Biography
Matthieu Ricard (born 1946) is a French Buddhist monk, writer, translator and photographer. He obtained a doctorate in cellular genetics in 1972 and subsequently devoted his life to the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism in the Himalayan region. His career combines scientific training, contemplative practice and public engagement with compassion, meditation and altruistic ethics.
His works include Le Moine et le Philosophe (1997), a dialogue with his father, the philosopher Jean-François Revel; L'Infini dans la paume de la main (2000), written with the astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan; Plaidoyer pour le bonheur (2003); L'Art de la méditation (2008); and Plaidoyer pour l'altruisme (2013). His books explore points of convergence and divergence between contemplative traditions, moral philosophy and contemporary sciences.
He has translated Buddhist texts from Tibetan and served as a French interpreter for the Dalai Lama. His work as a photographer and lecturer accompanies his advocacy of an ethic centred on the well-being of other beings. In his work, compassion and altruism appear not only as spiritual ideals but also as capacities that can be cultivated through sustained practice.
Profiles and references
Published books