Thomas Merton Documentaries by Morgan Atkinson Thomas Merton with the Dalai Lama in 1968, shortly before Merton’s death Thomas Merton documentaries provide contemplative context in a busy, too noisy world. It was some 10 years after Thomas Merton’s death in 1968 when Morgan Atkinson discovered the story and writings of Merton. As a documentary filmmaker, Morgan was drawn to sharing Merton’s wisdom by examining the controversial monk’s life through the lens of a camera in two