Zen and the Birds of Appetite was published by New Directions in 1968, the year of Merton’s death. It represents his most developed thinking on the relationship between Christian contemplation and Zen Buddhism — a dialogue he had pursued for over a decade through correspondence with D.T. Suzuki and study of Zen texts.
The book’s central argument is that authentic Christian contemplation and Zen practice converge at their deepest level: both seek to transcend the discursive, conceptual mind; both recognize that ultimate reality cannot be captured in propositions; both insist on direct experience rather than theological abstraction. The “birds of appetite” — Merton’s image for the grasping, consuming ego that Zen calls “the monkey mind” — must be silenced for genuine spiritual awareness to emerge, whether one calls that awareness “contemplation” or “satori.”
The book includes Merton’s dialogue with Suzuki — a text of extraordinary delicacy in which two old men from radically different traditions discover common ground without papering over genuine differences. Merton is clear that he is not proposing syncretism: Christianity and Buddhism are not “the same thing” — but they recognize each other at the level of contemplative practice in ways that doctrinal comparison can never capture.
Collecting Zen and the Birds of Appetite
First edition (New Directions, New York, 1968): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $75–$200
- Very good: $30–$75
- Published the year of Merton’s death — additional significance
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation. Published the year Merton died.
Christianity and Zen
Zen and the Birds of Appetite (1968) is Merton’s most sustained engagement with Zen Buddhism — a collection of essays and a dialogue with D.T. Suzuki that explores the common ground between Christian mysticism and Zen. Published the year of Merton’s death (he died in December 1968 in Bangkok during an interfaith conference), the book has a particular poignancy. Merton argues that the via negativa of Christian mystics like Meister Eckhart shares essential features with the Zen experience of emptiness (sunyata).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the title? “Birds of appetite” refers to the ego’s cravings — the desires that Zen practice aims to extinguish. Merton sees both Zen and Christian contemplation as paths to freedom from these cravings, though through different methods and vocabularies.