Changing oneself to better change the world

Excerpt from Se changer, changer le monde, (To change oneself, change the world) with Matthieu Ricard, Christophe André, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Pierre Rabhi, Éditions L’Iconoclaste. Changing the world, in my view, boils down to transforming oneself to better serve others. While avoiding changing the world in a destructive manner, devastating our environment, exploiting animals, and causing… Read more »

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Hatred does not cease by hatred

Vanaresi, December 2010 « Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. » Bouddha Shakyamouni In the tragic days we are living through, it is important to emphasize that one can feel a deep aversion towards barbarism and fanaticism and do everything possible to counteract them, without succumbing to… Read more »

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Imbuing Empathy with Compassion

By Matthieu Ricard on octobre 18th 2023 This text is an extract from Matthieu Ricard’s book Altruism, available here. I was talking recently with a nurse; like most of her colleagues, she is constantly confronted with the sufferings and problems of the patients she cares for. She told me that in the new training that… Read more »

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Caring for the caregivers: Burnout, gratitude and compassion

Medical staff and social workers often find themselves in highly stressful and emotionally burdensome situations working long hours while dealing with difficult cases. So that they feel appreciated and supported, a show of gratitude – in thought, word and deed – is needed in order to nourish their motivation and give them courage while strengthening… Read more »

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“Why aren’t there any women in your group?”

Excerpt from Matthieu Ricard’s book, Altruism. Despite progress still to be made, Western countries are evolving more toward respect and increased acknowledgment of the role of women in society. With a few rare exceptions, war is planned, decided upon, and perpetrated by men, and 99.9% of soldiers who take part in combat are also men… Read more »

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Experience the true meaning of sharing

The holiday season is a time to celebrate the bonds that unite us with our loved ones and to demonstrate kindness.  These moment of sharing are essential and allow us to develop an altruistic state of mind, but they can often be conditioned by institutionalized over-consumption which diminishes the experience of true relationships, depletes planetary… Read more »

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Taking care by cultivating our sense of wonder towards life

In our current times, we are confronted with many short, medium, and long-term challenges and imperatives to which are superimposed three different types of interest – ours, those of our close ones, and those of all beings. One way to respond to these challenges could be to create a more cooperative and altruistic society, one… Read more »

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About the Film “Buddhism: The Law of Silence”.

The recently aired documentary, “Buddhism: The Law of Silence,” examines the alleged system abuses of Sogyal and the crimes committed in the 80s and 90s by the so-called Buddhist master Robert Spatz. These abuses and the suffering they caused, often to very young victims, are indeed abhorrent. The situation is rendered even more revolting because… Read more »

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Training the mind to overcome prejudice

Social bonding is an essential and vital need for humans, bringing benefits to both physical and mental health as many studies have shown. Yet, in the age of social networks (which sometimes become « anti-social ») and an unprecedented ease of communication , the number of people who are isolated keeps climbing, leading to greater… Read more »

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