David Praver

Interview by Sandee Reif

David’s life has always been involved in some way with serving others—first, in education, teaching public high school math in Ohio and later starting his own private high school in Denver. The goal of this school was to give children a more meaningful and creative experience of education and life than the public school had allowed in Ohio. Still later, he created a coffeehouse and vegetarian café in Denver to provide an environment for dynamic interchange of ideas, artistic expression, and spiritual searching. Before serving in various managerial positions at Ananda Village, he was involved with Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF).

Here at Ananda in Palo Alto, in addition to ministry, teaching, and counseling, David has played a role in overseeing the businesses, including the Sangha, Bookbuyers, East West Bookshop, the school, and the community. In the rare times away from his life’s work, he enjoys traveling with his wife, Asha, to such faraway places as Bora Bora, Bali, and India, where they have led Ananda pilgrimages for many years.

Q: Were you always on the spiritual path? Were you always on the spiritual path?

A: No, I was not on the path or religious through college. When I had my experimental school in Denver, I became interested in these things because the children were always curious to hear the different swamis and spiritual teachers who would come through town. Around the age of 25, when school closed for the summer, one of the students gave me Autobiography of a Yogi. I took it on a backpacking trip to Europe. I read it a number of times during that 6 month journey and came back and got involved with the teachings. The moment that book was placed in my hands, it defined the rest of my life.

Q: What was your life like before finding Master?What was your life like before finding Master?

A: Until going to college, I was a very proper child. I always did "the right thing" and was active in clubs and organizations. I had a straight and narrow upbringing, yet one that had a great deal of freedom of expression. My mother wished for a more active religious upbringing for me, but I had very little interest. I remember sneaking out of religious classes and going to the fire station nearby. I would spend an hour there and then work my way back into the flow as people walked out of the temple so my parents would never know.

Once in college, everything shifted. I became very politically active at the University of Michigan in 1964-68. I even went to the Democratic Convention—the big scene in Chicago, and went to the Pentagon to protest the war. I wasn’t violent, but I had radical thoughts and philosophy. One day, there was a big protest at the University of Michigan with much anger and dissension. I remember listening to it and feeling like, "How can you attract peace if you are not peaceful yourself?" And I found myself unconsciously backing out of the crowd, feeling that for my message to get across, I had to become peace. It began to change how I was thinking politically. My direction became less outwardly trying to change the world, and more focused on how to change who I was—so that who I was became a placard, so to speak, for the world to see that one can live in peace by having inner peace. In some way that was almost the beginning of my spiritual life. Even though I wasn’t actively seeking God, I was beginning to realize peace.

Q: How did you meet Asha?

A: I was living in Denver and was involved with SRF. We were building a small chapel and I was up on the roof pounding nails one day. From below, a person said that two people from Ananda were there. Since I had visited the Village some years before, I was interested in meeting them. Asha was one of them (the other was Arati who now works at East West Bookshop). They talked about setting up places where Swami could come and give talks on his cross-country tour. I offered to help in any way I could. I couldn’t find anything to write my phone number on except a 2 x 4 piece of wood so they left with that in hand. After moving to Ananda Village later that year, in 1978, I had the fortune to work with Asha on a number of projects and we developed a deep friendship.

Q: You seem quiet, often in the background.

A: Growing up I was somewhat shy. Yet, even though I was quiet, I always found myself in a leadership role. When I came to Ananda, I really had to make an effort to take a few steps forward. I wasn’t painfully shy, but I had to assert myself and exert a little more energy to really serve Master in the way that was needed as a disciple, as well as to express the love and appreciation I felt for him.

Q: Do you ever get down or discouraged? Do you ever get down or discouraged?

A: I don’t really get emotional, angry, or discouraged. Why bother? It doesn’t help me, anyone else, or help Master’s work. Sometimes I catch myself wanting things to be different than they are. I just don’t think of myself that often. I don’t need to, I guess, which is fortunate. I’m here to serve Master. For 28 years of my life—more than half my life—I’ve been on this path. So much comes to me through service that I feel constantly bathed with blessings. I look at my life as being very simple. When I first saw the Autobiography, there was never anything that drew me away. I never looked over my shoulder to see if there was another way I should be going. I just knew at that moment that this was it. Yogananda answered all of my questions. His teachings gave me a direction to go in, and an image of what life is all about that I have been aspiring to ever since. To live and serve in this way is a profound blessing.