"Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh, two of the foremost spiritual writers of their times, met only once - at Gethsemani Abbey on 26 May 1966. In two and a half years, Merton would be dead. "Individually," says Robert King, "they are important, but considered together they may be even more significant. For although their lives developed independently of one another and took quite different forms, they shed light on each other in wonderful and unexpected ways." What binds the two, says Robert King, is the theme of contemplation and action. In this book he explores how they came to understand the relationship between contemplative practice and social action in the context of their respective religious traditions, and he identifies the common features in their approach to engaged spirituality - a form of religious practice that could serve as a unifying paradigm for the world's religions in an age of globalization. The book concludes by showing how the influence of Merton and Nhat Hanh is reflected in the work of contemporaries such as Thomas Keating, David Steindl-Rast, A. T. Ariyaratne, and Joanna Macy."--BOOK JACKET.