People love to go to the headwater of a great river, where it emerges as a small stream, and there jump across it. And then they can say: I jumped across the Mississippi, or the Rhone River. It may be of interest to hear about a head water of the great compilation of writing which is the Merton and Taoism volume. I mean in particular the visit of John Wu to Gethsemani in the early 1960’s.

He gave a talk in the Novitiate Conference room, attended by the Novices and some priests and members of the community. It was very wise, learned and mystical in nature. When John was finished one of the priests, who was a striver after religious things in a rather strenuous way spoke up. He asked: “How can we attain to the highest degree of contemplative awareness?” John calmly answered: “To do that you have to forget about yourself as a spiritual achiever and about getting to the highest.”

I do not know if that came from John’s study of Taoism, or from a previous conversation he had with Fr. Louis. The two may be indistinguishable – and reading the newly released volume may prove that to be true or otherwise.

Congratulations for this splendid effort and publication. Honorary bow to CRISTOBAL SARRAN-PAGAN, Johnathan Montaldo, Gray Henry, and any others who share its responsibility.

Br. Paul Quenon