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Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas
A sublime photographic record of Ricard's yearlong retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas.
A photographer and Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard recently spent one year in retreat at the hermitage of Pema Osel near Kathmandu. Surrounded by spectacular scenery, nestled between lush valleys and the towering Himalayas, Ricard meditated daily, waiting for the light that illuminates the path to awakening.
Each day from his sublime viewpoint, he contemplated the different subtleties of at dawn, before dusk, and in the evening. At the rhythm of one image per week, he captured the magnificent landscapes that surrounded him. These photographs, taken from the hermitage's terrace and nearby, reflect the elation of bearing witness to nature's harmony. 80 color photographs.
A photographer and Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard recently spent one year in retreat at the hermitage of Pema Osel near Kathmandu. Surrounded by spectacular scenery, nestled between lush valleys and the towering Himalayas, Ricard meditated daily, waiting for the light that illuminates the path to awakening.
Each day from his sublime viewpoint, he contemplated the different subtleties of at dawn, before dusk, and in the evening. At the rhythm of one image per week, he captured the magnificent landscapes that surrounded him. These photographs, taken from the hermitage's terrace and nearby, reflect the elation of bearing witness to nature's harmony. 80 color photographs.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2008
180 people want to read
About the author
Matthieu Ricard
228 books819 followersMatthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, trained as a molecular biologist before moving to Nepal to study Buddhism. He is the author of The Monk and the Philosopher (with his father, Jean-François Revel); The Quantum and the Lotus (with Trinh Thuan); Happiness; The Art of Meditation; Altruism: The Power of Compassion; A Plea for the Animals; and Beyond the Self: Conversations between Buddhism and Neuroscience (with Wolf Singer). He has published several books of photography, including Motionless Journey and Tibet: An Inner Journey, and is the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 16, 2015
Great sayings compiled by Mr. Ricard.
Take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. - PD Stanhope
And if their faults are fleeting and contingent,
If living beings are by nature wholesome,
It’s likewise senseless to resent them -
As well be angry at the sky for having clouds! - Shantideva
Hatred is the winter of the heart. - Victor Hugo
Love is the only thing that increases twofold every time it is shared. - Albert Schweitzer
To cover all the earth with sheets of hide -
Where could such amounts of skin be found?
But simply wrap some leather round your feet,
And it’s as if the whole earth had been covered! - Shantideva
Look within. Within is the fountain of good. - Marcus Aurelius
Anger, lust - these enemies of mine -
Are limbless and devoid of faculties.
They have no bravery, no cleverness.
How then have they made of me their slave? - Shantideva
We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us. - Rabindranath Tagore
She loved the rain as much as the sun. Her least thoughts had the cheery colours of lovely, heart flowers, pleasing to the eye. - Alain (Émile-Auguste Chartier)
Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north. - Tibetan saying
What is not given is lost. - Father Ceyrac, a French Jesuit missionary who has devoted himself to the wellbeing of children in South India for 60 years; also What is not done for the benefit of others is not worth doing.' Seeking happiness just for yourself is the best way there is to make yourself, and everyone else, unhappy."
No task is so big that it cannot be broken down into smaller, easier tasks. - Buddhist saying
It’s not the magnitude of the task that matters, it’s the magnitude of our courage - Matthieu Ricard
The happiest man is he who has no trace of malice in his soul. - Plato
The hand and the other limbs are many and distinct,
But all are one - one body to be kept and guarded.
Likewise, different beings in their joys and sorrows,
Are, like me, all one in wanting happiness. - Shantideva
Take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. - PD Stanhope
And if their faults are fleeting and contingent,
If living beings are by nature wholesome,
It’s likewise senseless to resent them -
As well be angry at the sky for having clouds! - Shantideva
Hatred is the winter of the heart. - Victor Hugo
Love is the only thing that increases twofold every time it is shared. - Albert Schweitzer
To cover all the earth with sheets of hide -
Where could such amounts of skin be found?
But simply wrap some leather round your feet,
And it’s as if the whole earth had been covered! - Shantideva
Look within. Within is the fountain of good. - Marcus Aurelius
Anger, lust - these enemies of mine -
Are limbless and devoid of faculties.
They have no bravery, no cleverness.
