Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk. After completing his PhD in cell genetics in 1972, he has lived for 50 years in the Himalayas and studied with many of the great Tibetan masters, including Kangyur Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama. He is a translator of Tibetan texts, an author of several books, and has done some long retreats. He started Karuna-Sechen, which has helped more than 200,000 people in Northern India, Nepal and Tibet. He is an accomplished photographer, and his photos of the Himalayan region and its culture have been collected in several books. He is a member of the Mind and Life Institute which explores the intersection between contemplative traditions and contemporary scientific inquiry. We met while he was recently in London.