Do you know who the world’s happiest man is? It is Mr. MatthieuRicard. He is a French academic-turned-Buddhist monk. Scientists have conducted
many experiments on him as part of a research and after he scored significantly
above the average of hundreds of others, declared him the happiest person. Well, what was his path to this stature?
5 quick facts about this remarkable person
- At a young age, he was interested in classical music. However he obtained his PhD in cell genetics in Paris in 1972.
- He moved to India to study Buddhism and after several years of isolation emerged as a celebrity. He wrote a book "The Monk And The Philosopher", which became a bestseller and was translated into 21 languages.
- He has also written another book "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill" and has several collections of photographs of the Himalayan landscape. He has translated numerous Buddhist texts. He donates all proceeds of his books to many humanitarian projects which have built schools for numerous children and provide healthcare for 100,000 patients a year.
- Neuroscientists wired up Ricard's skull with 256 sensors at the University of Wisconsin and found excessive activity in his brain's left prefrontal cortex compared to its right counterpart, giving him an abnormally large capacity for happiness and a reduced propensity towards negativity.
- Ricard spends his time meditating in isolation, scientific research and accompanying the Dalai Lama as his adviser on trips to French-speaking countries and science conferences.
His Quotes
Try sincerely to check, to investigate. That's what Buddhism has been trying to unravel - the mechanism of happiness and suffering. It is a science of the mind.
Neuroscience has proven that similar areas of the brain are activated both in the person who suffers and in the one who feels empathy. Thus, empathic suffering is a true experience of suffering.
Its quite astonishing to see that in the current hectic world, a person can get the distinction of being the happiest! If I get a chance to read any of his books, I'll update my thoughts. See my other post showing a glimpse of happiest nations.
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