Matthieu Ricard

A powerful and wide-ranging indictment of the treatment of animals by humans--and an eloquent plea for animal rights. Every cow just wants to be happy. Every chicken just wants to be free. Every bear, dog, or mouse experiences sorrow and feels pain as intensely as any of us humans do. In a compelling appeal to reason and human kindness, Matthieu Ricard here takes the arguments from his best-sellers "Altruism" and" Happiness" to their logical conclusion: that compassion toward all beings, including our fellow animals, is a moral obligation and the direction toward which any enlightened society must aspire. He chronicles the appalling sufferings of the animals we eat, wear, and use for adornment or entertainment, and submits every traditional justification for their exploitation to scientific evidence and moral scrutiny. What arises is an unambiguous and powerful ethical imperative for treating all of the animals with whom we share this planet with respect and compassion."

Matthieu Ricard trained as a molecular biologist, working in the lab of a Nobel prize—winning scientist, but when he read some Buddhist philosophy, he became drawn to Buddhism. Eventually he left his life in science to study with Tibetan teachers, and he is now a Buddhist monk and translator for the Dalai Lama, living in the Shechen monastery near Kathmandu in Nepal. Trinh Thuan was born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam but became intrigued by the explosion of discoveries in astronomy during the 1960s. He made his way to the prestigious California Institute of Technology to study with some of the biggest names in the field and is now an acclaimed astrophysicist and specialist on how the galaxies formed.When Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Thuan met at an academic conference in the summer of 1997, they began discussing the many remarkable connections between the teachings of Buddhism and the findings of recent science. That conversation grew into an astonishing correspondence exploring a series of fascinating questions. Did the universe have a beginning? Or is our universe one in a series of infinite universes with no end and no beginning? Is the concept of a beginning of time fundamentally flawed? Might our perception of time in fact be an illusion, a phenomenon created in our brains that has no ultimate reality? Is the stunning fine-tuning of the universe, which has produced just the right conditions for life to evolve, a sign that a “principle of creation” is at work in our world? If such a principle of creation undergirds the workings of the universe, what does that tell us about whether or not there is a divine Creator? How does the radical interpretation of reality offered by quantum physics conform to and yet differ from the Buddhist conception of reality? What is consciousness and how did it evolve? Can consciousness exist apart from a brain generating it?The stimulating journey of discovery the authors traveled in their discussions is re-created beautifully in The Quantum and the Lotus , written in the style of a lively dialogue between friends. Both the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the discoveries of contemporary science are introduced with great clarity, and the reader will be profoundly impressed by the many correspondences between the two streams of thought and revelation. Through the course of their dialogue, the authors reach a remarkable meeting of minds, ultimately offering a vital new understanding of the many ways in which science and Buddhism confirm and complement each other and of the ways in which, as Matthieu Ricard writes, “knowledge of our spirits and knowledge of the world are mutually enlightening and empowering.”“ The Quantum and the Lotus is a mind-expanding, eye-opening exploration of the exciting parallels between cutting-edge thinking in physics and Buddhism–a scintillating conversation any thinking person would delight in overhearing.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence“ The Quantum and the Lotus is the rich and inspiring result of a deeply interesting dialogue between Western science and Buddhist philosophy. This remarkable book will contribute greatly to a better understanding of the true nature of our world and the way we live our lives.” —His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Le bonheur existe-t-il et peut-on l'atteindre ? Matthieu Ricard vous apporte la réponse à travers l'enseignement bouddhiste. Fort de sa double culture, il vous propose une alternative à l'individualisme en mal de repères. Point par point, l'auteur examine les facteurs qui renforcent ou diminuent votre satisfaction profonde afin de vous aider à trouver le chemin du bonheur.Matthieu RICARD a étudié la génétique cellulaire avant de se tourner vers le bouddhisme. Ordonné moine en 1978, il est l'un des spécialistes mondiaux du bouddhisme tibétain. Il vit dans l'Himalaya auprès des grands maîtres spirituels. Il est l'interprète français du Dalaï-Lama.

Wherever he goes, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard is asked to explain what meditation is, how it is done, and what it can achieve. In this elegant, authoritative, and entirely accessible book, he sets out to answer these questions. Although meditation is a lifelong process even for the wisest, Why Meditate? demonstrates that by practicing it on a daily basis we can change our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. In this brilliant short book and the accompanying audio download, Ricard talks us through the theory, spirituality, and practical aspects of meditation. He illustrates each stage of his teaching with examples, leading readers deeper into their own practice. Through his experience as a monk, his close reading of sacred texts, and his deep knowledge of the Buddhist masters, Ricard shows the significant benefits that meditation, based on selfless love and compassion, can bring to each of us.

