40 - Matthieu RICARD (Born in 1946)

Matthieu RICARD (Born in 1946) Thai monks on a pilgrimage to the ruins of Nalanda, India Art print, UltraChrome HDX pigment inks, Epson Premium glossy paper, mounted on 2mm Dibond 60 x 90 cm Label on the back of the mount. This exhibition print may show slight marks or imperfections. Proceeds from the sale of this print will benefit the Karuna Shechen Association and its relief programs for victims of the August 26, 2026, floods in Nepal. Thai monks on a pilgrimage to the ruins of Nalanda, which was one of the world’s first universities and the largest Buddhist university in history, founded in the 5th century CE during the Gupta Dynasty. At the height of its glory, Nalanda was home to more than 10,000 students and 2,000 professors. The Nalanda library, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasure of Truth), was renowned for containing hundreds of thousands of volumes. When, in 1193, it was set ablaze by Muslims led by the Turk Bakhtiar Khilji, it burned for months. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is part of the Nalanda tradition, which it keeps alive. Thai monks on a pilgrimage to the ruins of Nalanda, which was one of the first universities in the world and the largest Buddhist university in history, established in the fifth century AD during the Gupta dynasty. At the height of its glory, Nalanda was home to more than 10,000 students and 2,000 professors. Nalanda’s library, called Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasure of Truth), was reputed to contain hundreds of thousands of volumes. When, in 1193, it was set on fire by Muslim invaders led by the Turk Bakhtiar Khilji, it burned for months. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says that the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism is part of the Nalanda tradition, which it keeps alive.