide you with spiritual food all along your way. review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God
Rating:
Summary: For all contemplatives
Review: The title tells all. If you are not "into" contemplation, why would you start to read this book? That being said, however, Merton wrote the predecessor of this book, which was just called "Seeds of Contemplation," after several years in a Trappist monastery. This one came after several more years, and he was writing out of his personal experience, so it reflects a mature contemplative spirit and may be hard for the beginning pray-er to fully digest.
Even so, there will be much here for anyone who aspires to or who is already experienced in centering prayer, Christian meditation, Prayer of the Heart. Since it is arranged in fairly short chapters, the reader is free to float around looking for what he or she needs right now. Of course, you may simply not like Thomas Merton! But cruise through the book today, and come back to it a year from now. And a year after that, and so on. It will speak to you at ever new levels, and will provide you with spiritual food all along your way. review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God
Rating:
Summary: The Most Used Religious Guide for A Catholic
Review: This book is not just for "Religious", it is for all people who wish to enter more deeply into prayer. It touches on all facets of life as it is related to prayer. This book will make you want to pray, or at leeast lead you gently into the world of Contemplative Prayer
Rating: 
Summary: Need to contemplate to understand
Review: This is a great book, in my opinion, but it does require that the reader be at least somewhat familiar with the contemplative experience in order to fully appreciate its insights. In other words, I do not believe that "New Seeds of Contemplation" is particularly appropriate as an introductory treatise on contemplation. Merton is extremely adept at depicting and expounding on those contemplative experiences that one too often is unable to find the correct words with which to describe. But without any experience of contemplation prior to reading this book, those persons who are just starting to explore a contemplative life may well find its lanugage fleeting and difficult to comprehend. On a personal note, I myself found "New Seeds of Contemplation" a difficult read on my first try. I revisited the book after spending some time at a Cistercian monastery, and it spoke to me in the heart in ways few books have ever spoken. As one of our fellow reviewers has stated, "New Seeds of Contemplation" may require the reader to be at a certain point in life. This does not make the reader "inadquate" for not enjoying the book, nor is the book's value in any way diminished. It is just the way it is.
Rating:
Summary: New Seeds of Contemplation
Review: This is a wonderful piece of literature by Fr. Thomas Merton. It reveals his most profound passion and love for God. I highly recommend this book to all who seek to understand the truth about themselves in relation to God and the Universe. This is one of those books that one can read and re-read over and over again in his/her life time. A treasure in my collection of spiritual reading library.
Rating: 
Summary: Mumbo Jumbo
Review: This is supposed to be a great spritual book. I found the author to be hopelessly lost in a bunch of words which mean nothing. This is one of those "spiritual" books that are really the result of the author bewitching himself with the trappings of language. I think that Merton actually believes that he is saying something when all he is doing is using vaguely defined words and terms which can mean anything-or absolutely nothing (the more likely possibility). If you think that sitting in complete silence and solitude for hours on end is the way to learn something, get this book. If you think that that is the way to delude yourself and possibly go mad as a hatter, skip this one. Read one "mystical" treatise, and you have read them all. If "contemplation" is such a great way to gain knowledge, why is it that all of these books say the same insipid things?
Rating:
Summary: An honest search for the fundamentals of faith
Review: This isn't a book you can read quickly and expect to get something out of. It also tends to get a little dogmatic at times, but you should expect that from a Catholic priest. All that aside, however, this book is great. It doesn't try to hide the difficulties of faith and spirituality under a cloak of simplistic ideas. Merton doesn't offer concrete solutions to these issues, so those seeking "silver bullet" answers to their spiritual questions should look elsewhere. But, if you're seeking personal foundations for your own faith, you'll find this book interesting.
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