The author of the international bestseller Happiness makes a passionate case for altruism -- and why we need it now more than ever.In Happiness , Matthieu Ricard demonstrated that true happiness is not tied to fleeting moments or sensations, but is an enduring state of soul rooted in mindfulness and compassion for others. Now he turns his lens from the personal to the global, with a rousing argument that altruism -- genuine concern for the well-being of others -- could be the saving grace of the 21st century. It is, he believes, the vital thread that can answer the main challenges of our the economy in the short term, life satisfaction in the mid-term, and environment in the long term.Ricard's message has been taken up by major economists and thinkers, including Dennis Snower, Amartya Sen, Joseph Stiglitz, and George Soros. Matthieu Ricard makes a robust and passionate case for cultivating altruistic love and compassion as the best means for simultaneously benefitting ourselves and our society. It's a fresh outlook on an ardent struggle -- and one that just might make the world a better place.

An anthology of the most inspiring and instructive texts on spiritual enlightenment from great Tibetan masters—handpicked by a best-selling author and Tibetan Buddhist monk Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard has selected and translated some of the most profound and inspiring teachings from the eight traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The selected teachings are from the Buddha himself, Nagarjuna, Guru Rinpoche, Atisha, Shantideva, and Asanga; the great masters of the past, Thogme Zangpo, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Milarepa, Longchenpa, and Sakya Pandita; and contemporary masters, including the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Mingyur Rinpoche. The teachings address such topics • The nature of the mind• The foundations of taking refuge, generating altruistic compassion, acquiring merit, and following a teacher• View, meditation, and action• How to remove obstacles and make progress on the Buddhist path Inspired by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Ricard creates his anthology with Khyentse’s religious philosophy in “When we come to appreciate the depth of the view of the eight great traditions [of Tibetan Buddhism] and also see that they all lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think, ‘Only ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian view.’”

Converging and diverging views on the mind, the self, consciousness, the unconscious, free will, perception, meditation, and other topics.Buddhism shares with science the task of examining the mind empirically; it has pursued, for two millennia, direct investigation of the mind through penetrating introspection. Neuroscience, on the other hand, relies on third-person knowledge in the form of scientific observation. In this book, Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk trained as a molecular biologist, and Wolf Singer, a distinguished neuroscientist—close friends, continuing an ongoing dialogue—offer their perspectives on the mind, the self, consciousness, the unconscious, free will, epistemology, meditation, and neuroplasticity.Ricard and Singer's wide-ranging conversation stages an enlightening and engaging encounter between Buddhism's wealth of experiential findings and neuroscience's abundance of experimental results. They discuss, among many other things, the difference between rumination and meditation (rumination is the scourge of meditation, but psychotherapy depends on it); the distinction between pure awareness and its contents; the Buddhist idea (or lack of one) of the unconscious and neuroscience's precise criteria for conscious and unconscious processes; and the commonalities between cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation. Their views diverge (Ricard asserts that the third-person approach will never encounter consciousness as a primary experience) and converge (Singer points out that the neuroscientific understanding of perception as reconstruction is very like the Buddhist all-discriminating wisdom) but both keep their vision trained on understanding fundamental aspects of human life.

Colorful stories about and profound teachings of Patrul Rinpoche, one of the most impactful teachers and thinkers in the Tibetan tradition from the nineteenth century.The life and teachings of the wandering yogi Patrul Rinpoche—a highly revered Buddhist master and scholar of nineteenth-century Tibet—come alive in true stories gathered and translated by the French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard over more than thirty years, based on the oral accounts of great contemporary teachers as well as written sources. Patrul’s life story reveals the nature of a highly realized being as he transmits the Dharma in everything he does, teaching both simple nomads and great lamas in ways that are often unconventional and even humorous, but always with uncompromising authenticity.

On connaît le Matthieu Ricard essayiste, devenu l'ambassadeur le plus populaire du bouddhisme en France, notamment grâce à ses best-sellers LeMoine et le Philosophe et Plaidoyer pour le bonheur. Avec La Citadelle des Neiges, conte initiatique et spirituel, on découvre tout le talent de Matthieu Ricard conteur.Détchèn grandit comme tous les enfants de son village, au pied de l'Himalaya. Certes, il montre depuis son plus jeune âge des qualités de générosité et de compassion exceptionnelles à l'égard de tous les êtres vivants, il aime à s'asseoir longuement avec les moines et les ermites de passage, mais rien ne semblait le prédisposer à un destin différent de celui de son père et de ses frères, paysans. Pourtant, un jour, l'un de ses oncles descend de la Citadelle des Neiges et propose d'y emmener le jeune garçon.Ce lieu sacré du bouddhisme, "hors du monde, si loin des hommes, si près des dieux", vous ne le trouverez sur aucune carte, Matthieu Ricard l'a réinventé pour ne pas troubler son infinie quiétude. Et pourtant il existe...C'est ainsi que commence la belle aventure de Détchèn. De forêt en montagne, au cœur d'une nature grandiose, de l'apprentissage auprès des autres méditants aux enseignements du sage dont il deviendra le disciple, de la retraite solitaire dans une grotte sacrée au retour vers ses semblables puis au choix d'une existence de barde errant, elle le mènera sur le chemin de l'Éveil.À la veille des fêtes, un Jonathan Livingstone le goéland venu de l'autre bout du monde qui séduira petits et grands.

The memoirs of renowned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard and his extraordinary journey toward inner freedom and compassion in action.Matthieu Ricard began his spiritual transformation at the age of twenty-one, in Darjeeling, India, when he met Tibetan teacher Kangyur Rinpoche, who deeply impressed the young man with his extraordinary quality of being. In Notebooks of a Wandering Monk, Ricard tells the simple yet extraordinary story of his journey and the remarkable men and women who inspired him along the way, including Kangyur Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and the fourteenth Dalai Lama, as well as great luminaries such as Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, and a number of leading scientists.Growing up, Ricard, the son of philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin, regularly found himself in the company of intellectuals and artists such as Luis Buñuel, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Igor Stravinsky. Young Ricard loved nature, classical music, and science and dreamed of unlocking the mysteries of molecular biology. But, six years after meeting Kangyur Rinpoche, Ricard gave up a promising career in genetics to pursue a meditative life in the remote Himalayas. While spending half a century in India, Bhutan, and Nepal, he visited Tibet more than twenty times and spent years publishing rare Tibetan texts and photographing his spiritual teachers and the world in which they lived.Elegantly translated by Jesse Browner and accompanied by more than fifty full-color photographs, some of which are Ricard’s own, Notebooks of a Wandering Monk charts Ricard’s lifelong path to wisdom and compassion. This candid and reflective memoir will inspire all readers, wherever they may be on their own journey to a meaningful and well-lived life.

The Skill of Happiness"By happiness I mean here a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being. Happiness is also a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it" Matthieu RicardMatthieu RicardMatthieu Ricard was born in Paris in 1946, the son of the late Jean-Francois Revel, a well-know French philosopher and the painter of Yahne le Toumlin. In 1967 he traveled to India for the first time where he met great Tibetan spiritual masters. After completing his doctoral thesis in molecular genetics in 1972, Mattieu decided to forsake his scientific career at the Institut Pasteur and to concentrate on the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Matthieu is deeply engaged in research on the effect of mind training on the brain. Since 1989 he is the French interpreter for HH the Dalai Lama. Matthieu is also a well-known photographer as well as the author of many books, amongst them, Happiness: A guide to developing life's most important skill (Atlantic Books, 2003). The royalties of his books are entirely donated to humanitarian projects in Asia, via Karuna-Shechen. Matthieu lives in Shechen Monastery in Nepal. www.matthieuricard.orgKaruna-ShechenAll the proceeds are donated to Karuna-Shechen, a charitable not for profit association founded by Matthieu Ricard. Karuna means compassion in Sanskrit and is the same name of an area in Eastern Tibet. In Tibet, Nepal and India, Karuna-Shechen has built and maintains sixteen medical clinics in which 100,000 patients are treated yearly, more than half of them for free. It has builty twelve schools, including one for one thousand six hundred children, three homes for the elderly and ten bridges. Karuna is run by a dedicated group of volunteers and has kept its overhead expenses to less than 2% of ...©2009 Matthieu Ricard; (P)2009 No Mud No Lotus

