In this current era one of our main challenges consists of reconciling the demands of the economy, the search for happiness, and respect for the environment. These imperatives correspond to three time scales - short, middle, and long term.
Altruism is the only unifying concept that provides us a common
to work together for a better world. If we have more consideration for others, we will move towards a “caring economics”, we will be more concerned with the improvement of working conditions, family and social life, and many other aspects of existence, and we will care more about the fate of future generations. Research in the neurosciences that has shown that any form of training induces a restructuring in the brain, at both the functional and structural levels. This is also what happens when one trains in developing altruistic love and compassion. Cultures and individuals continue to
influence each other mutually. One can thus conceive of a much welcome evolution towards more cooperative and altruistic societies.
Altruism thus seems to be a determining factor of the quality of our existence, now and to come, and should not be relegated to the realm of noble utopian thinking. We must have the perspicacity to acknowledge this and the audacity to say it.
Matthieu Ricard has dedicated his life to the study and practice of Buddhism following the teachings of the greatest Tibetan spiritual masters of our time. He has been the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama since 1989, and he is the author of several volumes of Buddhist texts translated from the Tibetan, such as The Life of Shabkar: The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin, The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones, and The Heart of Compassion: The Thirty-seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva (teachings by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche). He spoke with students and many participants on 17th Nov, 2023.