Matthieu RICARD
Buddhist Monk, Humanitarian, Author, and Photographer
In videoconference - Buddhist monk, author, photographer, scientist, and founder of humanitarian projects in Asia. He traveled to India in 1967, where he met Tibetan spiritual masters. After completing his PhD in cellular genetics at the Institut Pasteur, he settled in the Himalayas and resided at the Shechen Monastery in Nepal.
His works include Plaidoyer pour le bonheur (A Plea for Happiness), Plaidoyer pour l’altruisme (A Plea for Altruism), Plaidoyer pour les animaux (A Plea for Animals), Trois amis en quête de sagesse (Three Friends in Search of Wisdom, with A. Jollien and C. André), and Carnets d’un moine errant (Journals of a Wandering Monk). He has translated over a dozen volumes from Tibetan, including Shabkar, the Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogi; At the Heart of Compassion, and The Vagabond of Awakening. He has published a dozen photography albums, including A Half-Century in the Himalayas and Awe.
He has participated in scientific research in neuroscience on the effects of meditation on the brain. He dedicates all of his income to the humanitarian organization Karuna-Shechen (www.karuna-shechen.org), founded in 2000, which assists 500,000 people annually in Nepal, India, and Tibet, in the areas of extreme poverty, education, and health
