The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

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Author QuotedLouis Massignon
Title QuotedOpera Minora
Date (Year/Month/Day)1964/05/24
Imprint[S.l.] : [s.n.]. 1963
QuotationI have also been reading the big volumes of Louis Massignon's Opera Minora, so much more "majora" than most other people's masterpieces. They are at times completely shattering. I hope to write something about him as I now have to give an account of recent material on Islam in the magazine of the Order. I also have to report on Buddhism and Hinduism from time to time. This seems like a lot and does imply a kind of scattering of forces, but I think it will do me good and with the grace of God I can handle it. I think that one of the most crucially important subjects to investigate today is the Buddhist metaphysic of the "person," which claims to be non-personal (anatta) but as a matter of fact might well be something completely unique and challenging. The anatta idea is simply a "no" to the Hindu Atman as a pseudo-object or thought. If once one can find that on this crucial point where Buddhism and Christianity are completely opposed, they are in fact perhaps united "¦ Today is the feast of the Holy Trinity, Person but not individual nature "¦
Quotation SourceThe Courage for Truth: Letters of Thomas Merton to Writers.; Selected and edited by Christine M. Bochen. / New York : Farrar Straus Giroux. 1993, p. 45
Letter toJacques Maritain
Notes 
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