Tucked away between China and India in the heart of the Himalayas, Bhutan remains a relatively little-known country. Few photographers have been granted permission to enter this remote kingdom, where life quietly unfolds to the rhythm of tradition amid the magnificent, unspoiled landscape. Nearly twenty-five years ago, Matthieu Ricard went to Bhutan to study with Dilgo Khyenste Rinpoche, a highly revered Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher. During this time, he also came to know the royal family. He has continued to return to Bhutan throughout his life, discovering on each occasion more of its treasures. 184 color photographs

Winner of the Moonbeam Children's Animals/Pets Non-Fiction Gold Medal!A story about the fundamental connection between animals and people and how we can treat all of Earth's creatures with compassion and empathy.Furry polar bears, playful sea otters, slow sloths, prickly porcupines, and slimy snakes are just a few of the many animals we share our world with. And even though we might not look the same or have the same needs as our animal neighbors, we have more in common with them than we might think. Our Animal Neighbors introduces children to the importance of treating all animals with the care and compassion they deserve. We all want to experience love, safety, and respect and this book is the first step to instilling those values at an early age. This planet is our home, and we should all be free to live a prosperous life regardless of whether we have hands, hooves, scales, or fur.“A serious message delivered with humor, simplicity, and charm makes this book an excellent purchase for families that value open-ended discussions. Also a good resource for classrooms and libraries that welcome diverse opinions and points of view.”— School Library Journal

A personal assistant to the late poet, scholar, and master of Tibetan Buddhism chronicles in words, photographs, and passages from Khyentse Rinpoche's writings, his journey with his mentor through Tibet, Bhutan, India, and Nepal.

A moving journey into the heart of Buddhist spirituality and into the daily life and festivals of people in the Tibetan interior."Matthieu's spiritual life and his camera are one and the same, and it is from this unity that these fleeting yet eternal images spring."—Henri Cartier-BressonMatthieu Ricard has lived in Nepal for over thirty years. During this time he has forged close ties with some of Buddhism's greatest spiritual masters, from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for whom he is the official French interpreter.Ricard's status as a monk and his knowledge of the Tibetan people and culture have opened many doors to he has been able to follow pilgrimages made by the great lamas of eastern Tibet; to bear witness to the artistry of wood-engravers at the gigantic, mysterious Dege printing press; and to meet hermit monks in extremely remote regions of Kham. These experiences and many others are recorded here in 191 sublime color photographs.

A sublime photographic record of Ricard's yearlong retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas.A photographer and Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard recently spent one year in retreat at the hermitage of Pema Osel near Kathmandu. Surrounded by spectacular scenery, nestled between lush valleys and the towering Himalayas, Ricard meditated daily, waiting for the light that illuminates the path to awakening.Each day from his sublime viewpoint, he contemplated the different subtleties of at dawn, before dusk, and in the evening. At the rhythm of one image per week, he captured the magnificent landscapes that surrounded him. These photographs, taken from the hermitage's terrace and nearby, reflect the elation of bearing witness to nature's harmony. 80 color photographs.

Three luminary teachers unfold a compelling series of dialogues on inner freedom―what it is and how to cultivate it in ourselves and others.“We are, nearly all of us,” writes Matthieu Ricard, “the playthings of our whims, our conditioning, our impulses, our inner conflicts, our wandering thoughts, and our afflictive emotions. This servitude of ours is at the root of much that torments us. How do we free ourselves from the prison of these mental mechanisms, in the face of which we often feel helpless, even resigned?”With their acclaimed book In Search of Wisdom , these three gifted friends―a monk, a philosopher, and a psychiatrist―shed light on our universal quest for meaning, purpose, and understanding. Now, in this new in-depth offering, they invite us to tend to the garden of our true freedom .Turn by turn, each shares his own unique perspective on the various obstacles to inner freedom, the “ecology” of freedom, the ways to cultivate it, and the harvest that comes out of it. What emerges is a panoramic vision and road map for us to overcome the barriers that hinder our liberation.“It is our hope,” they write, “that this book will clarify the means for freeing ourselves from the causes of suffering.” Filled with unexpected insights and specific strategies, Freedom for All of Us presents an inspiring guide for breaking free of the unconscious walls that confine us.

