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Matthieu Ricard on the Habits of Happiness

Page history last edited by pbworks 7 years, 12 months ago

Matthieu Ricard on the Habits of Happiness

 

Discussion questions  before you watch the lecture:

1.       What do you know about the situation in Tibet?  Who is the Dalai Lama?  What do you know about Buddhism Hospedagem de Sites?

 

2.       Matthieu Ricard is a former molecular biologist who left science and his life in France to become a Buddhist monk.   He is also a photographer and a translator for the Dalai Lama.  What would cause someone to make such a radical change in his lifestyle?

 

3.       How do you define happiness?  How does happiness relate to inner peace?   What are the connections between inner peace and peace in the world?

 

Discussion questions after you watch the lecture:

1.        Neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin, who study brain waves of people who meditate and pray, have described Ricard as “the happiest man in the world.”  If that is true, what does that say about the nature of happiness and sources of inner peace?

2.       Ricard says that happiness is not the same as mere pleasure.  He defines happiness as “well-being, a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment, a state that pervades and underlies all emotional states and all the joys and sorrows that come one’s way.”  What do you think of this definition?  Is this attainable?

3.       Ricard says that access to education, information, freedom, and travel all are desirable, but those are not enough.  It is critical for people to “train their minds” through meditation.  How is meditation linked to inner peace?   Do you meditate?  Do you pray?  Do you need silence?  Why are these practices important to so many people?   Do you think the world would be a better place if more people meditated or prayed?

4.       How can we deal with destructive human emotions such as hatred, jealousy, arrogance, and obsessive desire?  How can we nurture the inner conditions for happiness so that loving-kindness and well-being can flourish?

5.       Contemporary US culture is fast-paced and filled with noise and information.  Do people need silence and solitude?  Have you ever sat quietly for 20 minutes?  An hour?  Do you think you could?   What could we learn from the ability to simply sit quietly and breathe?  How would this affect us?

 

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