Merton had and still does have a strong influence as the American Mystic. He was supposedly a Trappist Monk- wrote some very popular books. One was
The Seven Story Mountain He was very destructive to the practice of Roman Catholicism.
He was a Bhuddist, and an agent some alphabet group or ?????
Doggone it, Belloc. Finding out about Merton was a turning point, and now I can't even qualify it.
<<<-------That's for my head, not yours.
He died of electrocution in a bath in Bangkok or someplace.
Now I'm going to go pray and take some brain supplements.