MATTHIEU RICARD was born in France in 1946 to French philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin. He is a Buddhist monk, translator, photographer, and author of several books including Happiness, Altruism, and coauthor of The Monk and the Philosopher. He first visited India in 1967 where he met great spiritual masters from Tibet. After completing his PhD in cell genetics in 1972, he moved to the Himalayan region where he has been living for the past 40 years. PATRUL RINPOCHE, Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo (1808-1887), was a wandering renunciant who became one of the most revered spiritual teachers and authors in Tibetan history. Memory of his life-example is still very much alive today, offering an ever-fresh source of inspiration for practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.
