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This video is part of Conversations with Brother David at 100, a collection of short videos being released each month this year in celebration of Br. David’s upcoming 100th birthday. Subscribe to our free monthly Grateful Offerings to receive each video in your inbox alongside other resources to help you live a more grateful life.

Video Transcript

Jack Kornfield: What helps us to trust?

Br. David Steindl-Rast: What helps us to trust?

Jack Kornfield: Yeah. How do we learn to trust?

Br. David Steindl-Rast: Well, by doing it. If we do it, for instance, if we are grateful ,which is a beautiful expression of trust in life…if we are grateful, we see that things work, and we experience joy. So if we experience joy, we want to do it again and again and again. Life draws us into it.

Jack Kornfield: So entering the river of gratitude begins to reinforce or show us that it’s possible to live in that way, that it’s possible to draw us…

Br. David Steindl-Rast: The river is a beautiful image also in this respect that you have to swim, you see, and in order to swim, you have to entrust yourself. You can learn as much as you want about swimming from books and so forth, and stand in the water and do like this [making paddling motion with hands] [laughter from audience]. But unless you really let yourself down into it, you’ll never swim.


Br. David Steindl-Rast
Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Brother David Steindl-Rast — author, scholar, and Benedictine monk — is beloved the world over for his enduring message about gratefulness as the true source of lasting happiness. Known to many as the “grandfather of gratitude,” Br. David has been a source of inspiration and spiritual friendship to countless leaders and luminaries around the world including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, and more. He has been one of the most important figures in the modern interfaith dialogue movement, and has taught with thought-leaders such as Eckhart Tolle, Jack Kornfield, and Roshi Joan Halifax. His wisdom has been featured in recent interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Krista Tippett, and Tami Simon and his TED talk has been viewed almost 10,000,000 times. Learn more about Br. David here.

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Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield is an author, Buddhist practitioner, Spirit Rock Meditation Center founding teacher, and one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Over the years, Jack has taught in centers and universities worldwide, led International Buddhist Teacher meetings, and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a father, husband and activist.

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