Fr. William Johnston visited Merton's hermitage in 1965. Merton later wrote a preface for Johnston's book, The Mysticism of the Cloud of Unknowing. Merton had planned to visit Johnston and Fr. Heinrich Dumoulin at Sophia University, but was prevented from doing so because of his death in Bangkok.
Fr. William Johnston is an Irish Jesuit and scholar in the realm of mysticism and the East-West dialog. Since 1951, he has lived in Japan and was a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo while writing to Merton. Since 1967, he has written a number of books on mysticism and the Christian encounter with Zen.
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1964/05/13 |
TLS to Merton |
You may be surprised to get a letter from Japan. Let me explain. In connection with my work as |
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«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1964/05/29 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter of the 13th. Your project on the Cloud and Zen sounds interesting, and so, |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1964/05/29 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter of the 13th. Your project on the Cloud and Zen sounds interesting, and so, |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1964/05/29 (#03) |
transcript from Merton |
School of the Spirit (unpublished ms.) p. 22 spiritual senses are not really senses at all, |
✓ |
[color photocopy filed in Sub-Section E.1 - handwritten notes for unpublished manuscript sent to Johnston with letter of 1964/May/29]
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| 5. |
1964/09/19 |
TLS to Merton |
Together with this letter I am sending you by air-mail a copy of the MS I told you about. I will be |
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| 6. |
1965/01/25 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
A long time has elapsed since I received your ms on the Cloud. I should have sent you some |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1965/01/25 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
A long time has elapsed since I received your ms on the Cloud. I should have sent you some |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1965/02/28 |
TLS to Merton |
It was very kind of you to go to so much trouble to read my poor MS and I am glad that you found |
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| 9. |
1965/11/10 |
HNS[x] from Merton |
I did not know if Monumenta Nipponica came from you or Fr. Dumoulin. Thanks very much indeed |
✓ |
[last sentence of original not published]
«detailed view» |
| 10. |
1966/01/10 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
I was surprised and delighted to get the Shinzinger book on Nishida the other day, and am already |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 11. |
1966/01/10 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
I was surprised and delighted to get the Shinzinger book on Nishida the other day, and am already |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 12. |
1966/07/29 |
HPCS to Merton |
I have just finished a five day "sesshin" with nine of the others under the direction of Fr. Lasalle |
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[verso: colorized photograph of the "Atomic Dome and Peace Memorial Park" in Hiroshima, Japan]
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| 13. |
1966/11/30 |
TLS to Merton |
It is already more than a year since we met, though to me it doesn't seem like that - with Augustine |
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«detailed view» |
| 14. |
1966/12/01 |
TNS[x] from Merton |
Just a word to say that Desclee have sent the proofs of your book and I am well into them. |
✓ |
[last sentence of original not published]
«detailed view» |
| 15. |
1966/12/20 |
HNS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your fine article on Zen and Christian mysticism. If you will give me the exact |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 16. |
1966/12/24 |
HCS[x] from Merton |
hope you have your preface by now. best always T.M. |
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[verso of card: woodcut of the Virgin and child Jesus]
«detailed view» |
| 17. |
1967/01/13 |
TLS to Merton |
Please excuse my delay in writing to say thanks for the very fine preface which you so kindly wrote. |
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| 18. |
1967/06/14 |
TLS to Merton |
Many thanks for Mystics and Zen Masters which I found excellent. I will review it |
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| 19. |
1967/07/05 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your good letter of June 14. Interested to hear about the Zen retreat. Honestly I do |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 20. |
1967/07/05 (#02) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your good letter of June 14. Interested to hear about the Zen retreat. Honestly I do |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 21. |
1971/03/03 |
TL[x] to Center from Johnston, William |
Many thanks for your letter referring to the Thomas Merton Studies Center. I was delighted to know |
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«detailed view» |
| 22. |
1971/03/15 |
TL[c] from Center to Johnston, William |
Thank you for your letter of March 3, and for the xerox of Merton's letter to you. I read both with |
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«detailed view» |
| 23. |
1983/05/08 |
TLS to Shannon, William |
I was glad to hear that you are editing Thomas Merton's letters. I am sending you everything I have. |
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| 24. |
1983/07/04 |
TLS[x] from Shannon, William |
I am most grateful to you for sending me the Merton letters to you. Do you wish me to return them? |
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«detailed view» |
| 25. |
1983/07/25 (#01) |
HPCS to Shannon, William |
Many thanks for your letter. By all means send the Merton letters to the Center in Louisville. |
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| 26. |
1983/07/25 (#02) |
HPCS to Shannon, William |
I tried to get Mihoko Okamura's address on to my last card but there was no room. |
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