The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Yogeshananda, Swami (formerly Philip L. Griggs)

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Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence

Dates of materials: 1965, 1971

Volume: 8 item(s); 16 pg(s)

Scope and Content

Merton had written a preface to Dom Denys Rutledge's book, In Search of a Yogi. Philip Griggs disagreed with Rutledge's presupposition of the superiority of Christianity to other faiths. Merton explains that the wrote the book as a favor to his editor and publisher; however, that he does not agree with all of Rutledge's points either. Merton writes quite a long reply expressing the value he saw in Hindu writings.

Biography

Philip Griggs writes to Merton from Carmichael, California. He later joined the Ramakrishna Vedanta Center in London, England. Between his correspondence in 1965 and 1971, he had taken the name Swami Yogeshananda. He was in his later years the director of the Vedanta Center of Atlanta.

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Related Information and Links

See one published letter from Merton to Philip Griggs (Swami Yogeshanda) in The Hidden Ground of Love, pp. 338-340.

Other Finding Aids

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.
   

Series List

This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.

Container List

SeriesDateTypeTo/FromFirst LinesPubFull TextNotes
 1965/06/17 TALSto MertonA book entitled <u>In Search of a Yogi</u>, to which you have written a Preface, has recently come   
 1965/06/22 (#01)TALSfrom MertonYour long and interesting letter puts me, I am afraid, in a rather delicate position.   
 1965/06/22 (#02)TL[c]from MertonYour long and interesting letter puts me, I am afraid, in a rather delicate position.  [2 identical carbon copies]
 1965/07/01 TLSto MertonI am most grateful for your very cordial reply to my long letter. I suspected that your   
 1971/04/10 TLS[x]to Center from Yogeshananda, SwamiIn reply to your circular letter concerning the correspondence of the late Thomas Merton, I wish   
 1971/04/27 TL[x]from Center to Yogeshananda, SwamiThank you for your letter of April 10. Fr. Pooler has asked me to reply to your letter since I am   
 1971/05/21 TLS[x]to Center from Yogeshananda, SwamiMany thanks for your letter of Apr. 27 with its clarifications. In compliance with your request,   
 1971/06/21 TL[x]from Center to Yogeshananda, SwamiThank you for your letter of May 21. Please accept my apology for being so long in answering your   
        

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