Matthieu Ricard - Why Meditate: Working With Thoughts and Emotions

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Praise for Why Meditate?

In this marvelous book, Matthieu Ricard articulates the
Dharma in the very same way he embodies it in his life;
that is, with profound clarity, goodwill, and humility.
These qualities come through on every page and make the
experience of reading and practicing with this elegant and
deceptively simple primer on meditation tantamount to
entering into and familiarizing oneself in an ever-deepening
way with the landscape of ones own truest self.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go,
There You Are and Coming to Our Senses

This is the book on meditation that Ive been
waiting for. Reading it has helped me hone my
personal practice, and finally I have come across the
perfect book to recommend to all those interested in
meditationnewcomers and experts. Why Meditate?
is clear, accessible, deep, and practical.

Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier

An excellent introduction to a practice that has
calmed the mind for thousands of years. Profound
concepts and essential instructions are explained with
the utmost clarity. I highly recommend it!

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., director of Beck Institute
for Cognitive Therapy and Research, clinical
associate professor of psychology in psychiatry,
University of Pennsylvania, past president,
Academy of Cognitive Therapy

Why Meditate? is a clear and insightful guide to
beginning a meditation practice, and to continuing one
skillfully. Matthieu Ricard provides helpful and specific
instruction along with an immense depth of understanding
about happiness, suffering, and living a better life.

Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness
and The Kindness Handbook

Writing as a true spiritual friend, Matthieu Ricard
shares the wisdom he has gained from his four
decades of spiritual training that clearly and succinctly
presents what meditation is and how to practice it,
step by step. This book is a treasure to be read
with care and shared with those you love.

B. Alan Wallace, author of Mind in the Balance

WHY MEDITATE?

ALSO BY MATTHIEU RICARD

Books

HAPPINESS: A Guide to Developing
Lifes Most Important Skill

THE MONK AND THE PHILOSOPHER: A Father and Son
Discuss the Meaning of Life (with Jean-Franois Revel)

THE QUANTUM AND THE LOTUS: A Journey to the
Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet
(with Trinh Xuan Thuan)

Text and Photographs

BHUTAN: The Land of Serenity

BUDDHIST HIMALAYAS
(with Olivier and Danielle Fllmi)

JOURNEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT: The Life and World
of Khyentse Rinpoche, Spiritual Teacher from Tibet

MONK DANCERS OF TIBET

MOTIONLESS JOURNEY:
From a Hermitage in the Himalayas

TIBET: An Inner Journey

Translations

THE LIFE OF SHABKAR:
The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin

WHY MEDITATE?

Matthieu Ricard

Translated by Sherab Chdzin Kohn

HAY HOUSE, INC.
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Copyright 2010 by Matthieu Ricard

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Design: Tricia Breidenthal Illustration: Padmakara Archives

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

First published in France in 2008 by NiL ditions, Paris Matthieu Ricard, 2008

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ricard, Matthieu.
[Art de la mditation. English]
Why meditate? / Matthieu Ricard ; translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4019-2663-2 (tradepaper : alk. paper) 1. Meditation--

Buddhism. 2. Buddhism--Doctrines. I. Chdzin, Sherab. II. Title.

BQ5614.R5313 2010

294.34435--dc22

2010006721

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-2663-2

14 13 12 11 7 6 5 4

1st edition, September 2010

4th edition, December 2011

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Why this little book on meditation? For 40 years I have had the good fortune to study with authentic spiritual masters who inspired me and illuminated my path in life. Their precious instructions have guided my actions. I am not a teacherI remain more than ever a studentbut in the course of my travels around the world, I have frequently met people who have shared with me their wish to learn to meditate. I have tried to the best of my ability to direct them to qualified teachers, but this has not always been possible. So it is for all those people who have a sincere desire to meditate that I have collected these instructions, drawn from authentic Buddhist sources, into book form.

The real significance of meditation is inner transformation through training the mind, which is a really inspiring adventure. The exercises you will find here are taken from a tradition that is more than 2,000 years old. It is best to explore them gradually, but you may also practice them independently of each other, whether you devote only 30 minutes a day to meditation or practice more intensively in the undisturbed environment of a retreat.

As for my personal history, I had the tremendous good fortune of meeting my spiritual master, Kangyur Rinpoche, in 1967 near Darjeeling in India. I owe him whatever goodness there is in my life. After his death in 1975, I spent several years in retreat in a small wooden hut built on stilts in the forest above his monastery. For a period of 12 years, starting in 1979, I had the privilege of living in the presence of the great master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and receiving his teachings. Since 1991, when he departed this world, I have often stayed in retreat in a small mountain hermitage in Nepal, a few hours away from Kathmandu, in a contemplative center founded by the Shechen Monastery, where I usually reside. These periods of retreat have without a doubt been among the most fertile times of my life.