MONK AND THE PHILOSOPHER: A Father & Son Discuss The Meaning Of Life

by Revel, Jean-Francois et al

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New. ISBN: 0805211039. Paperback. . Free giftwrap upon request. Brand new, not a used item. Ships in sturdy box with delivery confirmation (in US). Jean Francois-Revel, a pillar of intellectual life in our time, became famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. Twenty-seven years ago, his son, Matthieu Ricard, gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism - not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters.



Meeting in Katmandu, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored the questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history. They ask each other questions about ethics, rights, and responsibilities, about knowledge and belief, and they discuss frankly the differences in the way each has tried to make sense of his life.



Utterly absorbing, inspiring, and accessible, this remarkable dialogue engages East with West, ideas with life, and science with the humanities, providing wisdom on how to enrich the way we live our lives.

Book summary

Jean-Francois Revel is a member of the Academie Français and a former university professor of philosophy; his son, Mathieu is a Tibetan monk and holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology. In this text, they reunite and discuss questions that cut to the core of two profoundly distinct world views. Their book is remarkable for its temperance and honest exploration, and for its gentle exposure of the relationship that the two thinkers have with each other and with their minds.