Cartesian or Spiritualism? !!!

The philosopher father, writer is agnostic. The son, having abandoned his promising career as a researcher at the Pasteur Institute, totally dedicated his life to Buddhism, since the early 70s.
In this exciting exchange, pragmatic father, Cartesian and spiritual son confront without complacency but respectfully, their different "philosophies" of existence.

In the late 60s, Mathieu Ricard was so seduced by Tibet and its major Tibetan spiritual Masters.
And this is particularly the meeting with his first Master Kangyur Rinpoche, who finally decided to radically change lives.

In addition, he was deeply marked by the persecution suffered by the Tibetan people.
At that time, Tibet was undergoing monstrous invasions Chinese Communist repressions and totalitarianism of Mao, leading the huge Tibetan Genocide.
Indeed, from 1959, a multitude of Tibetans have been imprisoned, parked, deported to labor camps, tortured, starved ...
And almost all the monasteries, or 6150, were destroyed.
The terrible human toll is: 1000000 exterminated innocent Tibetans, or 1 inhabitant out of 5!

Since then, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government and more than 130 000 refugees to this day, still in exile in India in the Himalayas.

Then, these two intellectuals argue about the fact that Buddhism more a matter of philosophy, or rather of religion.

Then Matthieu Ricard shows his father the main questions asked by Buddhism, pages 49 and 50:

"Buddhism analysis and dismantles the mechanisms of happiness and suffering. Hence suffering come from? What are the causes? How correct? Gradually, both through analysis and contemplation, Buddhism dates the root causes of suffering. It is a search that interests every human being, whether Buddhist or not. "

Then also, pages 31 and 32:

"But science" major "is self-knowledge and reality, the key question is:" What is the nature of the phenomenal world of thought "and, on a practical level:" what are the keys to happiness and suffering? Whence suffering? What is ignorance? What spiritual fulfillment? What is perfection? "It is this kind of discoveries that can be called knowledge (...). The suffering is the result of ignorance. It is ignorance that must dissipate. And ignorance, in essence, is the attachment to "self" and the strength of the phenomena. "

Examples of suffering origins in Buddhism, pages 50 and 51:

"In the first analysis, Buddhism concludes that suffering is born of desire, attachment, hatred, pride, jealousy, lack of judgment and all mental factors called" negative "or" blackout "because they disturb the mind and plunge into a state of confusion and insecurity."

For Jean-François Revel it is not necessary to belong to a religion or an organization of the "Thought" whatever it is, to learn to think for oneself, deepen the discovery of his "I" to better understand others.
For him, the precepts of: prayers, reincarnation, etc., are total useless abstractions.

Matthieu Ricard, he explains the best known in Buddhism terminologies, such as: enlightenment, karma, samsara, nirvana, the mandala, the Lesser Vehicle (or Theravada), the Great Vehicle, the third vehicle ( or adamantine Vajrayana) the "middle way", etc.
Then, it also exposes the different positions held by the Dalai Lama, on social issues, such as the death penalty, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, suicide, etc ..

The discussion between the protagonists continues on the fundamental concepts of good and above all ..., Evil. That Evil does exist in every human being as tend to think Jean-François Revel; he comes or rather a state of suffering, theory Matthieu Ricard?

In short, a fascinating dialogue between two intellectuals who reflect on the human condition. A Jean-François Revel rather pessimistic on this human nature, in which what is more, there is no salvation, possibility of redemption after death.
Matthieu Ricard is "philosophically" optimistic, because for him, not only it is possible for human beings to progress throughout its existence to the good and selfless happiness, but in addition, numerous possibilities of "catching up" open to him, through his many future reincarnations of the spirit after death of the body.

Confer also other as exciting works of Jean-François Revel:
- The democratic Regain;
- The Great Parade. Essay on the survival of the socialist utopia.