Matthieu Ricard is the son of the philosopher Jean-François Revel and the painter Yahne Le Toumelin. He traveled to India for the first time in 1967 where he met remarkable tibetan spiritual masters. After completing a doctoral degree in molecular biology with Nobel laureate François Jacob, he decided to move to the Himalayas to concentrate on buddhism. He has lived there for the last forty years and is a monk at the Shechen monastery in Nepal. He has been the Dalaï-lama’s french interpreter since 1989. For forty years he has photographed the spiritual masters, the culture, art and landscapes of Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. He is the author of numerous photography books, including Tibet: An Inner Journey, Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas, and Kalachakra, a mandala for peace. His photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.
Matthieu Ricard offers all the profits from his rights as an author to humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India through the international foundation he has created : Karuna-Shechen. To learn more about Karuna-Shechen : http://karuna-shechen.org