MATTHIEU RICARD: Meditation and Happiness

Curtis Abraham

FROM MY ARCHIVES

Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard is a French/Nepalese Buddhist monk who holds a PhD in molecular biology from the prestigious Pasteur Institute in Paris, France where he worked under Nobel Laureate Francois Jacob. As a Buddhist monk he has participated in experiments dealing with the effects of meditation on the human brain. Ricard is also an accomplished author and photographer. His late father was the noted French philosopher Jean-François Revel.

HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE SCIENCE OF MEDITATION?

The Dalai Lama often describes Buddhism as being, above all, a science of the mind. That is not surprising, because the Buddhist texts put particular emphasis on the fact that all spiritual practices, whether mental, physical, and oral are directly or indirectly intended to transform the mind. So when a meeting was held in 2000 at Dharamsala, India, at the home of the Dalai Lama, some of the leading specialists on human emotions: psychologists, neuroscientists and philosophers spent an entire week in discussion with the Dalai Lama. Later, we agreed to launch a research programme on the short- and long-term effects of mind training, generally known as 'meditation'.

WHAT HAVE SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED ABOUT MEDITATION AND THE HUMAN BRAIN?

Experiments have shown that the region of the brain associated with emotions such as compassion, for example, showed considerably higher activity in those with long-term meditative experience. These discoveries show that basic human qualities can be deliberately cultivated through mental training. Other scientific investigations have also shown that one does not have to be a highly trained meditator to benefit from the effects of meditation. Twenty minutes of daily practice can contribute significantly to the reduction of anxiety and stress, the tendency to become angry, and the risk of relapse in cases of severe depression.

WHY SHOULD WE BOTHER TO MEDITATE?

Because we all have the potential for positive change, which largely remains untapped. That's a great pity because we know the virtue of training and learning. We spend years going to school and training in other things like sports, but for some strange reason, we don't think that the same need applies to developing and optimizing our human qualities.    

DO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS OF MEDITATION?   

I am working with Rolf Zinger, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Neurosciences in Frankfurt, Germany. He's one of the great modern neuro-scientist having found the gamma frequencies in the brain, and we've been having a dialogue for the past two years about meditation and the human brain. Perhaps one day something will come out of those discussions.

YOU’RE ALSO INVOLVED IN A FORTHCOMING MIND AND LIFE CONFERENCE DEALING WITH COMPASSION IN ECONOMIC SYSTEMS.

Attending the Zurich conference will be some bold economists who demonstrate that altruists are indeed part of society. In the past, such studies were often hijacked by egotistical people. However, someone like Ernst Fehr, the famous Swiss economist can show that if the altruists make the rules it doesn't end up that everyone becomes altruistic, but if the selfish people find their own interest of cooperating then society can altogether function in a more cooperative way.

WAS THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS ALMOST TWO DECADES AGO A BLESSING IN DISGUISE?

In 2008, I was in Davos at the World Economic Forum  and every single person I spoke to thought that it was a blessing but then globally they don't know how to change the system. And that’s why the work of some economists like Lord Richard Laylard, who talks about well-being in economic systems is very important and yet very pragmatic. I also had a dialogue with a French economist who said the crisis was not bad enough because we are once again returning to the negative behaviors that led to the crisis. So we have to devise a system where society at large functions in a more cooperative, altruistic, and compassionate way.