Books by Br. David Steindl-Rast and Colleagues

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99 Names of God (2021)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast

“For most people this inter-religious dialogue will be something that they only read about, because they have no opportunity to engage in it. … If you are interested in promoting the inter-religious dialogue — which I think we should be interested in … then we should expose ourselves. Exposure is the key word. All the people who have been exposed to other traditions — really exposed and not just told about them and not just made fearful about them — “meet” somebody who is from a different religion. So make a special effort to “meet” other people from other religions,” writes Br. David Steindl-Rast in 99 Names of God, which offers a meditation on each of the 99 names of God found in the Islamic creed. This devotional volume speaks to people of any religious belief who through the many names of God enter the gate of the one nameless God that unites us.

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Read 99 Names of God review in the National Catholic Reporter (July, 2021).

May Cause Happiness: A Gratitude Journal (2018)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
“It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Through his books and appearances, Br. David Steindl-Rast has shared the blessings of the thankful heart with millions. With this uncommon journal, he invites us to find greater depth and joy amid our daily challenges and burdens.

These visually inspiring pages invite us to spark our own thankfulness when feeling weary or numb, transform our “dismissible” moments into fresh delights, dance with both the light and dark we encounter, and merge with the stream of the natural world. “The mystic is not a special kind of human being,” writes Br. David, “rather, every human being is a special kind of mystic.” No matter how ordinary we might feel, May Cause Happiness is sure to do just this, as it opens portals to the extraordinary within and all around us.

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i am through you so i (2017)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
Brother David tells his incomparably rich life story. Beginning with his childhood in Vienna, he describes his time during World War II and his years as a student after the war, his family’s emigration to the US and his entry into the then newly founded Benedictine monastery,  Mount Saviour,  in the state of New York. There, he soon began looking for what were then still untrodden spiritual paths with undiscovered entryways to non-Christian religions.

Thereafter, contemplation and periods of public life alternated with Brother David. Mysticism is his mission but not a mysticism devoid of connection to the world. His is a mysticism of the everyday, of life immediate in the now, of experiencing fully. He is convinced that God’s spirit speaks in and to us all.

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Faith Beyond Belief: Spirituality for Our Times (2016)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB & Anselm Grün
Br. David Steindl-Rast and Father Anselm Grün are figures of hope, people who by the power of their example can offer an orientation in a world that has become too complex to comprehend. The spirituality they radiate is an everyday thing that is nevertheless both profound and vivid. . .

“Our conversations, on which this book is based, could be read as a ‘crash course’ in Christian spirituality. This book will be an inspiration and an aid to spiritual life for many people of our time, whether they are believers or not.”– Johannes Kaup, Editor

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The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life (2016)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
From The Way of Silence:  “The tranquility of order is a dynamic tranquility, the stillness of a flame burning in perfect calm, of a wheel spinning so fast that it seems to stand still. Silence in this sense is not only a quality of the environment, but primarily an attitude, an attitude of listening…Let us give to one another that gift of silence, so that we can listen together and listen to one another. Only in this silence will we be able to hear that gentle breath of peace, that music to which the spheres dance, that universal harmony to which we, too, hope to dance.”

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A Good Day: A Gift of Gratitude (2013)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB in collaboration with Louie Schwartzberg
This moving gift book truly stirs gratitude for the blessing of life and the everyday wonder and beauty of nature. Based on the beloved meditation by Brother David, with music by Gary Malkin, this gift book pairs Br. David’s inspirational words with stunning images by acclaimed filmmaker, Louie Schwartzberg.  Perfect for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays—or just as a gift for someone you love—this inspirational package includes not just the book but a DVD with two short films by Schwartzberg (including Gratitude) and Brother David’s own A Good Day video. The last page has a link to the “A Good Day” audio track, which you can use to create your own video or slide show on what you are grateful for.

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99 Blessings: An Invitation to Life (2013)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
From beloved author Brother David Steindl-Rast comes this beautiful collection of original blessings meant to guide readers through each day with wisdom and spirit.

This gift book of ninety-nine personal and original blessings from Brother David Steindl-Rast, known for his pioneering work in interfaith dialogue, marks the first time the member of the Benedictine Order of Catholic monks has crafted a series of prayers for the general reader — from Catholics to Protestants, Jews and Muslims, agnostics and uncertain. Blessings are life-giving only as long as we pass them on, so this book is meant to be shared with friends, family, coworkers, strangers, and anyone in need of a few words of inspiration and guidance.

