Matthieu Ricard on purpose and truth

Matthieu Ricard was born in France in 1946. He is the son of philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin. After receiving a Ph.D. in cellular genetics he decided to forsake his scientific training to go to India to meet a spiritual teacher. Ricard ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk and spent many years as both a student and attendant of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the most respected Tibetan teachers of our time. He has lived in the Himalayan region since 1972 and serves as the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama and has translated a number of Tibetan Buddhist texts. He founded Karuna-Shechen in 2000, an organization that provides health care, education, and social services for the under-served people of India, Nepal, and Tibet. He is the author of several books, including: The Monk and the Philosopher with his father, Beyond the Self: Conversations between Buddhism and Neuroscience with Wolf Singer, and Freedom for All of US with Christophe André and Alexandre Jollien.