Brother David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B., (born July 12, 1926) is an American Catholic

Benedictine monk The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

, author, and lecturer. He is committed to

interfaith Interfaith (also called "interreligion") may refer to various ways of relating between beliefs, creeds, ideologies, faiths, or religions: * Interfaith conflict (disambiguation) * Interfaith dialogue, also known as interfaith cooperation * Interfai ...

dialogue and has dealt with the interaction between

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

and science.

Life and career

Steindl-Rast was born and raised in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, with a traditional Catholic upbringing that instilled in him a trust in life and an experience of mystery. His family and surname derive from their aristocratic seat near the pilgrimage site of Maria Rast, today

Ruše Ruše (; ) is a small town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Ruše and lies on the right bank of the Drava River west of Maribor. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included in the Drava ...

in Slovenia. Privations he experienced in youth during the Second World War were magnified by the tensions of him being one-fourth Jewish. He was recruited into the German army but did not see combat. He received his MA degree from the

Vienna Academy of Fine Arts The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

and his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

experimental psychology Experimental psychology is the work done by those who apply Experiment, experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ Research participant, human participants and Animal testing, anim ...

from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

(1952). He emigrated with his family to the United States in the same year and became a Benedictine monk in 1953 at Mount Saviour Monastery in

Pine City, New York Pine City is a hamlet located in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 5,220 at the 2000 census. There is a post office there. History Mount Saviour Monastery was added to the National Register of Historic Places T ...

, a newly founded Benedictine community. With permission of his abbot, Damasus Winzen, in 1966 he was officially delegated to pursue

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

dialogue and began to study

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

with masters Haku'un Yasutani, Soen Nakagawa, Shunryu Suzuki, and Eido Tai Shimano.Hallward, Clare; ''David Steindl-Rast: Essential Writings'', Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 2010, p. 23. As a Benedictine monk, he spent time in various

monastic communities Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

, including 14 years at the

New Camaldoli Hermitage New Camaldoli Hermitage (formally called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural Camaldolese Benedictine Hermitage (religious retreat), hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, California, in the United States. The Camaldolese branch o ...

Big Sur, California Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised fo ...

. He spent half the year as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

in a monastery and spent the other half lecturing and giving workshops and retreats. His experience around the world and with the world's various religions convinced him that the human response of gratitude is a part of the religious worldview and is essential to all human life. He co-founded the Center for Spiritual Studies with

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

teachers in 1968, and since the 1970s has been a member of the cultural historian William Irwin Thompson's Lindisfarne Association. He received the Martin Buber Award for his achievements in building dialog among religious traditions. His writings include ''Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer'', ''The Music of Silence'' (with Sharon Lebell), ''Words of Common Sense'' and ''Belonging to the Universe'' (co-authored with

Fritjof Capra Fritjof Capra (born February 1, 1939) is an Austrian-born American author, physicist, systems theorist and deep ecologist. In 1995, he became a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. He was on the faculty of ...

). In 2000, he co-founded A Network for Grateful Living, an organization dedicated to gratefulness as a transformative influence for individuals and society.

Religion and mysticism

During

Link TV Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, was a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it described as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It was carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) until January 2023 a ...

's ''Lunch With Bokara'' 2005 episode "The Monk and the Rabbi", he stated: In that same episode, he expressed his belief in

panentheism Panentheism (; "all in God", from the Greek , and ) is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time. The term was coined by the German philosopher Karl Krause in 1828 (after reviewin ...

, where divinity interpenetrates every part of existence and timelessly extends beyond it (as distinct from

pantheism Pantheism can refer to a number of philosophical and religious beliefs, such as the belief that the universe is God, or panentheism, the belief in a non-corporeal divine intelligence or God out of which the universe arisesAnn Thomson; Bodies ...

Selected writings

* 1984, ''Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness'', N.J. Paulist Press 1984. * 1991, ''Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality'', coauthored with

and Thomas Matus, Harper San Francisco, * 1995, ''Music of Silence: A Sacred Journey through the Hours of the Day'', coauthored with Sharon LeBell, Ulysses Press, 2. Ed. 2001, * 1996, ''The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice, Buddhist and Christian'', coauthored with

Robert Baker Aitken Robert Baker Dairyu Chotan Aitken Rōshi (June 19, 1917 – August 5, 2010) was a Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha in 1959 with his wife, Anne Hopkins Aitken. Aitken received Dharma transmissi ...

