Matthieu Ricard at Villa Empain: inside the encounter

Par Gabriel Goldberg 13 September 2026 8 min read

On Sunday, 13 September 2026, I sat a few metres from Matthieu Ricard inside Villa Empain. Behind him, a wall of glass opened onto the trees; before him, a small audience listened in near silence. His red robes and saffron shirt stood out against dark marble, Art Deco lines and the first autumnal light of Brussels. I knew the author, monk and photographer. What I discovered was a presence: attentive, precise, with no need to occupy the whole room. Matthieu Ricard in conversation before the audience and gardens at Villa Empain in Brussels — Photo Gabriel Goldberg, 13 septembre 2026. In brief: the Boghossian Foundation welcomed Matthieu Ricard for an intimate Cercle de la Villa encounter about happiness and altruism . A cellular-genetics PhD who became a Buddhist monk, French interpreter for the Dalai Lama, author, photographer and co-founder of Karuna-Shechen, Ricard has spent five decades connecting science, contemplation and action. This is a first-person report, without invented quotations. 1. Arriving at Villa Empain: leaving the noise before the talk begins Designed by Michel Polak and built between 1931 and 1934 for Baron Louis Empain, the house is one of Brussels’ finest Art Deco achievements. Its geometry, rounded corners, gold trim and dark windows create elegance through proportion rather than ornament. The Art Deco façade of Villa Empain, Brussels home of the Boghossian Foundation — Photo Gabriel Goldberg, 13 septembre 2026. Past the gate, gravel, hedges, mature…