Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk who had a promising career in cellular genetics before leaving France thirty-five years ago to study Buddhism in the Himalayas. He is an author, translator, and has been a participant in scientific research on the effects that meditation has on the brain. Ricard’s work is held high regard in intellectual circles in Europe, and two books he co-authored, The Monk and the Philosopher and The Quantum and the Lotus, are best-sellers in France. He lives in Tibet and Nepal.

Recent Articles

Matthieu Ricard: The Path to a Compassionate Society

In this video interview, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard joins Lion’s Roar editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod to discuss compassion as a transformative force for addressing the challenges of our time. Drawing on his decades of humanitarian work with Karuna-Shechen, he shares how altruism can help build a more compassionate and hopeful society.

Who Was Patrul Rinpoche?

Matthieu Ricard provides a glimpse into the life of Patrul Rinpoche, one of the most revered spiritual teachers in Tibetan history.

Read “A Teachers Return to the Valley of Renewal” an excerpt from Notebooks of a Wandering Monk

An excerpt from Notebooks of a Wandering Monk by Matthieu Ricard.— as reviewed in the Winter 2023 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Guiden

Person meditating.

Why Should I Meditate?

Matthieu Ricard explains what Buddhist meditation is and why we do it.

Cows in a slaughterhouse.

A Plea for the Animals

Animals feel suffering and want to live—just like us. Why do we withhold our compassion and kill these sentient beings by the billions?