De contemplatieve natuurvisie van Thomas Merton

In this article I unfold the contemplative vision on nature and the impulse for an ecological ethics of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. After a short summary of the role of nature in his biography, I explore the sources of his contemplative vision, and then investigate the meaning that nature had for his contemplative life. Silence and solitude in nature makes the heart pure and receptive to perceive the oneness of all creation with the abiding Creator. This deep experience leads to an ethics of preservation of the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community