Matthieu Ricard Matthieu Ricard received a PhD in molecular genetics from the Pasteur Institute in 1972 before departing his native France to study Buddhism in the Himalayas, eventually becoming a monk of the Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal. Renowned alo as a photographer and translator, he is the author of numerous books, including Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and Your World, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill, and, with his father, the late Jean-Francois Revel, The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life. He dedicates all the income of his work to two hundred humanitarian projects run in the Himalaya by the organization he founded, Karuna-Shechen. Read More Read Less