Jean Francois-Revel, a pillar of French intellectual life in our time, became world 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 an inn overlooking Katmandu, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored the questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history. Does life have meaning? What is consciousness? Is man free? What is the value of scientific and material progress? Why is there suffering, war, and hatred? Their conversation is not merely abstract: 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.

让-弗朗索瓦•何维勒（Jean-Francois Revel）

法兰西学院院士，1924年生，哲学教授、政治评论家，所著政治评论在西方世界皆引起很大反响，曾任法国新闻周刊《快报》总编辑，现居巴黎。

马修•理查德（Matthieu Richard）

佛教僧侣。生于1946年，曾为巴黎巴斯特学院分子生物博士。1972年移居印度，向佛教大师们学习，二十多年来过着佛教僧侣的生活。出家前曾写过一本鸟类迁移的著作，出家后的作品有《顿悟之旅》。至今一直从事藏文经文的翻译，现居尼泊尔谢城寺。

译者简介：

赖声川

台湾知名舞台剧导演，1954年生于美国华盛顿。美国加州伯克莱大学戏剧艺术博士。曾任国立台北艺术大学戏剧学院教授及院长。1984年参与创立剧团表演工作坊，担任艺术总监。自1984年开始剧场创作，后陆续开创台湾舞台剧市场，即兴时事电视剧市场，受到中外媒体赞誉，并获得诸多奖项。赖声川同时是藏传佛教信徒，译有多本藏传佛教书籍。