This book is currently out of print. You may be able to buy it on Amazon

Deeper than Words: Living the Apostles’ Creed (2010)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
“I have always felt that in endorsing a book I was honoring the book and its author. Brother David’s Deeper Than Words, however, brought a new and startling sensation: I found myself sensing that the book was honoring me by allowing me to endorse it. Never before have I felt this way about a book… This book belongs on every pastor’s desk, and on the nightstand beside the bed of every Christian who is trying to deepen his or her spiritual life.” – Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions.

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David Steindl-Rast: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters) (2010)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, edited by Clare Hallward
A wonderful selection of Br. David’s writings on such themes as gratefulness, prayer, silence, and love, imaginatively and sensitively pulled together by Clare Hallward as editor. “Much of our life may be a wandering in the desert lands,” Br. David writes, “but we do find springs of water.” Spirituality & Practice has named this book “One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2010.” (Review)

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Common Sense Spirituality (2008)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, foreword by Sr. Joan Chittister
Each meditation in this volume reflects what Br. David calls “the spiritual work of our time” — cultivating grateful living, the key to joy. The selections explore the broad range of issues that have been at the core of a lifetime of meditation and teaching. An invitation to reconnect with the wisdom that grounds us, draws no limits, motivates moral actions, and makes us exhilaratingly alive.

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Words of Common Sense for Mind, Body, and Soul (2002)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, foreword by Thomas Moore
The proverbs of the world connect us with other cultures and religions, show us how much we humans have in common, and delight at the same time by their great variety. Inspiring and optimistic, Words of Common Sensefinds meaning in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. This book contains a new interpretation of Jesus’ parables that speaks to every heart and is universally valid. Common Sense is the common ground we so urgently need today.

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Music of Silence (2001)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB & Sharon LeBell, introduction by Kathleen Norris
Friends tell me that Music of Silence is my most readable book; for this I am grateful to Sharon Lebell, as I am grateful to Kathleen Norris for her Introduction. Kathleen (the author of Cloister Walk) has done so much to make the rich heritage of monastic tradition available to people outside the monastic enclosure. In a small way, my book tries to do the same. Please visit the companion feature on this website called the Meet the Angel of the Hour which presents the chants for the Hours as performed by a group of monks from the Mount Saviour Monastery in Pine City, New York. – Br. David

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A Listening Heart: The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness (1999)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, foreword by Matthew Fox
Ever since I added the two new chapters, “Sensuous Asceticism” and “Sacred Sensuousness,” to A Listening Heart, this has become for me a favorite among my own books. – Br. David

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The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice, Buddhist and Christian (1996)
By Robert Aitken, Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, edited by Nelson Foster
This is a lovely, engaging, insightful conversation between two important contemporary spiritual teachers and practitioners, one (Aitken) an American-born Zen master and the other (Steindl-Rast) a Benedictine monk. The conversation is drawn from a week-long retreat that Aitken and Steindl-Rast shared in Hawaii in 1991. They agree quickly to focus on “everyday practice” rather than on abstract conceptions of Buddhism and Christianity. The result is not a formal contribution to the growing body of Buddhist-Christian dialogue so much as an illuminating and multifaceted exploration of common ground–the sacred heart that beats at the center of a world shared by Christians and Buddhists. This volume offers a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between compassionate believers comfortable with their differences, fully engaged with each other, and fully engaged in the world. Steve Schroeder (Booklist)

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Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality (1993)
by Fritjof Capra,‎ Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB,‎ Thomas Matus
A remarkably compatible new view of the universe offered by the trailblazer of new science and a contemporary of Thomas Merton. “An entertaining, thought-provoking book filled with conversations, quotations, and colorful stories that make science and theology come alive.”–San Francisco Chronicle.

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Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness (1984)
By Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB, foreword by Henri Nouwen
It makes me happy that, after almost two decades, this book still finds a steady stream of new readers. Now and then, I hear people who made Gratefulness their daily reading in a time of crisis, in sickness, or on their deathbed. This fills me with awe. So does that fact that groups who read and discuss books together have found this one helpful. What do I myself like about it? That it treats the main aspects of gratefulness in a systematic way, without – I hope – being dry. And I specially like the list of key words arranged from A to Z (yes, I even have one for “X”). In fact, the Glossary we plan to include on this site will continue and expand that idea. – Br. David

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