Matthieu Ricard -

Matthieu Ricard wrote The Monk and the Philosopher, a book that emerged from conversations with his philosopher father, Jean-Francois Revel.  He has also co-written The Quantum and the Lotus, and Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill.

Ricard comments on how one becomes enlightened.

    "The mechanism with which you free yourself from the illusion of the manifestation of things - is called "freeing your thoughts."  In order to truly free yourself from the tyranny of the mind, it's not enough to identify or recognize your thoughts.  You have to learn to dissociate yourself from the flow of your thoughts so you can observe them from a distance. Then you realize that thoughts don't have any intrinsic existence. They don't have a life of their own. They are not flesh-and blood things that can hurt you.  They only have as much power as you give them."

    Do this often and thoughts and emotions dissolve as quickly as they arise "like a bird passing through the sky without leaving any trace."

    "At that point, you are completely in the freshness of the present moment.  The result is true inner freedom from suffering."

    Quantum physics and Buddhism coincide.  Everything ultimately comes from the same primal source to which it ultimately returns.

    "When the Buddha says: 'Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness,' it is, from a theoretical perspective, no different than the wording 'matter is energy and energy matter.'"


                And so it is!!   Enjoy the play!!


Ricard says, "The best way to improve your well-being is to concern yourself, above all, with the well-being of others."

                Step into the rhythm of that today!!