O outro lado da montanha: Thomas Merton – uma perspectiva dialogal

Abstract

This one aims to search for the sensibility of the inter religious dialogue in Thomas Merton from his monastic experience of solitude, silence, contemplation as well as compassion. It tries to rebuild his way under a dialogal perspective, and, also, understand the attraction which the Eastern Religions exerted on him, emphasizing the Sufism, Taoism and Zen Buddhist. It goes around the theoretical reflections besides his experiences over the dialogue field yet inside the monastery, which culminate with his trip to Asia where the trappist monk met great Eastern spiritual masters, so that, he found out the conection between the buddhist and christian thoughts. This search got as a target giving an open wide panoramic view of inside and outside factors that contributed to the dialogue in Merton along his journey. Under his interpretation both getting into his own religion and searching knowledge in other belief, they are important for the speakers of the dialogue may get to an authentic partition, sharing experience and a deep stronger faith as well. The dialogue would aim to reach for a higher level of communication, which Merton named communion, however, without losing its singularity inherent to every religious tradition.