Thomas Merton’s Wu-Wei and Jazz as “New Liturgy”

Jazz in recent years has been interpreted as an embodiment of the Taoist idea of wu-wei and the concept of flow, often considered a psychological parallel to wu-wei. Looking at the American Trappist monk Thomas Merton’s love for jazz and his The Way of Chuang Tzu (1965), where he interprets wu-wei as a representation of spiritual freedom, this article suggests that similar ideas of jazz being an embodiment of wu-wei can be inferred in Merton’s writing. This impression was also felt by John Wu, Jr., the son of John Wu, who mentored Merton in his study of Chuang Tzu and to whom Merton dedicated The Way of Chuang Tzu. Merton responded positively to Wu, Jr., affirming his sentiments. Merton’s thoughts nonetheless show distinct theological implications, as revealed in his 1964 essay “Liturgical Renewal: The Open Approach” and his 1968 characterization of jazz playing as “praying,” “some kind of prayer,” and “the new liturgy.”