David Steindl-Rast
Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB, is one of the best-known mystics of the present day, for whom the interreligious dialogue and also the dialogue with science, is a major concern.
Brother David was born in Vienna in 1926. He completed a degree in art and psychology and also studied anthropology. After his doctorate in psychology, he followed his family, who had emigrated to America in 1952 after the war and entered the newly founded Benedictine monastery Mount Saviour in Elmira, NY, in 1953. After twelve years of monastic contemplation and studies in philosophy and theology, Brother David was commissioned by his abbot in 1965 to devote himself to the dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism. He gained experience with various Zen masters and also studied with Suzuki Roshi in the Zen monastery Tassajara. In 1968, together with rabbis, Buddhists, Hindus and Sufis, he founded the “Center for Spiritual Studies” in the USA and was awarded the Martin Buber Prize in 1975 for his contribution to bridging different religious traditions.
Brother David was fascinated not by the contrasts, but by the surprising similarities in the practice of religions. It was only at the age of 60, after 30 years of contemplation, study and meditation, that David Steindl-Rast wrote his first book, “Gratefulness, the heart of prayer”, from his wealth of experience. Many more were to follow. The step into the public sphere led to lecture tours and television appearances. Brother David became Teacher in Residence at the renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. His thoughts on gratitude resulted in a worldwide network. His homepage https://gratefulness.org, originating in America, is a global success. On his 90th birthday he published his biography: “Ich bin durch dich so ich. Meine Lebenswege” (2016).
