"Though the outlines of Thomas Merton's life are generally known to his many readers, the details of his spiritual development are less familiar. Taking up where Merton's own Seven Storey Mountain ends, this biography by Lawrence Cunningham explores Merton's monastic life and his subsequent growth into a modern-day spiritual master."--BOOK JACKET. "Cunningham shows that Merton's prolific writings and his continuing influence can only be understood against the background of his contemplative experience as a Trappist monk."--BOOK JACKET.