Matthieu Ricard traduit, depuis plus de quarante ans qu'il vit en Orient, les grands textes de la littérature bouddhiste tibétaine. C'est le fruit de ce travail d'une vie qu'il propose ici. Reflétant l'essence de la voie bouddhiste, commentée avec pédagogie étape par étape par l'auteur, Chemins spirituels offre une approche accessible de cette philosophie fondée sur l'amour altruiste, la compassion..." À travers une écriture modeste et poétique, à l'image de sa philosophie empreinte de sérénité, l'ambassadeur le plus populaire du bouddhisme en France nous emmène dans un voyage spirituel fascinant. "L'Amour des Livres

Scientifique de formation, Matthieu Ricard s'est établi en Inde en 1967. Depuis, il n'a cessé de photographier l'Himalaya, les maîtres spirituels du bouddhisme tibétain et leur monde. A l'âge de 30 ans, devenu moine bouddhiste, il a bénéficié d'un accès privilégié à la vie intime des monastères bouddhistes, des communautés nomades, des lieux sacrés et des sites naturels les plus reculés de l'Himalaya.Un demi-siècle dans l'Himalaya retrace, à travers textes et images, le parcours personnel de Matthieu Ricard. Une vie dédiée au monde himalayen, à la spiritualité, au peuple tibétain et à sa culture. Cet ouvrage est une référence, une somme photographique sur les traces des grands maîtres du bouddhisme et un hommage éclatant à l'Himalaya.

The Buddhist Himalayas is a stunning collection of photographs of the majestic landscape and Buddhist people of the Himalayas. The authors' unique intimacy with their subject is immediately apparent in these awe-inspiring images, presenting as they do a harmonious mosaic of the unmatched richness of the civilization at the Roof of the World. The pictures are accompanied throughout by contributions from nineteen eminent specialists on the region, who reflect on the political and spiritual personalities of the Himalayan world. The book comprises four sections - 'Birth', 'Life', 'Death' and 'Rebirth' - sections that reflect not only the cycle of our existence, but also the history of the Himalayas. These elements combine to make this the definitive work of reference on the Buddhist Himalayas in the 21st century.

Nous aspirons tous au bonheur, mais comment le trouver, le retenir et même le définir ? À cette question philosophique traitée entre pessimisme et raillerie par la pensée occidentale, Matthieu Ricard apporte la réponse du bouddhisme : une réponse exigeante mais apaisante, optimiste et accessible à tous.Cesser de chercher à tout prix le bonheur à l'extérieur de nous, apprendre à regarder en nous-mêmes, mais à nous regarder un peu moins nous-mêmes, nous familiariser avec une approche à la fois plus méditative et plus altruiste du mondeRiche de sa double culture, de son expérience de moine, de sa fréquentation des plus grands sages, de sa connaissance des textes sacrés aussi bien que de la souffrance des hommes, l'ambassadeur le plus populaire et le plus reconnu du bouddhisme en France nous propose une réflexion passionnante sur le chemin du bonheur authentique et les moyens de l'atteindre

Budizm uzerine bir baba-ogul tartismasi Gecen yil Davos zirvesine katilan Hurriyet yazari Ertugrul ozkok, etkinlik programi kapsaminda meditasyon ve beyin iliskisi uzerine katildigi bir konferansta, katilimcilara meditasyon seansi uygulayan Budist rahip Matthieu Ricard'in su sozune kosesinde "Her saat on saniye meditasyon yapin. Nerede olursaniz olun, ne yapiyorsaniz yapin, ara verin. On saniye hicbir sey dusunmemeye calisin. Bu, uzun sureli meditasyonlardan daha etkili."ABD'de mutlulukla beyin arasindaki iliskiyi ortaya cikaran bir bilimsel arastirmada 68 yasindaki Budist kesis Matthieu Ricard'in "Dunyanin en mutlu adami" oldugu ortaya cikti. Evet, Rahip Ricard kirk yil once Fransa'nin en kidemli universitelerinden birinde molekuler genetik alaninda yildizini parlatirken, bir anda her seyi birakti ve tasi taragi toplayip Hindistan ve Tibet'e dogru uzun bir yolculuga cikti. Bu yolculuk onun hayatini degistirdi. Zira, dunya onu pozitivist bir bilim adami degil, Budist rahip olarak taniyor. Ayni zamanda Fransa'nin en saygin filozoflarindan Jean-Francois Revel'in oglu olan Ricard bu kitapta babasiyla birlikte Budizm felsefesi, yontemi ve gunumuz Bati dunyasinda Budizm algisi uzerine derin bir tartisma gerceklestiriyor. Baba-ogul siz okuyucularini yer yer hararetli tartismalarla yukselen, temposu hic dusmeyen bir sohbete davet ediyor.(Tanitim Bulteninden)Sayfa 360Baski 2014 Dogan Novus

