Matthieu Ricard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Matthieu Ricard |
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|---|---|
| माथ्यु रिका | |
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| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | Vajrayana |
| Education | Pasteur Institute (PhD molecular genetics) |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | French, Nepalese |
| Born | 15 February 1946 (age 79) Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, France |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher | Kangyur Rinpoche Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche |
Matthieu Ricard (born February 15, 1946) is a French and Nepalese writer, photographer, and Buddhist monk. He lives in Nepal at the Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery.
Matthieu Ricard grew up surrounded by smart and creative people in France. He earned a PhD in molecular genetics in 1972. After that, he decided to leave his science career. Instead, he chose to study Tibetan Buddhism and moved to live mostly in the Himalayas.
Ricard is a member of the Mind and Life Institute. He received a special award from France, the French National Order of Merit. This was for his amazing work helping people in the East through Karuna-Shechen. This is a non-profit group he helped start in 2000. Since 1989, he has also been the French translator for the 14th Dalai Lama.
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Matthieu Ricard's Life Story
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Matthieu Ricard was born in Aix-les-Bains, France. His father was Jean-François Revel, a famous French thinker. His mother, Yahne Le Toumelin, was an artist and a Buddhist nun. Matthieu grew up around many interesting people and ideas.
He studied molecular genetics at the Pasteur Institute with a Nobel Prize winner, François Jacob. After finishing his PhD in 1972, Ricard decided to change his path. He wanted to focus on practicing Tibetan Buddhism instead of science.
Ricard then moved to India and lived in the Himalayas. There, he studied with important teachers like Kangyur Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He became a close student and friend of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche until Rinpoche passed away in 1991. Since then, Ricard has worked to continue Khyentse Rinpoche's important work.
Some people have called Ricard "the happiest person in the world." He took part in a study about happiness at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He scored much higher than most people. However, Ricard himself says this label is "absurd" and not true.
He also helped write a study about the brains of people who meditate a lot. These meditators, including himself, had spent at least three years in meditation retreat.
Ricard is part of the Mind and Life Institute. This group brings together scientists, Buddhist scholars, and meditators to do research. His ideas have been shared in books like Destructive Emotions. He is involved in studies about how mind training affects the brain. These studies happen at universities like Madison-Wisconsin, Princeton, and Berkeley in the United States. They also take place at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, and other places.
Ricard spent four years taking care of his mother, Yahne, in France. She passed away in 2023 at 100 years old. He felt very lucky to be able to care for her during that time.
Books and Photography
Ricard is also a talented photographer. His pictures of spiritual leaders, beautiful landscapes, and people in the Himalayas have been in many books and magazines. A famous photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, once said that Matthieu's camera and his spiritual life work together. This creates images that are both quick and lasting.
He has written and taken photos for books like Tibet, An Inner Journey and Monk Dancers of Tibet. Other books include Buddhist Himalayas and Journey to Enlightenment. He has also translated many Buddhist texts, such as The Life of Shabkar.
Ricard wrote a book with his father, Jean-Francois Revel, called The Monk and the Philosopher. This book was very popular in Europe and was translated into 21 languages. He also wrote The Quantum and the Lotus with Trinh Xuan Thuan. This book shows his interest in both science and Buddhism.
His 2003 book, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill, explores what happiness means. It was a huge best-seller in France. In 2015, his book Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World was published in English.
Ricard is also the author of Caring Economics: Conversations on Altruism and Compassion, Between Scientists, Economists, and the Dalai Lama.
Awards and Humanitarian Work
Ricard received the French National Order of Merit for his humanitarian work in the East. He gives all the money he earns from his books and talks to help others. He supports over 200 projects in Nepal, India, and Tibet through his organization, Karuna-Shechen (www.karuna-shechen.org). These projects help over 300,000 people each year with health care, education, and social services. He also works to protect the culture of the Himalayas (www.shechen.org). Since 1989, he has been the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama.
Ricard has spoken at many international events. These include the World Happiness Forum and the United Nations. He has also been invited ten times to the World Economic Forum.
Meditation Practice
Matthieu Ricard uses three main types of meditation: compassion, open awareness, and analytic meditation. He has spent a total of five years meditating alone. Much of this time was in a quiet mountain hut.
Being Vegan
Ricard is a vegan. This means he does not eat any animal products. He supports veganism and animal rights. He wrote a book about this in 2016 called A Plea for the Animals.
See also
In Spanish: Matthieu Ricard para niños
