Going “Beyond God”: Thomas Merton’s Universal Vision

David M Odorisio

Going “Beyond God”: Thomas Merton’s Universal Vision

Saturday December 710 – noon, 2 – 4 pm

Throughout the final year of his life, Trappist monk and celebrated spiritual author, Thomas
Merton (1915-1968), wrote and spoke of a “universal consciousness” as one possible
goal of the spiritual life. Following the influence of Sufi psychoanalyst, Reza Arasteh, and his notion of final integration, Merton developed his own understanding of what it might mean to become a “universal person.” A radical form of mystical practice, demonstrated by the 12 th and 13 th century Sufi masters, Ibn al-‘Arabi and Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, was tremendously formative for Merton in the late 1960s. This Sufi mystical tradition advocates for a form of consciousness that transforms the individual into a “universal person” through a process of mystical death and rebirth.

This workshop is an opportunity for in-depth study of this aspect of the Sufi tradition through the lens of a twentieth century “spiritual master,” Thomas Merton. His recently published California conferences offer a roadmap for a truly “trans-religious” consciousness with important implications for inter-religious dialogue and comparative studies. Participants will be offered ample time for guided contemplative practice and group discussion to make this a true “retreat” experience.

Single Session: $20, Full Day: $35

David M. Odorisio, PhD, is Chair and Core Faculty in the Mythological Studies and
Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness programs at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara,
CA. He is editor of Thomas Merton in California: The Redwoods Conferences and Letters, and
Merton and Hinduism: The Yoga of the Heart. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Mysticism Unit for the American Academy of Religion. David speaks regularly about, and leads retreats and workshops on, the life and writings of Thomas Merton. www.ahomeforsoul.com