Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard (2008)

Matthieu Ricard (born February 15, 1946 in Aix-les-Bains ) is a Buddhist monk and studied molecular biology with a degree in cellular genetics and doctorate from the Nobel Prize winner Francois Jacob at the Pasteur Institute .

Life

Matthieu Ricard grew up around France's intellectuals. His mother, the artist Yahne Le Toumelin, and his father Jean-François Ricard, who under the pseudonym Jean-François Revel was one of the most influential living philosophers and political theorists in France, enabled him to interact with great thinkers and creators of that time.

According to his own account, his “real” life began on June 2, 1967, when he met Kangyur Rinpoche . When Kangyur died, Matthieu became a monk and personal assistant to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche , with whom he spent day and night for twelve years. After the death of his teacher, he wrote the book Journey to Enlightenment: The Life and World of Khyentse Rinpoche, Spiritual Teacher from Tibet, about his life and work.

Since 1989 he has been the official French translator for the Dalai Lama . Together with his father he published the internationally successful book The Monk and the Philosopher . In it - on topics of general philosophical, spiritual and social interest - the perspectives of the Western world and Buddhism are compared, differences are shown and similarities are highlighted.

He is a board member of the Mind and Life Institute , which promotes communication and collaboration between Western science and Buddhism. He collaborates with brain researchers on the effects of meditation and mind training on the brain (Madison-Wisconsin, Princeton and Berkeley).

Ricard lives in Shechen Monastery in Nepal .

Publications

Scientific writings

• with Antoine Lutz, Lawrence L. Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings and Richard J. Davidson: Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice . PNAS 2004: 101, no.46.doi: 10.1073 / pnas.0407401101 .
• with Paul Ekman , Richard J. Davidson and BA Wallace: Buddhist and psychological perspectives on emotions and well-Being. Current Directions in Psychological Science 2005: 14, 59-63.

Other works (selection)

• Mystery of Animal Migration . Constable, 1969, ISBN 978-0-09-456660-6
• Luck. Nymphenburger, Munich 2007, ISBN 3-485-01116-9
• Meditation. Nymphenburger, Munich 2009, ISBN 3-485-01167-3
• Tibet. With the eyes of love. Frederking and Thaler, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-89405-678-9 (illustrated book)
• The light of Tibet. Life and world of the spiritual master Khyentse Rimpoche. Zweiausendeins, Frankfurt 1998, ISBN 3-86150-254-2
• Plea for the animals. Nymphenburger, Munich 2015, ISBN 3-485-02828-2
• with Jean-François Revel : The monk and the philosopher. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-462-02783-2
• with Trịnh Xuân Thuận : Quantum and Lotus. Goldmann, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-442-33639-2
• with Wolf Singer : brain research and meditation. A dialogue. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt 2008, ISBN 3-518-26004-9
• with Tania Singer : Compassion in Business: A Breakthrough Research Report . Albrecht Knaus Verlag, Munich 2015. ISBN 978-3-8135-0657-0 .
• with Wolf Singer: Beyond the Self: Dialogues between a Brain Researcher and a Buddhist Monk , Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2017, ISBN 978-3-51842571-8 .

Photo books

• The Spirit of Tibet . Aperture 2000, ISBN 978-0-89381-903-3
• with Olivier and Danielle Föllmi: Buddhism in the Himalayas. Knesebeck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-89660-131-8

literature

• Daniel Goleman : Dialogue with the Dalai Lama - How we can overcome destructive emotions. dtv, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-423-34207-2

Web links

Commons : Matthieu Ricard  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Matthieu Ricard in the catalog of the German National Library
• matthieuricard.org: Matthieu Ricards website
• Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship - Shechen Ricard's Biography - English
• Uwe Jean Heuser: "The monk as a philosopher" , in: DIE ZEIT , July 19, 2007, No. 30.
• Stephen S. Hall, “Is Buddhism Good for Your Health?” , In: The New York Times , September 14, 2003. - English
• Anthony Barnes: “The Happiest Man in the World?” , In: The Independent , August 8, 2007. - English