多瑪斯·牟敦(Thomas Merton，1915-1968)齣生於法國，曾就讀於英國劍橋大學與美國哥倫比亞大學。1941年進入美國肯塔基州的特拉比斯隱修會，1949年被任命為神父後來成為有名的路易神父。 牟敦一直過著隱居生活，但仍持續不斷為世界和平、種族公義、宗教對話而努力。1968年牟敦在泰國曼榖參加由他發起的基督一佛教徒會議時，死於一場意外。 牟敦是二十世紀知名的詩人、畫傢、文學傢、隱修士，他的文字雋永如詩。《七重山》是他最著名的作品。

<div>A modern-day Confessions of Saint Augustine, The Seven Storey Mountain is one of the most influential religious works of the twentieth century. This edition contains an introduction by Merton's editor, Robert Giroux, and a note to the reader by biographer William H. Shannon. It tells of the growing restlessness of a brilliant and passionate young man whose search for peace and faith leads him, at the age of twenty-six, to take vows in one of the most demanding Catholic orders--the Trappist monks. At the Abbey of Gethsemani, "the four walls of my new freedom," Thomas Merton struggles to withdraw from the world, but only after he has fully immersed himself in it. The Seven Storey Mountain has been a favorite of readers ranging from Graham Greene to Claire Booth Luce, Eldridge Cleaver, and Frank McCourt. And, in the half-century since its original publication, this timeless spiritual tome has been published in over twenty languages and has touched millions of lives.<br></div>