Shambhala Publications Shambhala Publications is an Independent publisher, independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the societ ...

, * 1999, ''A Listening Heart: The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness'', Crossroad, * 2002, ''Words of Common Sense for Mind, Body and Soul'', Templeton Foundation Press, * 2008, ''Common Sense Spirituality.'' The Crossroad Publishing Company, * 2010, ''Deeper than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed'', Doubleday Religion, * 2010, ''David Steindl-Rast: Essential Writings'', selected with and introduction by Clare Hallward, (Modern Spiritual Masters series, edited by Robert Ellsberg),

Orbis Books Orbis Books is an American imprint of the Maryknoll order. It has been a small but influential publisher of liberation theology works. It was founded by Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest Miguel D'Escoto with Philip J. Scharper in 1970. Its editor- ...

, * 2016, ''Faith beyond Belief: Spirituality for Our Times'', coauthored with

Anselm Grün Anselm Grün (in English also: Anselm Gruen), OSB (born 14 January 1945 in , Germany) is a German Benedictine monk. He was in charge of Münsterschwarzach Abbey's financial matters, as its ''cellarer''. He has written around 300 books focused ...

Liturgical Press Saint John's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Collegeville Township, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with the American-Cassinese Congregation. The abbey was established following the arrival in the area of monks from Saint Vincent Arc ...

, * 2016. ''The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life'',

Franciscan Media Franciscan Media, formerly St. Anthony Messenger Press, is a multimedia company comprising ''St. Anthony Messenger'' magazine, Franciscan Media and Servant books, Catholic Greetings, Saint of the Day, Minute Meditations, and AmericanCatholic.org ...

, * 2017, ''i am through you so i'',

Paulist Press The Paulist Fathers, officially named the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle (), abbreviated CSP, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men founded in New York City in 1858 by Isaac Hecker in collaboration wi ...

, * 2021, ''99 Names of God'',

, In addition he has contributed to numerous works, including: * Introduction, ''Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul'', by Robert A. Emmons and Joanna Hill * Afterword, ''Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of Saint Benedict'', by Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein and

Judith Simmer-Brown Judith Simmer-Brown is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emerita at Naropa University. She has expertise in Tibetan Buddhism, Women and Buddhism, Buddhist-Christian dialogue, Western Buddhism and Contemplative Educa ...

, edited by Yifa, and

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. May 18, 1736une 6, 1799) was an American politician, planter and orator who declared to the Virginia Conventions, Second Virginia Convention (1775): "Give me liberty or give m ...

* Foreword, ''Living Buddha, Living Christ'', by

Thich Nhat Hanh Thích is a name that Vietnamese monks and nuns take as their Buddhist surname to show affinity with the Buddha. Notable Vietnamese monks with the name include: * Thích Huyền Quang (1919–2008), dissident and activist * Thích Quảng Độ (1 ...

* Foreword, ''This World'', by Teddy Macker * Chapter in ''Entheogens and the Future of Religion'' titled "Explorations into God", edited by Robert Forte

References

External links

Steindl-Rast's website

Video-interview on practice of now-ness, science-religion dialogue and Heidegger's thrownness

Interview on a public radio show, Humankind, by David Freudberg

Several articles
by Steindl-Rast and others.
Network for Grateful Living Web page
*Interview transcript and audio from
On Being with Krista Tippett
" 2016 * *
"Want to be happy? Be grateful" (TEDGlobal 2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steindl-Rast, David 1926 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni American Benedictines American lecturers American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic writers Austria–Japan relations Austrian Benedictines Austrian emigrants to the United States Austrian lecturers Buddhist and Christian interfaith dialogue Catholic ecumenical and interfaith relations Catholics from New York (state) People from Chemung County, New York People in interfaith dialogue University of Vienna alumni Writers from New York (state) Writers from Vienna

Life and career

Religion and mysticism

Selected writings

Further reading

References

External links