Matthieu Ricard

Get to know Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk who works as a translator, a photographer and a writer. Ricard was a scientist before deciding to enter a monastery, having gained a doctorate in molecular genetics from the Pasteur Institute in the early 1970s. Soon after he was awarded his PhD, Ricard decided to forsake his life as a geneticist and practice Tibetan Buddhism instead. Ricard is a member of Vajrayana school of Buddhism after travelling to India where he met and studied under Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Much of Ricard's written work has focussed on the brain and the long-term effect that meditation can have on it. He is a board member of the Mind and Life Institute, an organisation that is set up to provide a collaborative framework for research that scientists, Buddhist scholars and meditators can all take part in. As a keen meditator himself, Ricard is known to practise three forms of meditation - compassion, open awareness and analytic. He also advocates solitary meditation sessions, and he goes about this in his own remote hut.

Matthieu Ricard was born in Aix-les-Bains in the French department of Savoie. These days, he resides at the Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, located in Nepal. The monastery had previously been located in Tibet until it relocated to Nepal following the Cultural Revolution that swept through China in the 1950s. Ricard's photography of his adopted homeland has been used in numerous publications over the years.

Yes, Matthieu Ricard is a committed vegan. The monk has spent years advocating for animal welfare issues and encouraging more people to become vegetarian. 'A Plea for Animals', a book he wrote that was published in 2016, goes into more detail about his ideas on veganism and animal rights.

The French National Order of Merit is the most distinguished award that Matthieu Ricard has won. It was given to him in recognition of his humanitarian work in Asia. Much of the proceeds from his work goes into humanitarian projects in Nepal and elsewhere. Ricard has also made a global impact outside of his homeland and adopted country. For example, he has worked with the World Happiness Forum, the United Nations and the Global Economic Symposium.

'The Spirit of Tibet: The Life and World of Khyentse Rinpoche, Spiritual Teacher,' is a publication of 2001 which deals with many of the things Matthieu Ricard learned during his spiritual awakening. 'Caring Economics: Conversations on Altruism and Compassion' of 2015 deals with some of Ricard's forthright views on economics. His translation of 'The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most' is another work that he has been widely praised for.