Matthieu Ricard – Compassion and Care [From the Archive]

In this episode from the Mind & Life archive, Wendy spoke with the renowned Buddhist practitioner and author Matthieu Ricard. Matthieu was integral to the founding of contemplative science, serving as both a participant and co-investigator in many early studies, and has deep expertise in compassion, altruism, and well-being. This conversation covers many topics, including: his roots in both science and Buddhism, and his appreciation for rigorous inquiry; his role as a participant and collaborator in contemplative science; lessons from research on compassion vs. empathy; how the self shows up (or doesn't) in compassion; links between self-focus and vulnerability; hedonia, eudiamonia, and self; altruism and our current crises; reconciling three time scales of concern; sentience, life, and interdependence; caring for our whole interconnected system; the practice of awe; using photography to share basic human goodness; balancing fame and monastic life; and a poignant example of his own personal experience of care. Full show notes and resources

You can listen to Matthieu Ricard – Compassion and Care [From the Archive] online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Matthieu Ricard – Compassion and Care [From the Archive] is an episode from Mind & Life by Mind & Life Institute.

This episode is 64:08 long.

This episode was published on Dec 5, 2025.

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