MATTHIEU RICARD
WORLD'S HAPPIEST MAN
HOW A MAN BECOMES A GREAT MAN
The French Buddhist Monk with a Ph. D. in Biochemistry writes:
"The good fortune of meeting with remarkable people who were both wise and compassionate was decisive in my case, because the power of example speaks more forcefully than any other communication. They showed me what it is possible to accomplish and proved to me that one can become enduringly free and happy, providing one knows how to go about it."
I quote this in my post to the blog, as part of recommending his book as an absolute buy: Happiness - A Guide To Developing Life's Most Important Skill.
AS A MODEL...
If he is the happiest man in the world (as he surely is way up there), then I need to find out what he does and how he thinks and then build those things into my life. (I identified him as an example to emulate as part of my exercise entitled Great Men But Did They Live Great Lives.
You might want to listen to his Ted Talk: The Habits Of Happiness. Watch it several times, perhaps tickling it for every month. Note how he talks and moves, his pace, his voice, his mannerisms, his attitudes...
A WORTHY COMMITMENT
I like his definition of happiness: A deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. An optimal state of being. A way of interpreting the world.
It would seem to me that this would be a worthy thing to commit to attaining, but it seems most people are "too busy" to do that. Well, to me, it seems that it would be the highest payoff area, one that I would include if I lived the 80/20 life.
A BOOK AND SEVERAL FREE VIDEOS
I also like his book Why Meditate? Working With Thoughts And Emotions. It gives a practical perspective and includes a CD of several good 6 -10 minute explanations of meditation, emotions, and happiness. See the list of the talks in Program For Learning And Implementing Meditation.
Then link into his other videos on you tube, especially on compassion
HIS LIFE
A Ph. D. in Genetics...decided to become a monk. See Wikipedia.
