Huston Smith on Meeting with Thomas Merton

Houston could you describe for us your meeting with Thomas Merton Oh happily gladly there was to be an interfaith conference in Calcutta and I received a mailing and an invitation and I said I'm sorry it's a long way and I'm going to pass on this one but I was on their list so I got a second and I notice on this second sheet it had a list of people who had accepted and one of the names was Thomas Merton well he had worked his way up to be the man who I had not yet met that I most wanted to meet so I immediately sent a telegram saying I'm coming well it was the conference was to begin with a social hour at five o'clock on the lawn behind the hotel and I was punctual and at five o'clock I went down and there he was sitting alone at a table sipping a soft drink and I went over and introduced myself and I said I I thought this man's going to be the most in the most demand of anybody here I better use him while I have him alone so I said bother American may I ask you a question certainly I said I could never be a monk the man-woman thing is too strong in me but I do have a contemplative strain in me could you tell me what is it like to be among and he said well it's a very nice and I said very nice what about those three mouths and he said all those oh those poverty is a snap chastity is a little more difficult but it's manageable but obedience obedience is a Booker and and we know he had trouble with his superior is that well so that was that exchange and then at the end of the week why the closing session I he was the speaker and this one was televised so he they required that he be present in his clerical garb and so he began by saying well I feel like I'm speaking to you in Causton I never wear this I usually have dungarees and a work shirt on but this is what was required and then he women spoke for 12 minutes and just exquisitely and he said I am here to represent the people who don't count first the poor the second the poets and the third I love shaking on this I think he said the clerics on that but then he went on and the Pearl raishin at the end was so beautiful as long as there are people and I can't matches eloquence here but if people who will do their best and swim against the tide selflessly and with dedication as long as there are such people there is hope for the world so then that concluded the conference we had agreed to sit on the side by side on the plane from Calcutta to Delhi and so the responsibility was all off and we were sort of giddy and I had heard that that there was a wonderful traditionally best meditation journey on foot from Katmandu to Pokhara by plane it took five minutes on foot it took 17 days because it was mostly up and down up and down and I had been intrigued by that and I said I wish I could do that pilgrimage from kominternovo and he said let's do it and he said I'll wire my superior defrocked me if you must but I am pilgrimage aimed from Copland campaka and I said I would do the same with Kendra divorce me if you must but I'm doing the pilgrimage from coming and we were just goofing off but then the plane landing and we said goodbye and I headed north to the Tibetan and he headed south to his death by being electrocuted with a live wire stepping on a live wire while he was taking a shower our old friend Joseph Campbell tells me that he was at that conference that you described you attended with Thomas Merton and his observation was that over the course of the conference the priests between each of the various religions were in constant disputation constantly arguing but that the monks were extremely conciliatory and very respectful of each other's traditions have you come across that well I can believe it but you've told me something I had forgotten I didn't realize that joachim mom was at that conference

Channel: Vedanta Video

Views: 34,119

Rating: 4.952569 out of 5

Keywords: huston smith, Thomas Merton, Phil Cousineau, India, religion, vedanta, mondaymedia, Philosophy (Field Of Study), Yoga, Meditation

Id: nzE3-NOcPNE

Length: 9min 31sec (571 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 21 2012