David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B. (Order of Saint Benedict) was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1926. He studied arts, anthropology and psychology, receiving a doctorate from the University of Vienna. In 1952 he followed his family, who moved to the United States. In 1958-1959, Brother David was a post-doctoral fellow at Cornell University. Since 1953 he is a monk.

He began his training at the Benedictine monastery of Mount Savior, in the State of New York, United States. He was one of the first Catholics who received training in Zen Buddhism and who participated (and continues to participate) in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue. His Zen teachers were Hakkuun Yasutani Roshi, Soen Nakagawa Roshi, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and Eido Shimano Roshi. He is a speaker at The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics, related to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

For decades, David Steindl-Rast has divided his time between periods of hermit life and extensive tours giving lectures around the world. He is a spiritual teacher for many, a specialist in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue.

Brother David knows, in his mind and in his heart, that a monk is a monk to say "thank you." He writes "The heart of man is made for praise," and as a monk, he makes this truth visible in his daily life.