Au XIIIe siècle, un personnage légendaire pose son regard de sage (ou de fou) sur nos comportements, nos imperfections. Ainsi naissent les histoires de Nasredin qui, depuis, ont voyagé à travers le monde et le temps, de la Turquie à la Mongolie, en passant par l'Inde ou l'Iran.Ilios Kotsou et Matthieu Ricard dévoilent ici leurs récits préférés afin de nous guider au quotidien. Car ces histoires pleines d'humour invitent à la réflexion : Nasredin n'a pas peur de balayer les faux-semblants, de critiquer le pouvoir et de mettre en scène ses nombreuses faiblesses. Derrière le rire, la lucidité conduit au discernement et à la liberté intérieure.Ce livre remet en perspective les grandes interrogations qui nous animent, avec de nouveaux éclairages : Comment changer de regard ? Nous libérer de nos fabrications mentales ? Comment être authentique ? Agir de façon juste ?

Photographer Manuel Bauer has photographed the Dalai Lama for years. The privileged access granted him by His Holiness and his entourage have enabled Bauer to offer us these powerful images, oscillating between the spiritual and the personal, the public and the intimate, the epic and the anecdotal. About the Swiss-born photographer the Dalai Lama "Manuel Bauer is more than simply a he is a close friend of mine. He also knows a great deal about Tibet, about the Tibetan community, and he has spent years making himself familiar with our culture. He understands Tibet comprehensively, as he does the exile community; and he knows me very well too. It is this knowledge that allows his pictures to say so much about their subjects." Bauer paints a unique and irreplacable portrait of one of the most remarkable figures in recent history. And the book contains numerous quotes from and interviews with the Dalai Lama, plus a full timeline about Tibet’s yesterday and today. "From the early morning until late into the night, and even in our dreams, we experience all kinds of perceptions. We go from being relaxed to being anxious, we feel sometimes anger, sometimes desire, sometimes compassion. Those are transitory states of mind that come and go, from moment to moment. But there must indeed be something that is aware of all this, a continuity of cognition that keeps on experiencing it even after we fall asleep. Yet that something is usually hidden to us, as if behind a curtain. So we need to remove that curtain.""Promoting science is very important. After all, it is looking for the same thing as the truth! I am more and more convinced that Buddhist monks, too, should study modern science. They could use science to help understand the nature of atoms and quarks, which would in turn help them to grasp the physical aspects of the Buddhist definition of the transitory nature of all things. That is very important. On the other hand, modern science is not very advanced in the understanding of consciousness, although consciousness, or awareness, is a major physical aspect." There is no doubt that some Tibetans will appreciate this book which I have seen and approved, that they will like it. Others, of course, may be more disturbed by it, and that’s only normal. People are so just think of Buddha, or Jesus Christ, and of how many people have admired these great masters. And yet at the same time there have also been critical voices among the choruses of praise. This is simply human nature.—Dalai Lama

Une nouvelle invitation à un voyage spirituel, empreint de bienveillance, aux côtés du moine-photographe Matthieu Ricard." Osons l'altruisme, osons le mettre au cœur de nos décisions et de nos institutions et, avant tout, au cœur de notre contemplation. "Matthieu RicardÀ travers 40 photographies en noir et blanc, le moine bouddhiste et photographe Matthieu Ricard nous invite à cette contemplation. Il nous entraîne dans l'immensité inaltérée des paysages du Tibet, du Bhoutan, du Népal ou d'ailleurs. ll saisit la tendresse d'un maître spirituel rayonnant de bonté ou d'un enfant au regard innocent. Ses photographies lumineuses, empreintes d'harmonie, nous immergent dans un univers de paix, propice à la spiritualité. Ponctuées de pensées choisies, elles sont un hymne à la plénitude et nous portent vers des valeurs aussi fondamentales que la considération d'autrui ou la bienveillance.

