ABOUT MATTHEW RICHARDS

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” Albert Camus

The dream that is my life:

Matthew Richards
In a sense, the energy—or wind horse—healing that I offer is an expression of my own spiritual path.

I’ve been interested in the study and practice of spiritual healing for as long as I can remember. I’ve been my family’s free and avid ‘therapist’ since I was very young. At one point, I even fantasized about setting up a curb-side psychiatry booth, à la Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip, for friends and relatives.

During high school, I made an inspired if innocent vow to devote my life to helping others. I received a Masters in Western Philosophy from the University of Ottawa in 1997. I was particularly interested in philosophies that stressed living joyfully and creatively, as seen in the thoughts of the ancient Greeks and philosophers like Baruch Spinoza and Friedrich Nietzsche.

I was introduced to Buddhist thought while taking a course on Asian philosophy in 1992. This class turned out to be a true spiritual awakening; in Buddhism, I found both a path to healing and a toolbox for helping others. It was like a cool autumn wind on my face.

In 1995, I committed myself to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Over the years, I’ve received teachings and transmissions from high Lamas like His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Khalkha Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche. The Very Venerable 13th Zasep Rinpoche, my main teacher of this life, continues to inform my daily practice and has given me his blessing to both teach and do healing work.

In 1999, I began to formally teach Buddhist meditation at Gaden Choling Temple in Toronto. I continue to teach weekly classes in Vancouver at Zuru Ling Temple as well as other centers. As a board member of the Gaden Relief charity, I also help organize humanitarian aid for communities and Buddhist institutions in Ladakh, Tibet and Mongolia.

In 2003, I came in contact with Mongolian shamanism during a trip to Outer Mongolia. These colourful and ancient traditions awoke something deep within me that has since inspired my spiritual path, particularly my hospice and palliative care work.

I continue to further my studies in psycho-spiritual healing with my teachers and aspire to be, in the words of Edward Burrough, the early British Quaker leader and one of the "Valiant Sixty", a "son of thunder and consolation".