Thomas Merton was a Roman Catholic Trappist monk, theologian, social activist, mystic, and poet. He was a prolific writer and a scholar of comparative religion. He primarily wrote on topics pertaining to spirituality, pacifism, and social justice and published more than 50 books within a period of 27 years. He was born in France to a New Zealander father and an American mother, both of whom were artistically inclined. He had a difficult childhood after losing his mother to cancer. He graduated from Columbia University in Manhattan with an English degree. It was during his college years that he developed a keen interest in religion and spirituality. He underwent baptism at Corpus Christi Church and was later ordained as a Catholic priest. He was affiliated with the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky. Among all his books, his autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain is the most popular one. His spiritual journey has inspired millions of people across faiths to explore their own inner spirituality. Besides Christianity, he also studied other religions and faiths, including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Sufism. He is today recognized as an influential 20th-century Catholic mystic.