About this episode

Wendy speaks with Matthieu Ricard about compassion, altruism, and the intersection of science and Buddhism.

In this episode from the Mind & Life archive, Wendy spoke with the renowned Buddhist practitioner and author Matthieu Ricard. Matthieu was integral to the founding of contemplative science, serving as both a participant and co-investigator in many early studies, and has deep expertise in compassion, altruism, and well-being. This conversation covers many topics, including: his roots in both science and Buddhism, and his appreciation for rigorous inquiry; his role as a participant and collaborator in contemplative science; lessons from research on compassion vs. empathy; how the self shows up (or doesn't) in compassion; links between self-focus and vulnerability; hedonia, eudiamonia, and self; altruism and our current crises; reconciling three time scales of concern; sentience, life, and interdependence; caring for our whole interconnected system; the practice of awe; using photography to share basic human goodness; balancing fame and monastic life; and a poignant example of his own personal experience of care. Full show notes and resources

People in this episode

Host: Wendy

Guest: Matthieu Ricard

Topics covered

• compassion
• Buddhism
• contemplative science
• altruism
• well-being
• interdependence
• self-focus

Keywords

• compassion
• altruism
• Buddhism
• contemplative science
• well-being
• self-focus
• interdependence
• vulnerability
• hedonia
• eudaimonia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mind & Life Institute

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