William H. Shannon shares his intimate knowledge and unique insights in this exciting biography of the monk whose own autobiography became a bestseller. Silent Lamp is the name given to Merton two years before he died by the Chinese philosopher John Wu.Silent Lamp is a reflective biography: it illuminates Merton's inner life and thoroughly chronicles his outer journey, telling the story in terms of the significant events and experiences that shaped his spiritual path. It sheds new light on the principal themes that Merton developed as a writer and teacher, from the renewal of monastic life to the poetry of Latin America, from the demands of interracial justice to the teachings of the Sufi masters. As the author puts it, "This book attempts to look at the inner journey which alone gives meaning to the exterior one. I want to put the picture in the frame." More than any other book on Thomas Merton, Silent Lamp achieves that goal.