Happiness: A Guide by Matthieu Ricard
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill - Matthieu Ricard, 288 pages (April 12, 2006), Little, Brown & Company, ISBN: 0316057835
"If there is any religion that could correspond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism." - Albert Einstein.
This is revolutionary look at happiness from a leading Buddhist thinker. Matthieu Ricard is the son of a prominent French philosopher, and grew up surrounded by famous cultural leaders and artists. He studied molecular biology under a Nobel prize winner; but on a trip to India in 1967, he began to realise that seeking inner happiness should be the main goal. This book is the fruit of that realisation.
- Matthieu Ricard asks why so many people are placing wealth, fitness and career success above true happiness. Drawing from fiction, poetry, western philosophy, Buddhist thought, psychology and personal experience, he shows how we can rethink our realities and generate more happiness.
Happiness cannot be found through fleeting pleasures, Ricard suggests. It can be found through seeking the well-being of others, and minimizing suffering by practicing moderation and meditation. The book's emphasis is on how to develop inner resources for a sense of happiness and fulfilment that is not dependent on outer circumstances.
Matthieu Ricard Quotes
"...you're not putting your hopes and fears into outer consciousness, like whether you're single or married or whatever, but you can identify which inner factors can contribute to a deep sense of well-being."
"We want to attract attention to the notion that we underestimate the power of transformation of the mind ... because sometimes people feel helpless or despondent about how to do something about it."
The Monk in the Scanner
Although he has a doctorate in molecular biologist from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, Matthieu Ricard is also a Tibetan Buddhist monk who has spent 30 years meditating in the Himalayas. Today he lives at the Shechen Monastery in Nepal, where he works on humanitarian projects and participates in scientific research on the effects of meditation on the brain.
Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, put Ricard into an MRI scanner and found that as he meditated on compassion, there was intense activity in his left-prefrontal cortex. This showed that Ricard was experiencing great happiness.
In studying hundreds of normal people, Davidson showed that left-prefrontal activity was always related to happiness, and the more activity the more happiness. Ricard had the highest levels of happiness ever documented.
But you don't have to go to Tibet and meditate for thirty years to get some benefit. Studies have shown that a few minutes meditation each day, for a few months, can help most people. It results in decreased anxiety, greater happiness and improved immune function.
In summary...
Throughout this book, Ricard imbues his reflections with a deep sense of happiness and verve. It is worth reading just to catch a glimpse of this spirit, but you will also be rewarded by deep philosophical and spiritual observations. Meditative exercises for achieving happiness appear throughout the book.