How then have they made of me their slave? - Shantideva
We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us. - Rabindranath Tagore
She loved the rain as much as the sun. Her least thoughts had the cheery colours of lovely, heart flowers, pleasing to the eye. - Alain (Émile-Auguste Chartier)
Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north. - Tibetan saying
What is not given is lost. - Father Ceyrac, a French Jesuit missionary who has devoted himself to the wellbeing of children in South India for 60 years; also What is not done for the benefit of others is not worth doing.' Seeking happiness just for yourself is the best way there is to make yourself, and everyone else, unhappy."
No task is so big that it cannot be broken down into smaller, easier tasks. - Buddhist saying
It’s not the magnitude of the task that matters, it’s the magnitude of our courage - Matthieu Ricard
The happiest man is he who has no trace of malice in his soul. - Plato
The hand and the other limbs are many and distinct,
But all are one - one body to be kept and guarded.
Likewise, different beings in their joys and sorrows,
Are, like me, all one in wanting happiness. - Shantideva
January 15, 2018
In this beautiful photography collection, readers can follow a physical story of mindfulness and the ever-changing nature of our inner world.
Ricard chronicals a year in the mountains in this meditative photo collection, taking shots from his secluded home throughout his stay. The shifting landscapes (accompanied by inspirational quotes from spiritual leaders) is a stunning and thoughtful look at the way the world continues to change and shift every day, just like our passing thoughts and feelings.
If you're interested in mindfulness or just need to take a few minutes to slow down, these photos are the perfect thing for taking a moment to breath, reflect, and acknowledge that everything changes as a natural flow of being. Gorgeous!
Ricard chronicals a year in the mountains in this meditative photo collection, taking shots from his secluded home throughout his stay. The shifting landscapes (accompanied by inspirational quotes from spiritual leaders) is a stunning and thoughtful look at the way the world continues to change and shift every day, just like our passing thoughts and feelings.
If you're interested in mindfulness or just need to take a few minutes to slow down, these photos are the perfect thing for taking a moment to breath, reflect, and acknowledge that everything changes as a natural flow of being. Gorgeous!
November 13, 2016
"The hand and other limbs are many and distinct,
But all are one - one body to kept and guarded.
Likewise, different beings in their joys and sorrows,
Are, like me, all one in wanting happiness."
(Shantideva)
But all are one - one body to kept and guarded.
Likewise, different beings in their joys and sorrows,
Are, like me, all one in wanting happiness."
(Shantideva)
July 8, 2016
Many of the photographs are mesmerizing.
The quotes were hit and miss for me, but I love this one from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:
"Just as clouds form, last for a while and then dissolve back into the empty sky, so deluded thoughts arise, remain for a while and then vanish in the voidness of mind; in reality nothing at all has happened.
The quotes were hit and miss for me, but I love this one from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:
"Just as clouds form, last for a while and then dissolve back into the empty sky, so deluded thoughts arise, remain for a while and then vanish in the voidness of mind; in reality nothing at all has happened.
January 18, 2015
A great collection of photographs and reflective quotes that relate, even tangentially, to the author's imagery. This had me wanting to take my own hermitage someday.
January 14, 2021
Matthieu Ricard is a photographer and Buddhist monk who spent a year in a hermitage in Nepal where he would take two images a week from his terrace or nearby surroundings. The way he captures the ever-changing light, the mist over the mountains and the sheer natural beauty that surrounds him is breathtakingly beautiful. With the exception of the opening Buddhist prayer, the quotes that accompany the images frequently appear out of alignment with the photographs and take away, rather than contribute to the experience. I would have preferred more of Matthieu's own reflections and revelations instead of quotes by others. Nevertheless, the photographs are meditations in themselves and I will dip into this book many times over to enjoy the scenery.
April 2, 2013
These are beautiful photographs taken in the Himalayas where Ricard is a Buddhist monk/hermit. The reason for the three star rating is I am not quite in agreement that the quotes he uses as captions for his photography match what his pictures convey. Granted I am not Buddhist and that may be the discrepancy. Please though take a look at these gorgeous photographs of a place that most of us will never see. The nature is splendid even at night or when foggy. Wonderful pictures.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews