The happiest person in the world Mathieu Ricard advises to meditate to enjoy life

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Mathieu Ricard is a famous Buddhist monk, writer, photographer and the happiest person on earth - this is proven by science. Neurologist Richard Davidson, during his research on happiness, found that Mathieu is the happiest person he has ever seen: Ricard scored -4.5 points, while -3.0 points mean a huge happiness. Is it possible to become as happy with life? Mathieu Ricard assures that everyone can achieve this by meditating for only 20 minutes a day.

A slightly strange title - the happiest person on earth. But neuroscientist Richard Davidson argues that this is exactly what the French molecular biologist and now Buddhist monk Mathieu Ricard is. Now Mathieu is 66 years old, 40 years ago he left his life in Paris to go to India to study Buddhism. He is now the confidant of the Dalai Lama and a respected Western religious scholar.

But it turns out that daily meditation brought Mathieu another advantage: he enjoys life like no one else in this world. By scanning Mathieu Ricard's brain, Richard Davidson discovered the greatest potential for happiness ever recorded. As Mathieu himself says, meditation changes the brain, which means it completely changes you. And he assures that everyone can become like him if he learns to let his thoughts float freely.

Neurologist Richard Davidson examined Mathieu as part of his study of people practicing advanced meditation techniques at the University of Wisconsin. He connected 256 sensors to the monk's head, and scans showed that during meditation on compassion, Mathieu Ricard's brain generates gamma waves. They are associated with consciousness, attention, learning and memory. Prior to this study, Davidson claims such a response had not yet been reported in the neurological literature.

The scans also showed excessive activity in the left prefrontal cortex compared to the right, which the researchers believe indicates a decrease in negativity and an abnormal ability to experience happiness.

Research into the phenomenon of neuroplasticity is in its infancy, and Mathieu Ricard, along with several leading scientists around the world, was the first to experiment in this area.

Neuroplasticity is a property of the human brain, which consists in the ability to change under the influence of experience, as well as to restore lost connections after damage or in response to external influences. This property has been described relatively recently.

Mathieu Ricard believes that meditation can change the brain and help people enjoy more, just as regular weight training strengthens muscles.

Mathieu Ricard Buddhist Monk For 12 years we have studied the short and long term effects of training the mind through meditation on attention, compassion, and emotional balance. And we have found remarkable results in practitioners who have completed more than 50,000 meditation cycles, as well as in beginners who meditate for only 20 minutes a day for three weeks - such a regime, of course, is more applicable to modern life. These are wonderful studies, as they prove that meditation is not bliss under a mango tree, it is something that changes your brain and yourself.

Ricard has written several books. The first, "Monk and Philosopher", together with his father, the philosopher Jean-François Revel (Jean-François Revel). These are dialogues about the meaning of life. Ricard published his next book in 2011 - a practical guide "The Art of Meditation", which explains how and why everyone should master meditation.

7 tips for meditation from Mathieu Ricard's book

1. A healthy mind should work like a mirror: faces are reflected in it, but they do not linger. It is the same with thoughts: let them flow freely through your mind, do not stop them.

2. It is impossible to keep thoughts from entering your head, but a certain sound or breath calms the mind, bringing clarity. By controlling your mind, you do not limit your freedom, but you cease to be a slave to your thoughts. You need to control your mind like a boat.

3. Learn to be mindful, pay attention to the sensations of inhalation and exhalation. If you find yourself distracted, focus on your breathing. Use mindfulness to move into the present instead of lingering in the past or thinking about the future. Feel the warmth, the cold, the sounds you hear.

4. Once you have achieved some mastery, you can cultivate kindness or deal with disturbing emotions. You can even feel overwhelming love, usually this feeling lasts 15 seconds, but you can hold it by focusing on this during meditation. When you feel that it is becoming blurry, revive it.

5. It can be compared to playing the piano: practicing for 20 minutes a day will give you more noticeable results than spending a few seconds on it. Regular practice is as necessary as water is to a plant.

6. You can use meditation to move away from negative emotions.

Your emotions are fire. If you are aware of anger, you are not angry, you are simply aware of it. When you are aware of anxiety, you are not alarmed, you simply know about it. By being aware of your emotions, you do not add fuel to the fire, and they will quickly burn out.

Mathieu Ricard

7. After a month of constant practice, you will see improvements: less stress, more overall well-being. Those who say they don't have time to meditate should understand the benefits. If meditation gives you the strength to have a good 23 hours and 40 minutes, then 20 minutes were well spent.

The book became a bestseller, and my peace of mind came to an end. Suddenly I was transported to the Western world. I talked a lot with scientists, and everything started to get out of my control. I became involved in scientific research and the science of meditation.

Mathieu Ricard

Now the famous monk Mathieu Ricard from Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu allocates his time of the year for meditation, scientific research and accompanying the Dalai Lama on his trips to French-speaking countries and to scientific conferences. He spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos during the 2009 financial crisis to tell the assembled politicians and business leaders that it was time to ditch greed in favor of "enlightened altruism."

Mathieu was awarded the French Order of Merit for his work to preserve Himalayan culture, but his work on the science of happiness characterizes him better. Mathieu Ricard seems to be living a good life and showing compassion, not because religion requires it, but because it is the road to happiness.

Check to be believed. Buddhism tries to figure out the mechanisms of happiness and suffering. This is the science of the mind.