We are given a breath of fresh air through this travel book, magnificently composed by Matthieu Ricard.
The one hundred and fifty or so black and white photographs that illustrate it, most of them taken in the Himalayas, are seen as a kaleidoscope of his inner life.
From landscapes to faces, from photographs of the spiritual masters who guided him to the monasteries he visited, from celebrations to the laughter of young monks? Matthieu Ricard, by erasing the colours, reveals the fundamental structure of the image.
Three previously unpublished texts accompany the images. The first is on the power of the eyes and facial expressions: "Visage, le miroir de l?âme" ("Face, the mirror of the soul"), and the second on the influence of landscape and nature on our well-being: "Paysages, méditation de l?extérieur et de l?intérieur" ("Landscapes, meditation from the outside in"). Finally, with "Relations bienveillantes", he invites us to emerge from isolation and mistrust and recognise our common humanity.
With humility, Matthieu Ricard retains only the essentials and celebrates inner beauty.
Matthieu Ricard
Faces of peace, lands of serenity
250×180 ? 192 pages
Price incl. VAT: 25 euros*.
Éditions de La Martinière
*Matthieu Ricard donates all his royalties to humanitarian projects in Asia, through the Karuna-Shechen association.
www.karuna-shechen.org
Text: Capucine Ferry
