“Rendezvous in Bangkok ...Who Killed Thomas Merton?” an original play written by Thom Nickels and longtime Chestnut Hill resident Sabina Clarke about the life of the legendary monk, theologian, activist and author, returns to the Irish Arts and Cultural Center for a 3 p.m. performance, Sunday, Sept. 22. 

The 2021 world premiere of the play at the Mt. Airy center opened to rave reviews. In this second production, several new characters have been introduced who were pivotal in Merton’s life.

“Merton's contradictions make him a fascinating subject,” said Clarke, a longtime journalist and author. “He was no plaster-cast saint. He was very human with many faults. He was also the greatest contemplative mind of the 20th century. He became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through his study of mystic practice.”

An American Trappist monk, Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. His most influential work was his best-selling autobiography, “The Seven Storey Mountain” (1948). The account of his spiritual journey, which sold more than one million copies and was translated into 15 languages, inspired countless readers to visit and explore monasteries across the U.S.

Merton wrote books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism and how Christianity was related to them. This was highly unusual at the time in the U.S., particularly within the religious orders. Merton wrote, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”

Clarke read Merton’s books in the 1960s and found his spirituality to be “real and very relatable — a former sinner who became a monk.”

Merton, a harsh critic of the Vietnam War, viewed war as the root of all evil. His writings on social issues drew criticism from both Catholics and non-Catholics who thought a monk should not be involved with secular issues beyond monastery walls. According to numerous published sources, he was warned many times by the Vatican to stop writing against the Vietnam War and the threat of nuclear war. 

Merton died, mysteriously and suddenly, in 1968 at 53. He had traveled to Thailand for a conference, his first trip to the Far East. His death, supposedly of heart failure, left many questions unanswered since he had apparently been in good health.

At first, Clarke did not question the circumstances of Merton’s death, believing reports in the media. But in the mid-1980s, she began to have doubts, considering that perhaps the monk was murdered “for his pull to Eastern mysticism and the Dalai Lama, a dialogue the Church was not eager to embrace at that time,” Clark said. She even called the Abbey in Gethsemane (in Trappist, Kentucky, where he is buried) to investigate, but got nowhere. She then moved on and put Merton aside - until the 1990s.

“Merton was resurrected in my consciousness, and I considered the possibility that his views and outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War ... might have made him a likely target for assassination, remembering the assassinations of John F.Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, all men of peace,” Clarke said.

According to an article in the May 23, 1980, issue of the Catholic Review by Joseph Sweat, several close friends of Merton believed his death might have been caused by agents connected to the CIA.

“Tom was becoming a serious threat to the policies of the U.S. Government,” said one of Merton's long-time confidants who asked to remain anonymous. “Increasingly, people were reading what he had to say in opposition to the Vietnam War, which was raging when he went to Thailand. Here was a man deeply respected as a spiritual writer by millions of Roman Catholics and others, telling them how immoral their war was.”

Doors open Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at 215-843-8051. A Q & A session and a wine and cheese reception will follow the production. The center is at 6815 Emlen St. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com .