In the midst of the devastation that has been wrought on their culture, the monk dancers in the Shechen monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, are devoted to preserving the sacred dances central to the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The dances, which originated in India and flourished for centuries in Tibet, are teaching stories—each mask, costume, movement, and gesture has a specific significance and embodies the values of Buddhism. The dances are the monks' spiritual gift to the lay community.The origin of the sacred Buddhist dance, or cham, goes back to the ninth century, when Guru Padmasambhava introduced Buddhism to Tibet. Through the ages, the practice has been advanced by great masters whose visionary experiences enriched and enhanced the dance forms. The sacred dances were then transmitted as accurately as possible by the masters' disciples from generation to generation.The dances are now preserved in exile in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and have been presented in the West, by the monks of Shechen and other Tibetan monasteries, in the same spirit of sharing a profound inner experience. In vivid, full-color photos and illuminating text, the well-known author and photographer Matthiew Ricard reveals the painstaking preparations for and meanings behind the dances, as well as the intriguing history of this uniquely colorful teaching practice.

Mediteren is een vaardigheid die ons bestaan meer waarde en meer glans kan geven. Voor de klassieke meesters is meditatie nauw verweven met een ontwikkelingsweg die hun hele leven beslaat. Maar ook een bescheidener inzet, door dagelijks enkele meditatieoefeningen te doen, blijkt vrij direct te resulteren in een andere visie op onszelf en op de wereld.Matthieu Ricard bespreekt hier de grondslagen van meditatie vanuit drie heel concrete vragen: wat is het belang van mediteren, waar mediteer je op, hoe mediteer je? Zijn heldere uiteenzetting over de basisprincipes en hun praktische toepassing wisselt hij af met korte filosofische verhandelingen over begrippen als mededogen, onbaatzuchtige liefde, zelfidentificatie, persoonlijke kwaliteiten en het onbestendige karakter van alles. Door zulke begrippen tot object van meditatie te maken, verklaart Ricard vanuit zijn rijke ervaring als monnik en meditatiebeoefenaar, kunnen we werkelijk in contact komen met anderen, met onszelf en met onze diepste aspiraties.

Nel XIII secolo, il leggendario Nasreddin rivolge il suo sguardo saggio (o forse folle) sul nostro comportamento e sulle nostre imperfezioni. Nascono così queste storie che, da allora, hanno viaggiato nel mondo e nel tempo, dalla Turchia alla Mongolia, passando per l'India e l'Iran.Attraverso le vicende di Nasreddin, Matthieu Ricard e Ilios Kotsou ci guidano in queste pagine lungo un cammino che porta alla libertà interiore rispondendo ai grandi interrogativi della come cambiare prospettiva? Come liberarci dalle costruzioni mentali? Come essere autentici? Come agire nel migliore dei modi?«Le storie» affermano gli autori «hanno il potere di risvegliare la saggezza in ognuno di noi. Abbiamo più che mai bisogno di questa saggezza. Non di una saggezza dogmatica o arida, ma di una saggezza vivace, impertinente, liberatoria, capace di aprirci gli occhi sulle illusioni che ci circondano. Benché possa sembrare eccentrica e fuori dagli schemi, la saggezza di Nasreddin non è per questo meno ci riporta alla realtà, ci restituisce l'armonia con la vita. Ci invita a non prenderci troppo sul serio e a liberarci dai preconcetti. In fondo su questa Terra non siamo forse tutti visitatori, e pure per un tempo limitato?»

Le moine bouddhiste attire l'attention sur la manière dont les hommes traitent les animaux et sur le mal qu'ils leur font, invitant ainsi à changer les mentalités. Une version du texte adaptée pour les enfants et servie par des illustrations donnant à voir les liens qui unissent tous les êtres sensibles. Avec en fin d'album, une double page d'informations sur l'écologie et le végétarisme.

« Un accro des données comme je les aime. » Bill Gates « Magnifiquement écrit et extrêmement intelligent, Faire le Bien – en mieux ! devrait être une lecture obligatoire pour quiconque souhaite contribuer à un monde meilleur. » Steven Levitt « Ce livre incontournable amènera les gens à changer leur carrière, leur vie et le monde, pour le mieux. » Peter Singer « L’altruisme efficace […] est l’une des grandes idées nouvelles du xxie siècle. Faire le Bien – en mieux ! est le guide incontournable de ce nouveau mouvement prometteur. » Steven Pinker Comment agir mieux pour le bien commun ? Telle est la question que se pose William MacAskill dans ce livre, phénomène mondial à sa parution, et qui a révolutionné les approches de la philanthropie et de l’altruisme. Étayée par de nombreux exemples concrets, la thèse est simple : pour vraiment faire le bien, les bonnes intentions ne suffisent pas ; il faut agir de manière réfléchie et stratégique. Cet ouvrage explique comment.